White Tea

White tea is made from leaves of the tea plant Camellia sinensis same as green tea and black tea. The leaves are harvested while very young, and the buds are still covered in very fine, white hair. These hairs are what give white tea its name.

While black tea is harvested and dried leaves that are fermented before being cut up, white tea is only very gently dried. Because of this careful handling, white tea buds still have the same high concentration of antioxidants as fresh tea leaves. This dedication to perfection is evident in the cup, which is sweet and delicate with a clean, airy fragrance.

White tea is cultivated primarily in China, mainly in the mountainous and fertile Fujian province, where white tea has a long history. The bushes on which the white tea leaves are to be grown are the ones that are best placed with respect to sunshine and rain.

The best quality white tea is harvested first. The finest qualities of white tea, often called "Silver Needle", consists exclusively of the buds of tea leaves. These buds are hand picked during certain days in the spring, usually between March 15th and April 10th. By that time, the buds have reached the perfect balance between youth and maturity that gives the best-tasting tea. Only undamaged and unopened buds are used for Silver Needle. Other qualities of white tea may incorporate leaves that are no longer buds, but are still young, with the white fuzz still on them.

The leaves and buds are withered over a few hours, then air dried. The temperature and even the air moisture are taken into consideration during the production, and the art is to get a perfect balance between solar withering and indoor withering. Like green tea, the leaves are not fermented at all. The extremely gentle and quick processing means that the buds and leaves are very close to their natural state. This allows the antioxidants in the leaves to survive intact, making white tea the best alternative for health-conscious aficionados. White tea is very rare, and can be much more expensive than other teas.

Properly brewed white tea has a pale, slightly golden color, not unlike white wine. The scent is light and fresh, and the taste is mild and silky with a subtle, sweet aftertaste. The "grassy" aftertaste of green tea is quite absent in white tea, which can be drunk until it is cold without any noticable deterioration in taste or quality. White tea is the tea with the highest concentration of antioxidants and the lowest amount of caffeine.

For centuries, white tea was the utmost luxury, reserved only for the Emperor of China. The history of white tea is fascinating and worthy of a thick book. It was about this time it was discovered that the youngest buds of the tea leaves would produce a superbly mild, silky and fresh tea – what we now know as white tea. For some time, only the emperor and his courtiers could enjoy this most exclusive of teas. It was rare and very expensive.

White tea remained rare and unchanged until the nineteenth century, when specific types of tea bushes were cultivated to grow different varieties of white tea.

The export of white tea to Western customers is a recent development in the history of white tea, and the exclusive and delicate product has only been bought by westerners in any volume for less than a decade. Demand is rising because of the health benefits of the antioxidants in the white tea, considered much higher than in ordinary black tea and even green tea.

The Different White Teas

Noble, Long Life Eyebrow (Shou Mei) - This variety of white tea is made from a different kind of tea plant than the three types of tea mentioned below. It is typically harvested later than the other three and has a darker appearance. It has a stronger flavor, comparable to Oolong tea.
Tribute Eyebrow (Gong Mei) - This type of white tea consists of what is left after the higher qualities White Peony and Silver Needle have been harvested. It contains a few buds, but mainly young leaves.
Snowbud - This very light tea is a great and affordable introduction to the world of white tea. It really lets you enjoy the subtlety and delicacy of this airy variety.
Song Yang - This is a white tea variety that is hand made in the Song Yang region of the Zhejiang province. Three thousand tea leaves are meticulously harvested and processed by hand to make one pound of this exclusive white tea.
White Peony (Bai Mu Dan) - The bud is harvested with two leaves. This is the second highest quality of white tea, and it comes from the same kind of tea plant as the Silver Needle. The buds and leaves are covered in the same white down as Silver Needle.
Silver Needle (Yin Zhen) - This is the highest quality of white tea from China. It is hand picked during a short period in early spring, before the buds develop into leaves. Only undamaged, unopened buds are chosen, and it is prohibited to pick them if it is raining or too cold. The buds are of uniform length and thickness. They are springy and fleshy to the touch and covered with fine, white hairs. There are no leaves or stems in Silver Needle tea.

Brewing

White tea is the least processed and most delicate of all teas, and it is important to make sure that all its qualities survive the brewing process. It is particularly important to make sure that the strong concentrations of antioxidants in the buds and leaves are not weakened or depleted, and to ensure that the mild taste of the tea is not compromised.

There are two factors that can ruin any cup of white tea, and they are hard water and water that is too hot. Hard water means that the water has a high mineral content, mainly calcium and magnesium. These minerals will impair the taste of the tea, and may also inhibit and bind many of the antioxidants. If you know that the water in your area is hard, it is a good idea to filter it before you use it to brew white tea.

Always use fresh water from the tap to brew white tea, not water that has been sitting in your water heater or teapot for hours or days. White tea in itself has such a subtle taste that any residue or impurities will make themselves felt, and the tea will not taste as good.

Heat the water to the boiling point, then let it cool. Never steep white tea in boiling water. 175-185 degrees Fahrenheit, or 80-85 degrees Celsius, is considered the optimal temperature for brewing white tea. Some will advise you to use water at 200 degrees Fahrenheit, or 95 degrees Celsius, but that would be too hot. Many antioxidants are destroyed at temperatures that close to the boiling point, and the tea becomes astringent and loses some of its best qualities as the leaves are cooked.

The amount of tea you should use per cup of tea is a matter of taste and economics, since top quality white tea is by some margin the most expensive tea there is and you probably don't want to waste it. At Kupa Tea, we usually recommend using one teaspoon of white tea per cup, or one tablespoon for a pot of about one quart, or one liter. Depending on the quality of the tea, it should be steeped for under one minute, or slightly more. Silver needle quality tea should not be steeped for more than 30-40 seconds for the first steeping. Calculate steeping time depending on how you like your tea to taste. The longer you steep, the stronger the taste and the more pronounced the golden color.