Silver Needle Tea
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Silver Needle Tea

In the Song dynasty, Tea Emperor Hui Zong wrote that "white tea has the rarest and most delicate flavor and is different from all others and is the pinnacle of refinement".

White tea (Bai-cha) is a very rare, expensive connoisseur's tea that is produced in China, mainly Fujian province, famous for its prized white teas. It is difficult to obtain as production is extremely limited. It comes from a special strain of the tea plant and is harvested only a few days of the year. Once harvested, white tea is not oxidized or rolled, but simply withered and dried by steaming.

According to researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, white tea might have the strongest potential of all teas for fighting cancer, especially colon cancer. Researchers speculate that the processing of tea determines its cancer fighting potential. Because white tea goes through the least amount of processing, it theoretically has the most polyphenols (as some polyphenols are oxidized or destroyed during processing). These polyphenols have been linked to cancer prevention. While experiments have been conducted on laboratory rats, more studies are needed in order to determine whether white tea protects humans against cancer.

Grown in the Fujian province, Silver Needle is a popular tea in China. Its name reflects the high quality of the tea.Resembling white pine needles, this delicate tea is mellow with a light smoky aftertaste and yields a pale color in the cup.