A pinch of Silver Needles

Tome in a teacup | Zhou Yutong & Sun Ye

In Zhejiang, there is a tradition of burying a jar of yellow wine when a daughter is born. The wine mellows as the child grows and it is only broken into on her wedding day. Hence, it has the lovely name of Virgin Red.

For the coastal province of Fujian, a similar tradition exists, only the daughter's trousseau is enriched by an elegant tea, which only comes of age when the child is married off. Silver Needles is a white tea, very simple but highly functional.