OUR OFFERINGS - ORGANIC OSTHMANTHUS SILVER NEEDLES

Location: Fujian, China
Altitude: 850-1000 m
Harvest: March 2007, scented November 2007

Characteristics

Body: Light, rounded body
Flavor: Sweet, fruity
Finish: Smooth, low astringency

Tasting Notes

Delicate and sweet, silver needles are an excellent tea base for scenting due to low levels of astringency and bitterness. The naturally refreshing characteristics of the tea pair perfectly with osthmanthus flowers providing a fruity flavor reminiscent of fresh apricots and wild honey. The finish is clean with the pleasant lingering flavor of fresh osthmanthus flowers.

Doug's Notes

Like all authentic white teas, our Organic Othmanthus Silver Needles are grown high in the mountains of the Fujian province in Southeastern China. Hand-picked in early spring, as all true white teas are, only the tips (leaves located at the end of the plants’ branches) are used because they have the highest concentration of flavor and plant nutrients. A special withering process created nearly two hundred years ago is employed to activate the enzymes and stand the downy white hairs on end. The leaves are carefully sorted and left in the sun to finish drying.

Freshly picked silver needles

The Osthmanthus Silver Needles are scented in a process similar to our Jasmine Silver Needles. Like jasmine teas, the tea is picked in the spring and scented in the fall using a special process when the flowers are in bloom. Fragrant blossoms are carefully layered within the already processed silver needles. Once the tea has absorbed the scent completely, the blossoms are removed and discarded. The tea is then carefully dried so the moisture doesn’t cause decay. Once dry the tea undergoes the scenting process again. After scenting several times, the tea is sifted to remove the flowers and dried. Now the tea is nearly finished; the last remaining step is to add dried flowers to enhance the appearance and flavor.

Osthmanthus-scented teas, like many flower scented teas, are exceptionally prized in the central and northern parts of China where flowers have been used to flavor teas for centuries. Due to the current popularity of osthmanthus scented teas, I’m offering this tea as a replacement for our Organic Osthmanthus Oolong. I first tasted samples of this tea last December. The flavors hadn’t completely settled and the tea tasted unfinished. After several months this tea has improved in flavor and developed into a great scented tea. I was quite fortunate to purchase this lot so late in the season.

For people unfamiliar with osthmanthus scented teas, I strongly recommend tasting one. The flavor is quite unique and definitely different from a more perfumed flower-scented tea such as a rose or jasmine tea.

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