Remembrance

Silver tips—that magical fragrance wafts up the moment one opens the tin. A 5-minute steep renders a delectable liquor with a very delicate and subtle lingering aftertaste that plays in the nostrils. Ah! But don't stop there! Don't toss the leaves after just one steep—they can be steeped again.

Or, what I prefer is to set a 2-cup pot; I pour the first cup at 5 minutes; the second at 20 minutes or so. The second cup does well with a teaspoon of Turbinado sugar to offset a hint of astringency and bitterness (which is not there at all in the first pour); what a delightful nectar that second cup becomes!

Note: this tea is impossible to measure with a teaspoon—the long needles leave lots of space between them—so I use a digital scale (they can be found cheaply online—and make for very accurate "dosing"). For my two-cup pot, I use 5 grams of tea—and I pour boiling water into the pot *without preheating the pot*—that is so that the water cools off a bit; then I add the tea. (It is said that white tea should be steeped at a lower temp—like 185° F).

Note 2: I thought that probably white tea would be lower in caffeine, since the flavor is so delicate—not so! Though this tea would not take milk well, and sugar only on a very long steep, it does carry a full quota of caffeine (in addition to all the antioxidants and other good things that white tea is known to provide). A little research online suggests that the fresh shoots on the tea plant have the greatest concentration of caffeine—my experience with this tea corroborates this—silver tips are the new leaves just grown on the tips of the tea plant.

The characteristic flat, sword like leaves of this tea made it impossible to use my Silver Tips perfect cup of tea spoon to measure it! When I simply used my fingers I was rewarded with the unique silky feel of the leaves! Also, I had read reviews of Dragonwell that used the descriptive “chestnuts.” Indeed, on the first steep the aroma of roasted chestnuts wafted up. A double delight. As noted, you can brew this in the traditional Chinese method of multiple short steeps. (This makes the tea very economical!). Dragonwell is one of those teas whose prices can be astronomical. I’m not a conneisieur but I hightly recommend this tea!.

Love this tea! Will drink alone with a little cream, but makes a good chai as well Very popular with my friends!

If I were castaway on a desert island and could have only one tea for the rest of my life, it would be this one. I won't abandon my previous favorite, Silvertips Earl Grey, but Grand Earl Grey is my new special treat!

Very nice Assam tea. I love it with milk and honey.

This is the best long leaf tea I’ve had and well worth the price!

This is a really nice Earl Grey tea. It is milder than other Earl Greys and I can drink it all day.

This has become my go-to tea every morning. It’s clean and full bodied. I’ve tried a bunch of rolled tea pearls and this is my favorite by far. I love the way silver tips makes these. Very little dust. Just great tea and great flavor.

This tea has a smooth organic flavor brings a focus to the mind and body. Each sip gives a nice boost of clarity and focus to get through the day. I recommend a adding a hint of honey along with this tea while enjoying any task at hand.

This is my go to tea for my morning cup. It is robust without being overbearing; very smooth and balanced. I find it best with milk; does not need sugar.

The tea that hooked me into Silver Tips - a mellow flavor that all my guests and I love, and my automatic go-to when I want relax and savor my moments.

Jazzes up the rooibos without being too overpowering. Just the right balance. I have a cup everyday along with other herbal teas for variety.

I first discovered this Chai tea when I worked as a nanny in Sleepy Hollow, NY 26 years ago. I moved to Texas 8 years ago and I order the largest size each time. The tea goes well with a warm blueberry sconce! You have to try it!

We’ve been drinking North Indian teas for years. Victoria’s Cup is robust and smooth, never fails to satisfy!

This is an amazing organically grown tea: the leaves are impossibly delicate threads. A short, Chinese style brew of a couple of minutes yields a wonderful cup with a sweet fruity aroma. You can brew the same leaves several times, so in the end it’s very economical. No sweetener needed. Try it!