Arya Pearl Darjeeling First Flush Organic White Tea

Tea type
White Tea
Ingredients
White Tea
Flavors
Corn Husk, Grain, Grass, Hay, Lemon, Lettuce, Lime, Malt, Mineral, Nuts, Pine, Seaweed, Spinach, Straw, Umami, Butter, Flowers, Green, Green Beans, Nectar, Sweet, Floral, Freshly Cut Grass, Jasmine, Vegetal
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Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Organic
Edit tea info Last updated by eastkyteaguy
Average preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 45 sec 8 g 126 oz / 3726 ml

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3 Tasting Notes View all

  • “This was a tea I was excited to try. Vahdam Teas gifted me a 10 gram sample of the 2017 production of this tea a little earlier in the year and I promised to review it in return. Going into this...” Read full tasting note
    59
  • “This the 2017 Harvest. This is a refreshing and subtle tea. The leaves are light, thin, and vibrantly green. I can pick up a deep umami scent along with sweet nectar, lilac, lily, okra, butter, and...” Read full tasting note
    95
  • “I’m not usually one to go for white teas but having heard so much about Arya Pearl and visiting their factory in Darjeeling, I decided to give it a try. I have not regretted it. The Arya Pearl is a...” Read full tasting note
    100

From Vahdam Teas

An exclusive and extremely rare spring White Tea from one of Darjeeling’s flagship organic plantations, Arya. Handpicked just before sunrise, the Arya Pearl populars retains the ‘two leaf & a bud’ look, contrary to white teas which generally bear a silver needle appearance. Manufactured from ​superior clonal bushes, the tea boasts of a fresh & floral aroma with a bright & majestic infusion. The extremely mellow flavour along with a delicate smooth body with undertones of fresh greens makes for an ecstatic experience. The finish is long, sweet and sensational. Involving extreme levels of skilled craftsmanship, perfect timing of harvest, an intuitive manufacturing process backed by decades of experience, this entirely hand-manufactured tea is at par ​the finest​ vintage white wine​s. A limited edition first flush tea which can be steeped multiple times and has to be served straight with absolutely no accompaniments.

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3 Tasting Notes

59
1048 tasting notes

This was a tea I was excited to try. Vahdam Teas gifted me a 10 gram sample of the 2017 production of this tea a little earlier in the year and I promised to review it in return. Going into this review, I was at least vaguely familiar with the Arya Estate’s line of offerings, but to be completely honest, I knew more about its reputation; the Arya Estate has developed a well-deserved reputation for producing truly exceptional teas. I was aware that their black and white teas, in particular, are considered to be some of the best on the market. So, all of that being said, I was looking forward to trying this tea and even made sure to set aside a large block of time to conduct a review session with minimal distractions. Unfortunately, I never quite came to grips with this tea.

I opted to gongfu this tea. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose leaf material in 4 ounces of 176 F water for 8 seconds. This infusion was chased by 13 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry leaf material (which was absolutely beautiful, by the way) emitted subtle aromas of hay, herbs, grass, and pine. After the rinse, I detected touches of malt and lemon. The first infusion brought out impressions of nuts. In the mouth, I found notes of pine, lemon, grass, hay, straw, malt, and nuts underscored by a hint of spinach. Subsequent infusions brought out the spinach on the nose and in the mouth. I also found impressions of lettuce, lime zest, seaweed, grain, and minerals. There was kind of a broth-like umami note that fully emerged as well. Brewing the way I did, the tea faded quite quickly. The later infusions that actually did have any amount of aroma or flavor mostly emphasized notes of minerals, grass, and spinach, though hints of corn husk arrived fashionably late and did what they could to liven things up a bit. Very distant notes of lettuce and malt could also be found on at least a couple of these infusions.

This struck me as being a very soft and clean tea. Having now taken the time to process my feelings about it, all I can say is that I can see why some people love it and I can see why it is so highly rated, but it was not for me. I like white teas that display more fruitiness and this tea did not offer enough to satisfy me. I could tell this was a quality tea produced from a quality picking in a good year, but again, it was not quite my thing. If you are a fan of more delicate, vegetal white teas with a strong umami note, I could see this being up your alley.

Flavors: Corn Husk, Grain, Grass, Hay, Lemon, Lettuce, Lime, Malt, Mineral, Nuts, Pine, Seaweed, Spinach, Straw, Umami

Preparation
6 g 4 OZ / 118 ML
Indigobloom

I tend to enjoy the heartier white teas myself these days, with a bit more malt to them. Rare finds, but delish! I know what you mean by saying it is high quality but not for you.

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95
526 tasting notes

This the 2017 Harvest.

This is a refreshing and subtle tea. The leaves are light, thin, and vibrantly green. I can pick up a deep umami scent along with sweet nectar, lilac, lily, okra, butter, and a nutty background with a light scent of unripe tree fruit. This is a complex and wonderful aroma with many layers. I grabbed my tetsubin and began steeping. The steeped leaves are just as vibrant as they are when dry and they emit a fresh green tea scent alike high quality longjing. The liquor is pale jade and thick with a first taste of fresh greens and the image of spring. The oily brew is alike a bud heavy green tea taste as well as a the silkiness of Anji Bai Cha. The finish is sweet with a soft bitterness of notes of green bean and a light sunflower finish. The tea bears a hefty price tag, but it is quite a treat. The drink is refreshing and nourishing with a “happy body” feeling. I sipped this outside on my porch during a surprisingly warm day. The brew was wonderful and put me in a laid back mood fitting for music, books, and conversation. I really enjoyed this, and I am glad that I was able to brew some up.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSwVnoEATb2/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel&hl=en

Flavors: Butter, Flowers, Green, Green Beans, Nectar, Nuts, Sweet, Umami

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 30 sec 10 g 24 OZ / 709 ML

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100
6 tasting notes

I’m not usually one to go for white teas but having heard so much about Arya Pearl and visiting their factory in Darjeeling, I decided to give it a try. I have not regretted it. The Arya Pearl is a sublime tea with its floral flavours and a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste. I hope to take in a lot more of its goodness.

Flavors: Floral, Freshly Cut Grass, Jasmine, Vegetal

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 350 OZ / 10350 ML

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