★★★★☆
First time trying white tea! I can definitely taste the grape notes. It's so smooth and drinkable. Quite enjoy. I got 5 steeps and more out of this, so definitely a long hitter.
Silver Needle white tea is among the most revered of Chinese teas. Gathered only for a few days in early spring, a dedication to perfection is evident in the pale, ivory-colored liquor. Delicately honeysuckle floral, with a warmed sugar sweetness.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Silver Needle, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
First time trying white tea! I can definitely taste the grape notes. It's so smooth and drinkable. Quite enjoy. I got 5 steeps and more out of this, so definitely a long hitter.
Yes, this is now a staple among my white teas. It's not always my go-to, since I prefer jasmine flavors with the robust vegetative flavors of green teas, but when I need something delicate to warm me on a cold day I turn to this. It has well earned its spot among the pantry tin tea!
It's mild and smooth. Love it in the morning and can get a couple of brews out of it which is awesome!
This is a nice aromatic cup. And the benefits are unreal.
A lovely tea! I taste hints of hay, as well as white grapes. This is a wonderful tea to have on a relaxing afternoon.
I love this tea because it’s very light and beautiful. I don’t like dark heavy tea this one it is not bitter at all.
this was my first white tea. It was pretty good and very light. I want to try more
I can see why silver needle is considered the finest tea in the world. A cup in the morning and i was craving it throughout the day, tastes mild yet elegant, grapey and smooth. the second infusion might have been even better than the first.
It was fine! I’m new to white tea, but it wasn’t like any I’d ever had. It was more grassy.
Very light, very smooth, very delicious. Good for multiple steeps.
Long silver needles always pose an issue for my tea ball, so I just dropped a few pinches into my boiling water and let it brew 'naturally' :-) The taste is a nice and soft hay flavor. It's pleasant and relaxing, reminiscent of late summer. It's very good, but it just can't hold a candle to my beloved Jasmine Silver Needle, still nice to try though!
Light and smooth tasting. No bitterness. Flavorful for something that looks so light. Feels like a summery tea for me, or tea on a day I want no astringency.
A great basic white tea. It is perfect as a base for mint, lemongrass or lavender teas.
This company has great customer service. Will order from them again
Definitely one of my favorite teas. Light sweet flavor. Nice afternoon tea.
Currently my favorite tea, best to drink when it cools a bit
Silver needle may be my all time favorite. Delicate yet complex flavor profile. Naturally sweet with a floral taste. If I could give more stars I would. I steep longer than recommended for a stronger flavor
Light, good to have this tea after having heavy meals.
My favorite tea ever! It's subtle yet very distinctive. I could drink this tea all day long...
I do like white teas and this is no exception. Light and buttery with nice body.
yellow tea is too good to be true. it's strong and light mixture favor.
Mmm mmm mmm so good and tasty. It is tea of the white variety.
This is by far one of my favs now. I am normally a black tea drinker but after having this, I am a true white tea convert. This has been my go to tea for more than a month now.
Light, delicate, flavorful. We try to have this on hand at all times.
This is a wonderful white tea. It's very smooth and great for an afternoon cup.
This tea was a very Light and yummy tea. The appearance was crisp and clear.
This is my favorite green tea by itself w/o a flavor. It’s light and delicate and tastes great hot or cold.
This light white tea with honey notes was more enjoyable with each of the four steeps. The flavor released quicker, the mouthfeel became softer and the light peach color stayed true with each brewing. This was one to enjoy and savor, a sit and sip tea. The first steep was most flavorful when the tea had cooled to room temp. A pleasant and slightly tangy grape flavor came forward then. Some sweetening with a light touch of agave encouraged the flavor to bloom and brighten more. I didn’t detect any bitterness or astringency making this a smooth cuppa.
My Ct packet had 2 g/ 2 tsp of airy silver green needles of different sizes. I brewed 12 oz. at 180*F for 3 minutes. This first steep was nice enough but I found steeps 2 and 3 more delicious and enjoyable. Steep 4...well… I had drunk enough tea by then but I was amazed that the color was still light peach and the flavor, although good, was not as delicate but had more of a tangy taste. Chilled, this tea had a delicious sweet taste. I prefer my iced teas to have tannins and astringency so iced Silver Needle would be an occasional cold treat. I really enjoyed this tea hot for the ceremony. Steep 1 12 oz. 3 min.; steep 2 12oz, 4 min.; steep 3 10 oz. 4:30 and steep 4 10 oz 4:30 all at 175*F. Escape to a quiet inner world, sip and enjoy!
Delicious! This tea had a surprisingly fruity (think delicate white peach or white grape) flavor in the first steep (3 min @ 180) that I wasn't expecting! The second and third steeps didn't have that fruityness to them, but they had a light, crisp, sweet flavor with an almost marshmallow-y note that I've had with other brands of silver needle.
