Imperial Silver Needles

Imperial Silver Needles leaves are slowly sun-dried and hand sorted. It is produced in the early spring harvest by traditional methods. This Fujian white tea is not easy to come by as only the unopened leaf or bud is used. And to complicate matters, white tea production is down by 20% due to weather and labor shortages and there is currently a great demand for high-quality Fujian white teas for their unique flavor and collectible value. This causes the procurement of the highest quality silver needles to be even more difficult and pricey. The good news is that more growers are going back to the traditional methods, while more time and labor-intensive, the tea produced is exquisite. Imperial Silver Needles has a really fresh, unique fragrance and taste.

GROWING REGION

Fujian, China: Fujian is a coastal province in southeastern China where the finest oolong, white, and jasmine teas are produced. According to the written record, teas have been produced there for well over 1,600 years. Growers currently produce five different categories of tea, most of which originated in the province.

BREWING SUGGESTIONS

For best results, first, rinse the leaves to release the aroma and soften the leaves. The water temperature should be about hot to near boiling. It is okay to cover the lid of the Gaiwan while brewing the Imperial Silver Needles and you may want to use a little more tea than normal if you are guestimating the number of leaves to be used, the fluffy nature of this beautiful tea makes it looks like you’re using a lot of leaves. By the time you steep and drink the tea, the liquid should not be very hot so you can taste creamy texture and different layers of flavors. The liquor is pale yellow. The flavor is both floral and sweet but definitely has some green undertones. In the second steeping, the sweetness is more prevalent. It reminds you of walking in the meadow in springtime in high grass up to your shins, with wildflowers blooming all around.