Moli Yin Hao

Moli Yin Hao — jasmine silver down — is among the higher grades of jasmine green, named for the silvery down on the spring buds it is made from. The base is fine, downy leaf; the scenting is patient, five to seven rounds of fresh sambac jasmine laid against the tea in the Fuzhou manner. A top grade may take six to eight kilos of hand-picked flowers for every kilo of finished tea — the flower outweighs the leaf several times over.

The reward is a layered bouquet rather than a single floral hit: bright jasmine on top, a warm honey-and-flower middle, a soft, faintly bready tea base beneath. The cup is light and silky, clean and sweet, with the jasmine and the green leaf in genuine balance and no bitterness when brewed with care. A last touch, tíhuā, dusts the finished tea with the freshest flowers, never dried.

In the cup

Brew it cool, around 75 °C. It is ideal for cold-brewing too — a few hours in cold water gives a crystal-clear, refreshing cup with a bright jasmine note and no bitterness at all. Drink it fresh.