Silver Spiral Yinnou Green Tea

Silver Spiral Yinnou green tea is made from camellia leaves from China’s Yunnan region. Here, by following green tea production techniques, a solid product has been created that is excellent for anyone who wants to start approaching this category without starting with the more famous Long Jing or Mao Feng, of which there are so many variations on the market. Looking at the leaves also we can see that there are buds with their silver fluff still clearly visible, indicating that they were harvested right in early spring at their best time in order to be enhanced by the production process by the tea master.

In the cup, this tea demonstrates great freshness on the palate, often taking on floral or even citrus connotations. The vegetal part in this green tea is reminiscent of boiled herbs, but in this case it will always remain of the right intensity to leave the freshness in the mouth. During the tasting you can also feel a slight roasted trace left by the production process followed by the leaves.

Tasting – Sight and smell

Silver Spiral Yinnou green tea leaves are rolled over and over again on themselves to form small spirals, as the name of the tea suggests. Colors range from darker green to sage green, with silver-white tips at the many buds. As soon as they are infused, the leaves give off rather intense plant aromas: from fresher hints of green salad and basil to notes of cherry tomatoes and olive oil. The liquor is a magnificent golden color, very bright: the astringency is slight and the body has a very good gaiwan evolution, from light and silky to thicker and oilier as the infusions proceed.

Tasting Notes

GONG FU CHA

The first infusion of Silver Spiral Yinnou green tea has rather gentle herbal notes reminiscent of spinach and herbs. These are then joined by fresher hints of basil. It is with the second brew that the tea grows in intensity on the palate, revealing notes of tomato and earthier vegetables such as chard and watercress, as well as a surprisingly pleasant hint of smokiness. Indeed, the third infusion brings with it savory notes of grilled vegetables, such as eggplant and zucchini, and a barely perceptible acidity on the finish.

WESTERN

The first notes of Silver Spiral Yinnou green tea reveal an intense vegetal character, with all the strength of Yunnan teas: indeed, in the opening we find the flavor of herbs with a fresher hint of basil and a distinct note of extra virgin olive oil. This is followed by sweet and slightly acidic notes of salad tomato and artichoke in oil, while the finish has hints between smoky and grilled. Indeed, the flavor of grilled vegetables and, in persistence, that of olive oil remains on the palate for a long time.

Place of origin

Yunnan, China

Production

Silver Spiral Yinnou green tea has a very classic process that involves, after an initial withering in the open air, cooking the leaves in large woks heated to temperatures around 180°C to block enzyme activity and prevent its oxidation. After these stages the leaves receive their characteristic rolled shape and are left to rest so that they lose some of the residual moisture inside.

How to prepare

We strongly recommend infusing Silver Spiral Yinnou green tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation you can use 4 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to obtain several infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 80°C, you can proceed with an initial infusion of 10 seconds and then, keeping the water at the same temperature, proceed with multiple infusions, increasing the time each time by 5 seconds (10 – 15 – 20 …).

This tea has a longevity of about 4 infusions.

For a classic preparation according to the Western style, 2 grams of leaves (approx. 1 teaspoon) in a 150 ml cup with water at 80°C for an infusion time of one and a half minutes is recommended.

The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.