Silver Needles Complex / Silky / Delicate

Silver Needles - Yin Zhen are the ultimate indulgence.

Legend has it that these leaves are picked one hour before dawn at a secret location on a full moon in June. Some say they are hand-rolled by white-gloved virgins in the Emperor’s Garden, into the exquisite tendrils that produce this subtle silky tea steeped in ancient Chinese philosophy.

Like any legend there is always a grain of truth at the heart of the story. It is still produced traditionally in the beautiful Fujian Province, in the first blush of spring, when the fresh buds appear. These are carefully collected, withered and dried in the open sun.

The knack with white teas is to have as little interference as possible in the processing. This lightness of touch retains much of the leave's cellular structure in tact. They are left to wither gradually in the open air, being constantly monitored and turned for up to three days. This is compared to the three hours one would expect to find in green tea processing. This slower natural rhythm and longer time invested in the tea brings greater layers of subtlety to the drink and also greater complexity of chemical reactions during the process. Tea enzymes are allowed to produce a balance of sugars and theanine, responsible for the characteristic and totally natural, fresh, sweet flavour of white teas.

Its rich list of original contents preserved by using these age-old, time-honoured methods have been shown to have many health benefits. Active enzymes anti-oxidants and polyphenols are all still present, thanks to the well-preserved nature of the bio-cell structure of the leaves.

Enjoy this incredibly rare and delicate tea over and over again, for every subsequent infusion will reveal wave after wave of gentle variations of flavour and colour. I'm not going to prescribe an exact time for brewing or number times to infuse because that is your experiment and your journey to discover.

Contains;

- China Tea