Close-up of Chinese Silver Needle tea leaves beside a cup of pale yellow tea.
Black packaging of Harney & Sons Chinese Silver Needle tea, labeled with gold accents, 1 lb size.
Harney & Sons Chinese Silver Needle tea tin, featuring elegant black and gold design, 2 oz. net weight.
41806 White Tea

Chinese Silver Needle

$ 176.00
$ 1.17
PER CUP
Packaging Type:Loose
Unit:1 lb. Bag
Quantity:
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Description

In the northeastern corner of the Fujian Province of China is the coastal city of Fuding. This is the hometown of white tea. This is where the commercialization of white tea began.

In the hills outside of Fuding, the fields are full of the special tea cultivar called Da Bei or Big White. The name is apt. These tea plants form fat buds, thickly coated with down. The plant stockpiles goodness in the bud, for it is the plant's future. Inside the tiny silver needle are extra sugars, antioxidants, and even extra caffeine. The downy fuzz is made up of trichomes, which help the immature bud to survive this cold, cruel world. After the buds are painstakingly plucked by hand, most teamakers put the buds in a barn and let them slowly dry out.

This subtly sweet tea can be appreciated in a cup, or you can drink it like the Chinese and float a spoonful into a clear glass of hot water. Watch the buds slowly sink in the water. It can be very therapeutic.

Ingredients
White tea.

Mike's Rating
1 Briskness
2 Body
2 Aroma
 Details: Chinese Silver Needle (Yin Zhen) is widely considered the best white tea in the world. It is a beauty to behold with all the fuzzy tea buds. The light brew is a subtle and slightly sweet delight.
 Dry Leaves: There are no dry leaves in this tea, but rather the silvery buds of the tea plant.
 Liquor: Since there are no leaves, the liquor is a very pale yellow green, sometimes with a rose cast to it. The color may darken if the needle spent some extra time before it dried out. There might be a bit of oxidation occurring.
 Aroma: The aromas are light and might be overlooked. However, one can smell a light sweetness mixed with subtle vegetal notes, like wet sweet hay or cotton candy. There are also light floral notes of honeysuckle.
 Flavors: If you are not paying attention, you might think you are drinking water. However, a bit of concentration brings out the light, subtle sweetness, dulled with the gentle vegetal flavors of steamed bok choy.
 Caffeine Level: Caffeinated
 Body: Light-bodied. Silver Needle may have more body than other whites, but it is quite thin in comparison to most green or black teas.
 Brewing Time: 3 minutes
 Brewing Temp: 175º