The best part of the tea leaf is the tender shoot.
Tips
memory
嫩 (nèn) means 'tender/delicate' — also used for tender meat (嫩肉), young skin (嫩皮肤), or a 'newbie' (新嫩). Pair it with 芽 (yá, sprout) and you get the Chinese conception of springtime renewal: tender, delicate, just-emerged life.