Bai Hao Yinzhen is picked over a few days in early spring and uses nothing but the bud, which is why a kilo takes so many thousand pickings and why it costs what it does. The processing is barely processing at all: wither and dry, with no rolling and no firing. The result is a pale, almost colourless cup tasting of honeydew melon, hay and honey, with a softness that makes most other teas seem loud. Use cooler water at around eighty-five degrees and a long, patient steep; it needs time rather than heat.
One bud to two leaves, which gives it more body than Silver Needle. Clean and subtly sweet, with a little more depth. The sensible everyday white tea.
Picked late from larger leaf, the fullest of the Fujian whites. Hay and dried date, with real body behind them. Gentle enough to drink without watching the clock.
More bud than Shou Mei, less than White Peony. That lands it somewhere soft and honeyed. It ages well if you keep it dry.
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