Sourcing Silver Needles in the US

[MEversbergII]

So I've had good silver needles from a shop in China, and now I'm looking for one in the US. Any recommendation?

M.

[JRS22]

My go-to source in America for Chinese greens, whites etc is Seven Cups. The other excellent source for silver needles is Rishi. Not only do they sell online, but their tea is also available in small canisters at Whole Foods.

The canisters are surprisingly well made, with an inner lid. I love their jasmine silver needles enough to mail order large quantities from Rishi and refill the Whole Foods tin.

[MEversbergII]

Ah! Forgot to mention I was looking for Rishi alternatives (for no reason other than to have a backup). I'll check their site for tins - I've only mail ordered bags so far.

I'll check seven cups - been long since I've had good silver needles!

M.

[JRS22]

I'm not sure if the tins are available online.

Seven Cups has a tea club. Join and you get a 10% discount when you order online.

[MacGuffin]

I'm not sure if the tins are available online.

Seven Cups has a tea club. Join and you get a 10% discount when you order online.

You're also entitled to the discount if you order by phone (mention you're a Tea Club member if they don't know you to talk to you). Be aware that the discount doesn't apply to tea that's on sale although you still get points for every dollar you spend. I've been buying from them for years (just got an order the other day, in fact) and in all that time have only had one tea that I didn't like. They're also a lot cheaper than Rishi and in my experience have better quality (they only sell Chinese tea). I agree, though, that those Whole Food canisters are really nice.

Edit: I just found out today that the point system no longer exists but the Club discount still does--sorry for mis-posting. I ordered a bag of Silver Needle today; it's apparently Zhen He and no longer Fuding and I'm told it has a bit more body than the Fuding Needles they used to source. I'm keeping an open mind.

[JRS22]

I buy all my chinese greens from Seven Cups but I had a craving for jasmine silver needles and Seven Cups didn't have any. I hardly ever shop at Whole Foods but I often walk past them when I'm in Manhattan so I stopped in and found it selling there in a tin. One of the first OTTIs was a comparison of Silver Needles from different vendors and Rishi was one of the best so I figured it was a good bet for a jasmine version and luckily I was right. I'll probably return to jasmine pearls with my next Seven Cups order.

I never get points from Seven Cups. I wonder what I'm doing wrong?

[MacGuffin]

I never get points from Seven Cups. I wonder what I'm doing wrong?

You should call Andrew and talk to him; he's really nice and very receptive (he's also extremely knowledgeable; it was he who sent me to Assam Tea Company for some very fine Indian black tea). And don't get me wrong, Rishi has some slammin' tea. They were my first foray into tea and hold a special place in my heart. Their jasmine pearls are excellent BTW, and I reviewed them on Amazon (I came to prefer Seven Cups' Silver Dragon Pearls and Snow Drop Jasmine, though). Make sure to try Rishi's Sencha Sakura in the spring. It's a very elegant brew.

It's a shame Whole Foods did Rishi so dirty but they do that to a lot of vendors/employees. Rishi used to be a huge presence in their stores here, especially Columbus Circle. There's very little to be found of them there now although a (not cheap) tisane caught my eye that I'll probably buy.

[JRS22]

I never get points from Seven Cups. I wonder what I'm doing wrong?

You should call Andrew and talk to him; he's really nice and very receptive (he's also extremely knowledgeable; it was he who sent me to Assam Tea Company for some very fine Indian black tea). And don't get me wrong, Rishi has some slammin' tea. They were my first foray into tea and hold a special place in my heart. Their jasmine pearls are excellent BTW, and I reviewed them on Amazon (I came to prefer Seven Cups' Silver Dragon Pearls and Snow Drop Jasmine, though). Make sure to try Rishi's Sencha Sakura in the spring. It's a very elegant brew.

It's a shame Whole Foods did Rishi so dirty but they do that to a lot of vendors/employees. Rishi used to be a huge presence in their stores here, especially Columbus Circle. There's very little to be found of them there now although a (not cheap) tisane caught my eye that I'll probably buy.

The OP is the one looking for buying advice.

[portabletea]

im also pretty curious on what are some good sources to buy silver needle. are there any good teas that are sold on amazon, Rishi seems to be liked here. might go for that unless there are other recommendation. thanks guys