I love playing with the brewing strength and steeping time for this tea. Light infusions are clean and subtle; darker infusions are alternately vegetal and nutty. Also detect a slightly spicy aftertaste, especially in a batch I tasted earlier this year. There are quite a few variations in bud size or appearance, depending on the harvest time or season. The buds were gorgeous in the aforementioned batch, and were truly deserving of the “silver needle” appellation. The lot I’m drinking now is withered by comparison. Still tasty, but definitely not first flush quality.
Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C
0 min, 45 sec