Top Shelf Tea - Silver Needle

By Lu

When people ask me what is my poison, I would answer..tea. I know, it is non-alcoholic and not as cool as if I would say ... perhaps, a rare Malbec or a Grey Goose Martini, shaken not stirred, with 3 olives stuffed with Blue Cheese. But, what can I say, I just simply love tea!

When I say I love tea - I mean, I love tea!!! I drink it all day long. I like the rare kind to the one they serve at the hole in the wall noodle house my friend, Eve, would refer to as the "dirty restaurant". I still love the tea they serve in a worn and dingy plastic glass.

It wasn't because all tea types are the same to me. Au contraire, I appreciate tea and all science and art behind making a perfect cup of tea. However, it is just such a pleasing drink even the low grade one I don't mind. Ask my friend, Scott (Sandrine's husband) - I bet he could tell the difference between a Blue Label Johnny Walker Whisky compared to Maddog 20/20. I just learned about Maddog 20/20 last weekend from him. When I looked it up, it sounded more like a pruno prison hooch than a fortified wine. My point is - you will not enjoy crappy liquor; but, there's no such thing as that crappy of a tea.

Yet, I still have my favorites! My all time favorite tea is of course, the Duke of all Teas, Darjeeling. I drink Darjeeling tea almost daily. It tastes superb, strong, aromatic with that spicy tone (or what tea enthusiasts would call muscatel). At times, I would get so thirsty but instead of getting a cold one, I make a cup of hot tea. Darjeeling tea is originated in West Bengal, India. It is highly regarded as the "Tea". However, it is actually made from the Chinese variety of Tea plant, instead of the Indian Assam plant. There are many ways to harvest the leaves to make various varieties of Darjeeling. However, the primo is called the second flush. The second flush is harvested in June, after they gathered the first flush in around March. The second flush would be more aromatic and have more of black tea undertone - strong and bold. It would be dried which means it is exposed to air fully or going through oxidation process. The second flush would be pretty expensive everywhere else. My sister, Ri, living in Nepal, she has the privilege buying second flush Darjeeling from the local tea store in the Himalayas for perhaps $5 a half of pound. It is still pricy considering the regular Bigelow Darjeeling can be picked up at your local grocery store for $3 per box.

My Tea Possee: Tina, Rebecca, Marilou, and Sandrine, my girls....each time we go to afternoon tea, we have our favorites. Sandrine and Tina are more adventurous. They would try the berry kind, orange spiced, or vanilla. But, Rebecca, Marilou, and I - we usually always order the silver needle jasmine.

Oh! What a treat when I can drink this tea! It is definitely top notch tea! Mark brought me a canister of Harrod's Earl Grey from London several months back, and he did not know anything about tea. However, since he knows I love my tea, he got recommendation from someone and they told him that Harrod's Earl Grey is the Prince Charles of tea. I appreciate his effort, but the canister is still unopened on my kitchen counter. But, when Helen gave me the silver needle jasmine for christmas a couple years back, it was instantly depleted!
I first learned of silver needle tea from Ri, when she brought me a bag from Nepal. It didn't even look like tea and I had no idea. Then she made me Masala Tea, with all kinds of spices, milk, etc..yuck. Sorry, sis - but not my favorite. But when I tried the silver needle, it was like I met this guy and I married him the next day. Love love love it! The silver needle is considered white tea, as they harvested the tip of the leaves way early. It is unoxidized, so you get that clean subtle tone from the tea. It is very mild, but it is so rich in flavor. I'm sure it takes real art in creating this tea, from using only the top buds of the leaf shoots, and making sure that it is only lightly fermented and dried, so that it won't alter the flavor. This is the most priced of all teas. I went to a Tea-vana for a cup one day, and I was shocked to pay almost $6 for a damn grande size.
If you couldn't get your hands on authentic silver needle from Fujian or Nepal, try Rishi Silver Needle Jasmine. It's just simply great. You can get it at a specialty food store or organic grocery store. It is still a little pricy, but you can get a canister for maybe $10 and make lots and lots of cups.

Well - I have to mention my favorite Indonesian tea. It is called "Teh Cap Botol" or Bottle Brand Tea. They make several types, but the jasmine is my choice. This fully oxidized teh melati or jasmine tea smells soooooo good! It tastes like you have jasmine flowers falling out of your mouth after you drink it. This tea is cheap. For a small box, maybe only 30 cent. Yet, I love it as much as my other favorites and I still savor every sip.

The moral of the story of Tea is that there is something in life that you can love beyond the looks, the quality, or the price. Things do not have to be expensive to get you to love and appreciate it. Yet, at the same time, when you do have to pay the price, you know you are getting a great one. Of course, like anything else, there will be some types you don't like; but, not because of price or looks. It's just simply due to preference. So, every one, tea is like a whole package. It can offer you class; it can offer you economical sense. It can also offer you robust flavor, and it can put you to sleep. It can soothe your throat and comfort you, and it can give you a jolt of caffeine and feel alive. That is why I want my man to be like tea...versatile, strong, sophisticated, with a touch of class, but can go down and dirty, and he can make me feel mellow, and at the same time he can electrify my life with excitement. Men are in abundance like tea varieties at the grocery store aisle, but, I hope I get the top bud that's been sorted for my adoration only.

I hope someday I will find my Mr. Darjeeling (Mr. Silver Needle doesn't have quite the same ring). I will keep a mug ready for you.


*Special thanks to Crivenica for the pictures. Thanks for going around and taking pictures of Himalayas' best Silver Needle! It has been a blast collaborating with you! Love you!