Fresh strawberry, Silver Needle jasmine tea & green mango — Trishna London
Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yinzhen) is one of China's most delicate white teas — made only from the unopened buds of the tea plant, picked in early spring when each bud is covered with fine white hairs. Its flavour is light, subtly sweet, and barely vegetal, with a clean honey note. Trishna pairs it with fresh strawberry for sweetness and colour, and green mango (kachi aam — the sour unripe mango beloved in Indian summer drinks, pickles, and chutneys) for a bracing tartness that cuts through both tea and berry. This is Trishna's refinement of the traditional Indian kairi panna (green mango water) — made into an iced tea for the London summer menu.
Silver Needle tea should be cold-brewed, not hot-brewed — heat makes white tea slightly bitter and kills its delicate floral notes. If Silver Needle jasmine is unavailable, a good-quality jasmine green tea (Dragon Pearl or loose jasmine pearls) is an excellent substitute. Green mango is highly seasonal in the UK — available at South Asian grocery stores from May to August. Out of season, use amchur (dried green mango powder) or a squeeze of extra lime juice.
One of London's most celebrated Indian restaurants, Trishna is known for extraordinary Keralan-influenced seafood and an exceptional cocktail programme. The bar team draws on coastal Indian botanicals — coconut, raw mango, curry leaf, kokum — to create drinks that feel as considered as the kitchen's cooking.
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