This is one of my all-time favorite white teas! It's nice and light, but with enough body that it doesn't just taste like 'hot leaf juice'.
White teas are not really my thing in general just because they tend to be too light for my taste. They end up tasting watery. This one smells and tastes really amazing, but I have to use more leaves and brew for way longer than suggested. I probably wouldn't buy it but it's not bad at all.
Tasty and delicate. A nice little pick me up in a delicious cup
This was a nice tea. With just a touch of honey it was perfect.
The aroma of this tea in the packet was such a beautiful fresh scent, like warm spring sunshine. The color of this one reminds me of champagne. I didn’t pick up the same subtle flavors as some of the others, I got more of a toasty/nutty taste. Very smooth mouthfeel and perfect as is, no additions needed. Just an all around lovely tea to take your time with and enjoy. I was able to get two tasty steeps, and a third weaker steep, from my packet. 175° for 3 minutes.
Perhaps I am just not seasoned enough in white teas, but this was a bit plain to me. I steeped at the 180 for 3 minutes as suggested. It was a very pale colored liquid, and did not seem to have a real flavor to it. Maybe over time I'll learn to appreciate this?
This tea definitely had an interesting smell but the taste was pretty good.
beautiful little tea leaves that brewed into a really tasty, light tasting cup.
Nothing beats an elegant, pure tea. Light and floral, silver needle is reminiscent of honeysuckle and early spring mornings that are still crisp with the chill of dew on the ground. It has a gentle sweetness all its own and needs nothing added to enhance the delicate flavors.
At first I wasn't sure if this was going to be a tea for me to enjoy. It seemed a tad too light to really have any character. But after I gave it a little time I started noticing the very subtle hints of floral notes and found it to be very enjoyable. About half way through my cup I added a small amount of raw local honey and really enjoyed a completely different array of floral flavors. This one is delicate, so pay attention and you just might fall in love!
So I didn't care for this tea at first, but as I kept sipping, it really grew on me. It's delicate, but not wimpy. This isn't a tea to guzzle in the throes of a hectic day when you can't appreciate it. It's a tea to slow down and mindfully enjoy.
This is a perfect white tea - a light bodied, floral, and fruity nectar. Softly syrupy honeysuckle flavor spreads across the palette with this sip, leaving a plush, sugared finish. I enjoyed four steeps of this tea, each softer and sweeter than the last.
Delicate tea with a bit of a floral taste. And (luckily) it's not too fussy about how long you steep it!
8/17/2021: Tried this tea as part of the CommuniTEA. Silver Needle is a lovely white tea with a delicate floral flavor and a bit of sweetness in the finish. It's a great tea to sip slowly at the end of a long day. I steeped at 180°F x 2 minutes. I added sweetener on the first steep, and regretted doing so since I felt it overpowered the tea. Fortunately, the tea resteeps well, so my second cup was au naturale!
3/20/2022 Update: Steeped 1.5 grams in 6oz of water at 175F for 3 minutes. No sweetener needed. Perfection!
I was already in love with the Jasmine Silver needle tea, so I had a feeling I would like this one! Its so light and airy, a wonderful tea!
I really loved this delicate flavored white tea. I'm on my third infusion. I steeped it for 3 min at 185 and it was perfect
This was a very soft, smooth tea That I found very enjoyable. My palate isn't advanced enough to taste all the nuances that I believe this tea demonstrates. I am however very excited to branch out into single source teas and learn more.
darker in color. The first two steeps retain that wonderful floral flavor; the third steep loses its sweetness and is a touch more astringent. It's more like, well, a basic white peony at that point, but still flavorful. With the potential for three solid steeps, this tea could be well worth the price. (2.75-3.5 minutes @ 185F)
This is a light tea in color and taste. It has a buttery mouthfeel and is not grassy at all. I find it tastes best sipping it in a fine porcelain teacup while contemplating. Steeped at 180 F x 2 min then 3 min for subsequent steeps. No additions needed.
I am feeling left out of the party today. So many raves about the greatness of this white tea. I don’t really taste any honeysuckle or white grape notes. It isn’t sublime. It’s just an inoffensive very mild tea. I do enjoy white teas but I guess they have always been flavored with citrus or lavender or blended with an herbal tea. I steeped four times at 175 degrees for 3 minutes and added no sugar. Next time I get a pure white tea I will try a hot water rinse, as one reviewer suggested.
This pure (no blending) tea has brightened my “Spring Day” with its floral honey flavors and light tea tones. It’s so perfect in the cuppa there is not need to add anything. Just like Spring it is a perfect beginning to a new season.