Charcoal Roasted Silver Needle (白毫銀針, Bái Háo Yín Zhēn, "White Hair Silver Needle") - Silver Needle is the most well-known category of White Tea. Hailing from Fuding, Fujian, the home of White Tea, Bái Háo Yín Zhēn is the dān yá 單芽 ("single bud") harvest obtained in the early spring, before the buds fully open. Like all single bud teas, it is considered the most premium segment of the harvest and is therefore highly valued and, as a consequence, overproduced. As a result, the majority of Silver Needle available on the market is more focused on the appearance than the taste or quality of the tea.
For most of my life, I thought that I didn't like Silver Needle, because, to me, it tasted like water. I didn't start to actually love Silver Needle until I was introduced to Li Yanmei, a Fuding-based tea farmer and tea master who also introduced me to the world of aged white teas and from whom we still acquire most of our aged whites. She produces this substantial and robust Yín Zhēn from high-altitude patches. If you find yourself underwhelmed by the flavor and fragrance of Silver Needle that you've tried before, this may be the one to win you over, as it did me.
Notes of green apple, and a slight hint of cinnamon, bask in a soft floral fragrance, with a downy, pale gold liquor. The Qi of this tea is clean, bright, and euphoric.
