Silver Needles is a white tea made entirely from top-grade tea buds, picked during a short window in early spring from wild tea trees in Panxi town, Fuding — the birthplace of white tea. Known as Bai Hao Yin Zhen (白毫银针) in Chinese, it's one of the most valued white teas for its clean, naturally sweet character and the silvery-white hairs that cover each bud.
Our 2025 harvest has that fresh, bright quality you get from new-season tea. The buds brew into a light, refreshing cup that's sweet without any bitterness. What stands out is how much these buds have to give — you can steep them multiple times and they keep delivering. The taste stays consistent, the sweetness holds, and each infusion shows you something slightly different.
How it tastes
Light and refreshing with a natural sweetness that lingers. There's a gentle floral note and a hay-like quality in the background. The body is delicate but not thin — there's substance to it, especially from the third infusion onwards. If you've only had white tea in teabags before, loose-leaf Silver Needles is a noticeably different experience.
A note from Joanne: "Silver Needles is the tea I brew when I want to slow down. The gongfu method with a gaiwan really lets you appreciate each infusion — the sweetness builds through the session, and the fifth and sixth steeps are often my favourites. A lot of people try this one for the first time at our Tea Bar and you can see the moment it clicks for them — they realise white tea isn't just 'light tea', it has real depth."
Available at our Salamanca Tea Bar — come try before you buy.
Tea profile
Taste: Fresh, floral, hay-like note, sweet aftertaste
Type: White Tea
Origin: Panxi town, Fuding, Fujian, China
Oxidation: 5-10% — minimally oxidized (withered and dried only)
TCM Property: Cool (凉性) — gentle, naturally cooling
Ingredients: 100% top-grade loose tea buds
Harvest: Spring 2025
Net weight: 20g or 40g
No artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.
Brewing instructions
Western brewing:
1.5g per 250ml teapot. 90°C water. Steep 3 minutes per infusion, allowing up to 3 infusions.
Gongfu brewing:
3g per 150ml gaiwan or teapot. Pre-warm the vessel. 95°C water, steep 30–40 seconds for the first 4 infusions, add 10 seconds from the fifth. Up to 10 infusions.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place away from light and moisture.
Pairs well with our Gaiwan for gongfu brewing. If you'd like to explore other white teas, our Wild White Peony includes leaves alongside the buds for a fuller flavour.
