Country of Origin: China
Notes:
Also known as: 白毫銀針 "Bai Hao Yin Zhen" (translation: "white pekoe silver needles")
Our first flush of spring Imperial Grade Silver Needle White Tea was picked in the first week of March from the tender buds of "Da Bai Hao" varietal tea trees. The "Da Bai Hao" varietal is a natural hybrid of Assamica that is unique to the Jinggu area in Yunnan China.
Tea buds, also called tips or needles, are the youngest part of the tea plant and are bursting with goodness. On the other hand, they also happen to be tiny AND super time-consuming to pick: you need thousands and thousands of buds to make just one kilo of Silver Needle.
This bud-only pick is why Silver Needle is so expensive, and also less common than other white teas. In most cases, it’s not worth it to pick just these tiny little buds alone. But something interesting happens when you use just the buds, Remember that the buds are the smallest, most precious part of the tea plant (since they’ll later grow up to be bigger leaves).
Tea bushes put in TONS of effort into producing these buds AND protecting them from cold, stress, and pests. As a result they contain the highest levels of the good stuff in tea: caffeine, L-theanine, and polyphenols. Translation? A good Silver Needle should be lively and bursting with energy and flavor.
The buds, after being picked, are lightly wilted, pan-fried briefly at low temperature and then allowed to dry naturally (sometimes with the help of fans). This relatively unadulterated style of processing lends the Silver Needle tea a fruity and sweet taste and aroma that even with a year or two of age will still taste thick, viscous and full in the mouth.
White teas in general already have more pure and light flavor profiles compared to other teas, and Silver Needle takes that up a notch. It’s pure elegance in a cup.
Ingredients: Premium White Tea Leaves