Culinary Specialties CooksShopHere- White & Yellow Tea: Yin Zhen, Silver Needles

Black

Oolong

Yin Zhen
Silver Needles
2011 Pre-Qing Ming
Organic

Fujian Province, China
Air-Dried, slightly oxidized
Very large spear-shaped buds
Sweet, lush flavor
Fresh ‘tea’ aroma
Pale liquor tinged silver

4 oz	8 oz	16 oz
30.00 Buy	60.00 Buy	120.00 Buy

We are so excited about this 2011 pre-Qing Ming Yin Zhen. It has some of the most concentrated flavor that we have tasted in a white tea in many years. As when tasting a new wine, we can tell that these buds will develop incredible flavor over time as they mellow into a deep and flavorful Yin Zhen. While Bob prefers to drink his Yin Zhen in the Chinese-style after it has 'rested' and matured for several months (or even years), Mary Lou drinks this tea now, as she likes the vibrancy and bright, vegetal flavor that a newly-harvested Yin Zhen offers.

So however and whenever you choose to drink this great 2011 vintage - the smile on your face will be our greatest pleasure...

One of the highlights of our trip to Fujian Province several years ago was seeing White tea production and tasting the special grades from that year’s harvest. This tea brings those memories right back into the forefront of our mind's eye.

Silver Needles is the name given to traditional, authentic, artisanal white tea. Yin Zhen should be manufactured from the Big Sprout or Big White sub-varieties of Camellia sinensis sinensis ( China bush ) and made only in Fujian Province, China. Yin Zhen is a magnificent tea, a tea of history and reputation. This tea is able to be made only for a short period every spring, and the success of its harvest is weather and bud-yield dependent.

Yin Zhen will always be distinctive. No other tea looks or tastes the same as Yin Zhen. Consisting of only the unopened buds of the first flush of tea in the spring, these buds have a characteristic silver hue and white down.

Steep with cool water and infuse the buds several times for a short amount of time.

Use 1.25 Tablespoons (2-3 grams) per 6 oz of water
Steep 2-3 infusions at 2 minutes each.
Water temperature should be 160˚ - 170˚ F