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Ethan Kurland
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Posts: 1026
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Location: Boston
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Wed Jul 24, 2019 6:16 pm

debunix wrote:
Wed Jul 24, 2019 4:08 pm
Ethan Kurland wrote:
Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:59 pm
So, what is white tea supposed to be?
I think of white tea as more delicate and lighter in flavor than a roasted or steamed green, oxidized oolong, or fermented puerh. I think of floral, fruity, spicy, and vegetal notes, if present, are more muted/subtle.
Thank you, debunix. I used to think much like you (all of what you wrote, save the spicy). Now, white for me is about the feel of what I drink, not the flavor. For 2 months I have been enjoying flavors that I would associate with Himalayan black tea. What I feel is much different than when I drink black tea, when I drink the white tea. There is no aftertaste. There is no effect that lingers. Lightness prevails, not deepness; yet, there is plenty of flavor that I would not call muted/subtle.
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aet
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Posts: 409
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2018 7:56 pm
Location: Kunming ( China )

Wed Jul 24, 2019 6:53 pm

Ethan Kurland wrote:
Wed Jul 24, 2019 6:16 pm
There is no aftertaste. There is no effect that lingers. Lightness prevails, not deepness; yet, there is plenty of flavor that I would not call muted/subtle.
this defect happens often to teas sitting in Guangzhou tea market too long.
Ethan Kurland
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Posts: 1026
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2017 1:01 am
Location: Boston
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Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:01 pm

aet wrote:
Wed Jul 24, 2019 6:53 pm
Ethan Kurland wrote:
Wed Jul 24, 2019 6:16 pm
There is no aftertaste. There is no effect that lingers. Lightness prevails, not deepness; yet, there is plenty of flavor that I would not call muted/subtle.
this defect happens often to teas sitting in Guangzhou tea market too long.
I don't think this tea is old nor stale. I think I know what you mean & that this is a different situation.

I don't think of its absence of aftertaste as a defect. The tea is not hitting the body hard anywhere. It is very tasty & pleasing as one drinks it. It does not penalize me for drinking a lot of it. Everything about it feels fresh. It's another type of experience in my daily rotation.

I do enjoy teas that effect me long after drinking them; however, it is also nice to have a tea that does not.
Sweetestdew
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Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:33 pm
Location: Huang Shan, China
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Wed Jul 24, 2019 10:48 pm

Shine Magical wrote:
Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:11 pm
Sweetestdew wrote:
Tue Jul 23, 2019 10:35 am
Dont do Shang, i was disapointed by them.
I am going to Fu Ding in a few weeks, if you send me some money I can pick you up some stuff.
Yes I was disappointed by Shang too. If the silver needle is of similar quality to the one you sent Roy L & me a few years ago then yes I want to get some.
Better I think. I went to a new town a little deeper in the mountains, and found a very nice lady with great tea. Im talking up hard this August.
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d.manuk
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:13 pm
Location: Dallas

Sat Mar 28, 2020 1:52 pm

Bump in case anyone has new ideas
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Victoria
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Location: Santa Monica, CA
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Sat Mar 28, 2020 5:22 pm

I asked around and the recommendation was to wait until May to buy fresh Silver Needles because they use summer second flush buds. In India Summer starts in April and ends in June. Also, after wondering if there is a noticeable different between Chinese and Indian Silver Needles, the reply was that Indian is more flavorful and spicier. Lochan Tea was recommended as a good vendor for Silver Needles, they have a Facebook page as well. If you search Lochan Tea Silver Needles you can see their FB posts. Their web site seems to have a problem, at least I wasn’t able to open. They are located in Siliguri just south of Darjeeling and have a farm Doke Tea Estate in Bihar. Here is a write up about their Silver Needle by Tea for Me Please, another write up here, and an article of interest here and a fun video talking about the farm, the Lochan family, and second flush Silver Needles.
Ethan Kurland
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Posts: 1026
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2017 1:01 am
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Sat Mar 28, 2020 11:12 pm

Shine Magical wrote:
Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:01 am
I'm looking to sample some high quality Silver Needle offerings. Do you have any recommendations?
Your statement could be clearer.
Are you looking for green tea?
There is silver needle white tea.
Please clarify.
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d.manuk
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:13 pm
Location: Dallas

Sun Mar 29, 2020 7:02 am

Bai Hao Yin Zhen white tea
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d.manuk
Posts: 655
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Location: Dallas

Tue Mar 31, 2020 7:13 pm

bump
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klepto
Posts: 488
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 9:24 pm
Location: Floridaman, USA
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Thu Oct 29, 2020 2:21 pm

*Bump* What's the consensus? Which vendors have the best silver needle? I'm buying a friend of mine a porcelain teapot and some white tea but I want the good stuff :D.
I may get some for myself, just to break up the puerh rut I'm in.
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Victoria
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Thu Oct 29, 2020 4:18 pm

klepto wrote:
Thu Oct 29, 2020 2:21 pm
*Bump* What's the consensus? Which vendors have the best silver needle? I'm buying a friend of mine a porcelain teapot and some white tea but I want the good stuff :D.
I may get some for myself, just to break up the puerh rut I'm in.
Since you are in USA, and international shipping is still an issue, you might check out a few USA based vendors that I have heard (from TF members) carry quality white teas. I personally haven’t ordered from these vendors yet;
Seven Cups in Phoenix, AZ
Tea Trekker in Massachusetts
Verdant Tea in Minnesota
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klepto
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Thu Oct 29, 2020 5:27 pm

Victoria wrote:
Thu Oct 29, 2020 4:18 pm
klepto wrote:
Thu Oct 29, 2020 2:21 pm
*Bump* What's the consensus? Which vendors have the best silver needle? I'm buying a friend of mine a porcelain teapot and some white tea but I want the good stuff :D.
I may get some for myself, just to break up the puerh rut I'm in.
Since you are in USA, and international shipping is still an issue, you might check out a few USA based vendors that I have heard (from TF members) carry quality white teas. I personally haven’t ordered from these vendors yet;
Seven Cups in Phoenix, AZ
Tea Trekker in Massachusetts
Verdant Tea in Minnesota
Thanks!! I've had some teaware from Bitterleaf stuck in customs for a month.
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YahYue
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 10:23 pm
Location: Canada

Thu Oct 29, 2020 6:42 pm

Tao Tea Leaf in Toronto Canada has, in my experience, offered some excellent silver needles. I've had the organic and premium qualities before and the differences were subtle, but still memorable.

Admittedly though I am more a shou mei drinker, but I always keep some of Tao's silver needles at hand for those rare quiet weekend mornings.
Janice
Posts: 262
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:11 pm
Location: New Jersey

Fri Oct 30, 2020 12:00 pm

I’ve bought silver needles from Rishi tea in the past and it’s been excellent. I’m tempted to purchase the wild silver needle but I just have SO much tea here.
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Nis
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:13 am
Location: France

Wed Nov 04, 2020 1:00 pm

Ethan Kurland wrote:
Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:59 pm
So, what is white tea supposed to be?
That's a good question. The most common way to describe it seems to be something along the lines of light and fresh. However, I suspect that it's mostly something that gets repeated by people that either don't really know what they're talking about or have only had Fuding-style silver needle.

This Yunnan white is indeed light and fresh.
The 2018 Turtle Dove from w2t is very much the opposite, with a heavy forest honey-like taste.
This Nepalese white was decidedly spicy when I bought it a few years ago.
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