Silver Needle

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White tea from China. Silver Needle is among the most revered of Chinese teas, produced in the Fuding and Zhenhe districts of its Fujian province. Gathered only in the few days of early spring, the preparation of this tea is governed by strict requirements to ensure a premium product. This dedication to perfection is evident in the cup, which is sweet and delicate with a clean, airy fragrance. Our 'Sublime Needle' is a Special Grade (Bai Hao) version of this exquisite tea.

Modern-day white teas can be traced to the 18th Century Qing Dynasty, a time when they were harvested from ordinary tea bushes. White teas differed from green teas in that their processing did not incorporate any steaming or pan-firing. The teas were simply allowed to wither dry. The resulting leaves were thin, small and did not have much silvery-white hair. It wasn't until 1885 that specific varieties of tea bushes were selected to make white teas. The large, silvery-white buds of the Silver Needle came into being in 1891. It takes more than 4,500 hand-sorted buds to make just one pound of this very rare tea.