Is Fuding white tea as long as possible? How many years is the best for Bai Hao silver needle? Will it expire?

Baihao Silver Needle is a famous Chinese white tea. It originated in Zhenghe County and Fuding City, Fujian Province. Fuding City is known as the "hometown of white tea".

The dried Baihao silver needle looks like a needle and is covered with white or silver hair, so it is called a "white silver needle". White means "white", "hair" means "hair", silver means "silver", and needle means "slender".

Baihao silver needle is of the best quality and is the most expensive of all white tea in China.

The History of Baihao Silver Needle

In 1796, the people of Fujian created the silver needle for the first time. In 1891, Baihao silver needles began to be exported.

From 1912 to 1916, under the influence of World War I, the sales of white tea decreased sharply. It was not until 1934 that the production and sales of Baihao silver needles began to recover gradually.

It was awarded the title of "National famous Tea" by the Ministry of Commerce of China in 1982 and ranked second among 30 kinds of famous tea in the country.

After 1990, some new types of silver needles were invented. Baihao silver needle was born earlier than white peony and Shoumei tea.

The characteristics of Baihao Silver Needle

Baihao silver needle is expensive because of its low output and high demand for raw materials. It is made of 100% tea sprouts.

The number of tea buds is far less than the number of leaves on the tree, so the yield of Baihao silver needle is lower than that of other white teas. The annual output of Baihao silver needle is only 1/10 of that of Shoumei.

With the increase of air temperature in spring, the germination rate of tea buds accelerated. As the first batch of white tea, it takes time to pick buds. Otherwise, the tea buds will grow into leaves and grow old.

The picking time of Baihao silver needles is very short, from the Spring Equinox (March 19-22) to Ching Ming Festival (April 4-6). The picking time is only 10 days. If it rains, the picking time will be shortened, which will also affect the yield.

The processing of Baihao silver needle requires only two processes, withering and drying. The process sounds simple, but it is not easy to master it correctly, especially to make high-quality tea. The processing environment, humidity and temperature should be accurately controlled.

The appearance of the finished Baihao silver needle is thin, fat, white, like a white needle. Its length is usually 1-3 centimeters. The tea is bright in color and apricot yellow.

Bai Hao's silver needle was covered with white hair. The more hair, the higher the quality of tea.

According to the place of origin, Baihaoyinzhen can be divided into two types:

Beibaihao silver needle: produced in Fuding City. Tea tree is Fuding Dabai tea.

South Baihao silver needle: produced in Zhenghe County. This tea tree is Zhenghe Dabai Tea.

Both are high-quality Baihao Yinzhen.