green needles single cultivar quntizhong

type: green

origin: china

region: hubei

ingredients: organic green tea

caffeine: medium

price level: $$$$

Green Needles is traditional needle-shaped green tea from Hubei province. After withering, the tea leaves are fired in a tumble-roaster, then shaped using special heated table machines that shake the tea leaves back-and-forth repeatedly to coax the leaves into straight needles. The tea leaves are finally dried in an oven. Infuse with care not to over-steep in order to savor the rich complexity of this early spring tea. This Green Needles micro-lot is made from special tea plants known as "Quntizhong," an indigenous heirloom variety prized in this area since the mid-1700's. The rocky gardens of Xuan'En are famous for their picturesque plantings of Quntizong. This tea offers a rich density and deep umami, with hints of fresh picked red clover and dulse seagrass that develop through the elaborate firing, needle-shaping, and oven-baking process.