Yin Hao Long Zhu

Yin Hao Long Zhu is a very special “Silver Dragon Jasmine Pearl” with a preponderance of young white leaf buds. The tea is plucked from a bush usually reserved for white tea, but is instead processed as a green. Hand-rolled into small pearls, it is then infused with freshly picked jasmine flowers and allowed to dry, a process that is repeated up to five times. The liquor is light-bodied, with a gentle jasmine essence and intricate layers of soft sweetness. Its aroma lasts over multiple infusions, a clear indication of its quality.

Grown at around 500 meters above sea level, our Yin Hao Long Zhu was hand plucked and shaped in April with the scenting process completing in June. The leaves are from an 8-10 year old Fuding Big White Leaf cultivar. They have a picking standard of one bud and one leaf, which can be as long as 7-10 cm. The scenting process is repeated between 3-5 times over the course of 16-24 hours.

After the jasmine plant was introduced into Fuzhou, Chinese people began to plant the flower extensively. During 1368-1644, the Northern Song Dynasty, Fuzhou gained the nickname of “The City of Jasmine in China”. Fuzhou is regarded as the origin of the jasmine tea production process, and so far it is the only city to contain the complete production process.

The jasmine tea making process started during the Tang Dynasty and had a great change in the Ming Dynasty. Due to war, the output dropped quickly and it wasn’t until the 1950s-1990s that the industry was revived and reached 60% of the total national production.

This tea contains a moderate level of caffeine | Steep at 180° for 2-3 minutes.