White Silver Needle
White Silver Needle
Sweet | Mellow | Honey
The rarest white tea in the world. Only the finest, youngest whole buds with long silver needles are handpicked in small quantities in the Fujan province in China. This picking process occurs only a few days each year. This very special tea produces a pale-yellow infusion with a light, delicate flavour. Perfect for those who find green tea too strong.
How to brew
Tea profile
Origin: Fujian Province, China
Altitude: 1,500 metres (4,921 feet)t)
Plucking season: Early spring
Varietal/cultivar: Sinensis Da Bai (Big White)
Flavour profile: The pale straw-coloured liquor breathes gentle suggestions of apricots and peaches against a background of slight earthiness and quiet nutty notes
Best Enjoyed: Black
This top grade of white tea is called Yin Zhen in Mandarin, meaning Silver Needles, and is made from just the new leaf buds that develop slowly in the early spring as the first rains arrive and the sun gains some warmth after the chilly winter months. The buds are long and fleshy and covered with a thick coat of tiny silver hairs that protect them against harsh weather and insect attack. These velvety hairs are called the Bai Hao (or Pekoe) and so the tea is also sometimes known as Bai Hao Yin Zhen.
