Jasmine Yin Zhen

An almost invisible harvest

It is in the mountains of Fujian, where mists linger and jasmines open at nightfall, that this tea is born. Yin Zhen, or “silver needles,” is a secret, almost invisible harvest that lasts only two days a year, at the precise moment when the buds reach their ideal maturity.

These buds are then carefully picked by hand, one by one, then placed in contact with the fresh jasmine flowers, picked in the morning and opened in the evening, in an olfactory ballet as ancient as it is precious.

The privilege of a direct link

It was in the early 2000s that Didier, head of our house, had the privilege of witnessing this confidential harvest during a stay in Fujian. Seduced by the nobility of the gesture and the perfection of the result, he managed to establish a bond of friendship with the garden. Since then, our house receives only a few batches of this exceptional tea each year, selected at the source, with intact rigor.

Tea and food pairing

Jasmin Yin Zhen is best enjoyed on its own, in all its purity, to allow the finesse of the bud and the floral burst of jasmine to express themselves. But it also knows how to interact with exceptional dishes, provided they are subtle, not very spicy, and very delicate.

We imagine it served alongside seasonal white fruits, a perfectly ripe peach, or as an accompaniment to rare raw fish, such as a sea bream carpaccio.

Recipes and cocktails using Yin Zhen Jasmine tea

Cold-infused, Jasmin Yin Zhen becomes a precious, crystalline water with a floral fragrance: it can serve as the base for a summer fruit nage, where it embraces fresh lychees, white nectarine segments and a few pearls of muscat grapes.

In a cocktail, this rare tea lends itself to an exceptional pairing: cold-infused, then topped up with a great brut champagne, it becomes a bridal cup, floral and airy, both vegetal and vibrant.