Harvest Date: Spring 2021
Harvest Location: Menghai, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan
Cultivar: Da Ye
Elevation: ~1500 m
 
This pressed white tea is made in Yunnan using the Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle) style, traditionally associated with Fujian, but here reinterpreted through Yunnan’s large-leaf tea genetics and powerful mountain terroir.
 
Unlike Fujian Silver Needle, which is typically delicate and coastal in expression, Yunnan Silver Needle-style white tea is made from larger, more muscular buds of assamica varietals, resulting in a deeper, more structured white tea with greater aging potential.
 
Processing
Early spring tender buds are hand-picked
Naturally withered under controlled airflow and shade
Low-temperature drying to preserve enzymes and aroma
Carefully pressed into a 357g cake for slow maturation
 
This tea follows the principles of white tea processing—minimal intervention, no pan-firing or rolling—allowing the leaf to evolve naturally over time in storage.
 
Compared to Fujian white teas, Yunnan Bai Hao Yin Zhen tends to be more full-bodied, mineral, and structurally dense, reflecting its high-altitude assamica origin and stronger leaf material.
 
 
White tea from Yunnan is increasingly prized for long-term storage. Over time, this cake will develop:
Deeper honeyed richness
Dried fruit and herbal complexity
Softer texture and warmer body
A more “aged tea” medicinal sweetness