Silver Needle 2026
Regular price
$40.00
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re a beginner, we definitely recommend our Go-to Tea Sampler Box. It includes 8 different types of high-quality teas, allowing you to discover your favorite tea in the most affordable way.
For finest taste, tea should be stored in a place that is cool and dry.
Rock tea is best enjoyed within a 3-year period.
Black tea is best enjoyed within a 2-year period.
Green tea and Oolong tea are best enjoyed within a 2-year period.
White tea is an exception. Its internal compounds evolve over time, enhancing its fragrance and creating a deeper, mellower taste. Therefore, it does not have a specific optimal drinking period.
All packages are shipped from China. Please kindly note that our teas are prepared at our warehouse in Fujian, which usually takes no more than 72 hours. Once ready, package will be sent to an international shipping company in Shenzhen, then shipped to the destination country. International shipping typically takes 14-21 days.
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What are the “roots” of Rooteas?
Family-made
Our teas all come from tea-making families. Some are made by our own family, and others are crafted by families we've known and trusted for years. Not from an unknown source, but from real people and family producers whose craft we trust and have seen in person.
Single-origin
It means you can actually taste where the tea comes from. It stays true to its own place, so the local soil, rocks, and climate all come through in the cup. With Wuyi rock oolong, you get that clear rock rhythm (Yan Yun) and a deep, lingering fragrance that only those rocky slopes can give. When you drink it, you're not just having a cup of tea, you're getting a small snapshot of that landscape.
Transparency
We like to keep things honest and simple. When we share a tea, we share all the detailed information too, so you always know what you're drinking. We'd love to be the trusted tea partner you can turn to.
- Name: Silver Needle (First-pick)
- Chinese Name & Pinyin: 白毫银针 bái háo yín zhēn
- Type: Fuding White Tea
- Origin: Panxi, Fuding, Fujian
- Harvest Date: March 17, 2026
- Producer: Lin Family
- Tasting note: Sweetgrass, Honeysuckle, Light floral, Soy milk, Lingering sweetness
This is a fresher, cleaner more delicate style of Silver Needle. The sweetness is fresh and clean, with light floral notes, a soy milk-like taste, and a lingering finish that stays sweet in the mouth. Drinkers who tend to enjoy fresher, subtler, more delicate white teas usually connect with this style more easily than those looking for something fuller or more layered.
This year’s spring conditions are also worth mentioning here. Fuding was rainier than last year, which meant a tighter picking window for silver needle. Buds picked on rainy days tend to hold more moisture, and that makes them harder to process well. So, the Lin Family did not rush to pick early this year. They waited for clearer weather, watched the condition of the buds closely, and started picking on March 17.
We also packed this tea in tins, which makes it a little easier to store for anyone who would like to age it. Just keep it sealed and put it somewhere cool, dry and away from sunlight and strong odors.
Fish Leaf and First-Pick Silver Needle
On Fuding Silver Needle, the small yellow-green “tail” beside the bud is often called yú yè (“fish leaf", “鱼叶"). It is the first unopened leaf sheath that forms as the new shoot begins to grow. It is firm, and closely wraps the bud, with a shape a bit like a tiny fish scale or bamboo shoot husk.
This fish leaf is one of the visual signs people look for in genuine first-pick Silver Needle. Its presence usually shows that the tea was made from the earliest spring buds.
In Fuding, the saying yī qí yī qiāng (“one flag, one spear”, “一旗一枪") refers to the bud and fish leaf together, which resemble a traditional Chinese red-tasseled spear in shape.
Tea: 5g
Gaiwan: 110–120ml
Water Temperature: 90°C / 194°F
For the first three infusions, steep for 30–35 seconds before pouring out. Increase the time gradually with each infusion after that.
(Adjust the tea amount and steeping time to suit your own taste.)
