Yin Zhen

Commonly known as Silver Needles, this tea is distinctive for being comprised entirely of finely-picked buds from the tea tree. Typical fine teas use the top three leaves of each branch, but Yin Zhen is finer still. The buds contain more essential oils than regular tea leaves; this is where the plant concentrates its nutrition and energy—the newly-forming “chi” of the plant awaiting manifestation into new things. The minimal processing gives the tea a delicate, sweet, and savory character, with a tender and elegant hay/grass profile. One of the greatest Chinese teas around, it can be steeped in your pot over and over again!

Ingredients: Chinese white tea

Caffeine level: 4.5/5

Brewing recommendations: two tablespoons of tea leaves per 16oz with 170° water for three minutes. Will steep three or more times. It’s oily nature allows for longer and hotter steeps, particularly on the second and third steeps, so feel free to push it and you will be rewarded with very strong flavor on the re-steeps.