How To Brew Whole Leaf Tea

Quality tea leafs will offer multiple infusions, so here’s how to make the most of each cup! Click here for video.

Three Basics Guidelines to Brew Pure Whole Leaf Teas

1:  Proportion of tea leaves to water:  The ratio to remember is one teaspoon, three grams, of tea leaves per six fluid ounces of water. You can steep the same single estate tea leaves multiple times. Make the most of each tablespoon of pure tea by using the right amount of water.

2:  Water temperature:  As mentioned in the previous post, every tea type has different properties based upon cultivation, and requires varying brewing water temperatures. Electric water kettles with internal thermometers may be helpful if you drink tea daily.  With a stovetop water kettle, keep in mind that boiling water is only recommended for black tea. Wait a couple of minutes to allow boiling water to cool before steeping each lighter color tea type.

3:  Steeping time:  Using a timer when steeping is highly recommended.  Pour tea water as soon as the time is up for optimal taste            (We recommend a teapot with built in sprout to allow full leave immersion with water). See table below for suggested steeping times for each tea type. Quality tea leaves offer multiple infusions; the darker the tea, the more infusions are possible. Some black teas can infuse up to 10 times.  

Follow the three basic guidelines below to experience the distinctive flavor of the initial infusion and the taste development as the same leaves evolve with every subsequent steep. 

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What's In a Name

Striking in appearance and intoxicating in flavor, Silver Needle Tea is also known as YinZhen in Chinese.  Its name derives from the unique shape of the leaves, which are like thin needles with fine silvery white hair.  Silver Needle Tea is the most expensive and most popular variety in the White tea category.  Recent discovery of its high antioxidant level by the scientific community has further increased its popularity, especially in the Western world.

Silver Needle is a historically prized tea, once reserved for only emperors and a few court dignitaries in China.  Legend has it that only gloved young virgins using gold scissors were permitted to clip the stems to carefully remove only the bud and first leaf from the tea bush. These would be placed in a golden basket to dry before finally reaching the emperor’s bowl.  The finest Silver Needle Tea is found in rare gardens situated on the high plateaus in Fujian, China.  Traditionally it can only be plucked for two days out of the year, and should wind or rain arrive during that time, the annual harvest is simply cancelled. 

Today, the finest Silver Needle continues to be hand plucked, and made from tip bud of each tea bush.  Leaves from the first harvest in the spring are the most desirable, but Silver Needle Tea is now also harvested in the fall, as well as from various other regions in Asia in order to meet increasing demand.

For new tea drinkers, Silver Needle Tea is deceptive at first because it’s subtle in taste compared to other tea categories.  However with each steep, the taste profile changes and the delicate leaves reveal a surprisingly elegant flavor with honeysuckle floral notes and fragrance of orchid. 

White tea is the least processed of all tea categories since it is not fermented. Instead it is simply dried in the sunlight for one to three days before briefly being oxidized; a process that can take from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the weather. 
Known for its high antioxidant content, Silver Needle and all White teas offer anti-aging qualities, help with the body’s immune system and provide a host of other health properties. 

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This exquisite tea is the inspiration for our name and captures the essence of all the finest single estate teas. Discover why this rare hand-picked and sun-dried tea, with its anti-oxidant properties and elegant exotic flavour is still so popular today. The taste should speak for itself.

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