Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)
The top grade of Fujian white tea, made only from plump, downy unopened buds that are withered and dried, giving a pale, sweet, melon-like cup.
Definition
Silver Needle, Bai Hao Yin Zhen in Chinese ("white hair silver needle"), uses only the unopened leaf bud of the tea plant. The buds are picked in early spring, usually March to early April, withered for one to three days and then dried at low temperature. No rolling or kill-green step is used. The finished buds are 2-3 cm long, silver-grey and covered in fine white down. The two classic origins are Fuding and Zhenghe in northeastern Fujian. Fuding Silver Needle, from the Fuding Da Bai and Fuding Da Hao cultivars, tends to be lighter and more floral. Zhenghe Silver Needle, from Zhenghe Da Bai, has larger, heavier buds and a fuller, slightly deeper flavor, partly from longer withering. The cup is pale straw-yellow and soft, with notes of honeydew, cucumber, hay and light honey. Silver Needle is also made in Yunnan from large-leaf assamica buds and in Darjeeling, Nepal and Sri Lanka; these are legitimate products but taste different from the Fujian original.
In Depth
Brew at 80-90°C (176-194°F). The down and whole buds release flavor slowly, so long steeps work: 4-5 g per 250 ml for 4-5 minutes Western style, or 5 g per 100 ml in a gaiwan starting at 45-60 seconds. A tall glass also works well grandpa-style, with buds topped up as you drink.
Because it is all bud, Silver Needle can carry as much caffeine as many green teas, roughly 25-50 mg per 240 ml. The low-caffeine reputation of white tea does not apply to this grade.
Quality markers: buds uniform in size, plump rather than thin, intact rather than broken, with dense down and no brown or reddened tips. A few loose leaves mean a lower grade. Silver Needle keeps well for several years in a sealed container and slowly picks up honeyed, dried-fruit notes.
See Also
- Fuding White Tea
- Bud-Only Teas
- Fujian Tea Cultivars