Silver Needle White Tea

Silver needle white tea, baihao yinzhen, has been called the rarest and most spectacular of teas. The leaf shoots (the buds before they open) are picked only in the early morning on a sunny day, and harvesting usually takes place within a 48-hour-period. Curious, we decided to try some bulk silver needle white tea that was for sale at our local co-op. Unfortunately, no information was available on which plantation or even region this tea originated.

The color was gorgeous, as can be seen in the poor quality photo below, although it might be slightly off since we may have overboiled the water (it should be below the boiling point, and while we grabbed the tea kettle when steam began to appear, we're afraid we may have boiled it slightly). The flavor is supposed to be light and sweet, and it certainly was that. Perhaps it was a little too delicate for our personal tastes. Or perhaps we shouldn't have had it for breakfast, when we prefer a bracing, strong cup, and instead tried it in the afternoon. But it was a very light, very delicate tea, very unlike our usual fair.

We shall serve it again, making sure we don't boil the water, and in the afternoon, to make sure our taste buds are awake and at attention.

My apologies-Blogger is reformatting this photo and changing it orientation, for some unknown reason. It wasn't taken this way.