Mr Zheng's 2024 Silver Needle

Simply put...

A delicate, sweet and mellow tea made from only the top buds of the tea plant. Refreshing and relaxing.

In more depth...

Tea Name : Silver Needle

Tea Maker : Mr Zheng

Origin : Bo Yang Organic Tea Garden, Xiamen Chan Village, Fuding, China

Harvest Time : April / May

Cultivar : Da Bai Hao

Plucking standard : Top buds

Processing : Sun drying

Experience : Gentle, floral and high in antioxidants

Last visited by Comins : April 2024, Michelle Comins >> blog here

How to prepare tea [Gaiwan]...

Amount of tea per pot (200 ml): 2.5 g (2 tsp)

Water temperature: 80℃ / 178℉ 

Infusion / brewing time: 3 minutes

Number of infusions: 5+

How to enjoy: No sugar, no milk.

In more depth...

Tales of the Tea Trade : Mr Zheng 

Michelle : Extract from our our book Tales of the tea trade :

Mr Zheng is an energetic, charismatic figure with huge energy.  Michelle has been out to meet him twice in the last few years and he always has a story to share, 

Here we share an extract from our our book Tales of the tea trade Mr Zheng : ‘I retired from the army in 2004 and returned to Fuding. I had a vision of starting my own business and I was friends with the boss from an import-export company in Xiamen[....] he suggested that I start in tea – specifically, in organic tea.’ [....] Investing in organic certification for the garden has not been an easy path. It costs a lot of money and it’s hard to convince people it really is organic. All my tea is hand plucked and a lot of people think I am crazy because it involves a lot of work [...] when I drink my own organic tea I can feel confident in the quality. There are many reasons why people should drink Fuding white tea. White tea is one of the six famous teas of China, it has many medicinal uses and China is the true origin of white tea'

Chinese Silver Needle is the highest grade of white tea. It is highly sought after and is the most popular type of Chinese white tea.  Silver Needle (or Yin Zhen) can only be harvested during a brief period of time in early spring before the buds turn into leaves. These leaves from the Dai-Bai varietal must be picked when it is dry and warm, and then dried in the sun before any significant oxidation can take place. Light and plump, they are covered in downy white hairs and once dried look like needles, hence the name. Traditionally, these rare, exquisite leaves were reserved for the Chinese Imperial Family.