Silver Needle & Tea Blossoms

Tea Blossom in Silver Needle is a very unique and special tea from our collection of Mr. Tang's tea. The Silver Needle is made from the leaves of the Jinggu Big White varietal – trees that Mr. Tang had planted when he first started his tiny organic tea farm 18 years ago.

Tea trees flower! – Something easy to forget, as we are always so engaged with their leaves. They blossom once every year, in November. The delicate flowers used to make this tea come from the same trees grown on Mr. Tang's farm. They are carefully hand harvested as they bloom, and left to slowly dry in the sun, before being finished over charcoal to remove their remaining moisture; a process that takes over two weeks.

We will always be struck by the appearance of this tea cake: the contrast of the burnt-orange flowers pressed into the pale, silver needles. Both the orange of the dried blossom and the liquor it brews is a deeper colour this year. Wet in the gaiwan, the petals and leaves look fleshy and metallic, almost like copper.

It is an especially good year for our pressed Silver Needle & Tea Blossom cake. Dry, it's intensely fragrant, like baked fruit, vanilla, and grains. We detect the quality and robustness of the silver needle both in its soft, integrated mouthfeel and in the clarity of its taste. This gentle, viscous texture is the perfect medium for its white flower and stone fruit notes.

The liquor is also extra golden this year, and delivers a stronger taste of the tea blossoms' nectar, especially in later infusions. You'll think someone melted wildflower honey into the tea when you weren't looking.