What's in my tumbler: Yin Zhen or Silver Needle, a rare white tea from Fujian
This recent New Year's celebration was probably the quietest in my adult life. Even as a kid living with my parents there were occasions in which I had a little bit of champagne and watched the ball drop at midnight. As a student at the University level, and in the subsequent years, one of my closest friends and room mates has a January first birthday, so there was nearly always revelry to ring in the infant year. I think it is one of the few holidays without any resentment or disappointment tied to it in any way my entire life. That's a little astounding, actually.
This year I was blessed with a closing shift on December thirty-first and an opening shift on the following day. Schedules at work run a little tight sometimes because of the limited number of us on the management tea, and I've come to expect it. The mild frustration I may have felt melted away because this year I spent the night alone. My current room mate was out of town, and it afforded me the opportunity to relax and decompress. I had a wonderful chance to make a ritual out of the turning of the wheel of the year and celebrate in my own way.
I admit that it also afforded me the opportunity to spend the night as scantily clad as I wanted, but that isn't exactly relevant.
Colleagues of mine organized a global meditation series for world peace that has been happening for the past couple of years. The first day of 2011 marked the final event in a string of twenty-seven. I spent the evening preparing myself and my space for that chance to focus on only the positive things I wanted to manifest for the coming year. I spent ten minutes staring at my tea cabinet trying to discern what I wanted to drink. I knew that the first cup of the new decade would mean something to me, as it would set the tone for every other sip to follow.
I decided, seeing as it was late, that I should avoid caffeine despite my elevated tolerance to it. I also decided that I should try something less oxidized because of my recent bout of kidney stones. That really narrowed it down quite a bit, so I chose a lovely white tea. Yin Zhen, also known as silver needle, is a rare, hand-harvested white tea bud from the bai hao varietal of Camellia sinensis that was once reserved only for the imperial court of China.
Imperial reserve teas, such as this one, are under heavy scrutiny and tight control during the picking stages. Harvested in two short windows each year, the Imperial Yin Zhen cannot be picked during windy or rainy conditions, which sometimes results in a compromised harvest. Additionally, only young virgins wearing white silk gloves under heavy dietary restrictions were permitted to harvest the rare, silvery tips. Nowadays, China is a little less stringent on who can pick this tea, but the dietary code is still in effect. Those who harvest silver needle avoid spicy foods and heavy garlic in order to keep the oils in their skin from being contaminated by these pungent aromas.
This past fall has yielded one of the best harvests of silver needle that I have ever seen. It is visually stunning, and the flavor is incomparable to the past couple that I have tasted. I admit that I often overlook this mild and complex tea for something with more body, but this is perhaps the most exceptional white tea I've ever had. It is really stunning. One of the rarer teas that one can find, I decided that something rare and silvery would be a great symbol for my new year.
Nutritionally speaking, this is one of the teas with the greatest number of anti-oxidants, as well as being rich in anti-collagenase, a nutrient that inhibits the breakdown of collagen in our skin. It has long been considered to be "beauty in a cup" because it is great for complexion, hydration, and acting as a general tonic for the immune system, too. I really think that drinking in a smooth and pale gold liquor would be an ideal invitation for a healthy, abundant, and marvelous new year.
Silver needle has another name by which it is sometimes known in the west: "silver rain." Last year for me included some heavy emotional rainfall from time to time. Although I did see plenty of blue sky and some radiant sunsets, the grey seemed to linger everywhere on the horizon. This year is a different story for me. I have spent a lot of time and energy over the past couple months to really figure myself out, separating the needs from the wants. All the self-discovery has been a way to analyze what precipitated the turbulent and tempestuous changes I experienced last year, and I am grateful for each and every opportunity those moments gifted unto me.
Silver needle, when brewed produces a light and viscous infusion. The color is nearly reminiscent of sheaves of wheat in the summer's sun, and it is an overall warm and uplifting infusion. I've decided that no matter what rain falls, I will consider it a blessing. Silver needle reminds me of the silver lining to every cloud above us, despite a grisly exterior. Sipping this tea is synonymous with sipping that silver lining. Remember that as you decide what to reach for in your cabinet.
