White has become very popular recently due to its health
benefits, but still it's not so well known as green tea. It is maybe
even more easy to drink because of its light delicate taste and a little
sweeter than other Chinese teas. One more thing I personally appreciate
is that it doesn't have the grassy taste like green tea.
White tea (Chinese pinyin; báichá) is grown and harvested primarily in China, mostly in Fujian province, but also in Jiangxi and Yunnan. This tea is made from the buds and leaves of the same plant as other Chinese teas; Camellia sinensis. The leaves and buds are allowed to wither outside before they are lightly processed to prevent oxidation.
The term "white tea" derives from the delicate silvery-white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea bush. This gives the plant this whitish appearance. The tea brew, however is not white, but pale yellow to light brown. The plant Camellia (Chinese pinyin; CháhuÄ, meaning tea flower) has mainly two varieties used for tea production; sinensis as mentioned above and Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam tea grown in India and Sri Lanka).
As mentioned above all tea types whether it's white, green, oolong, black or puerh tea are made from the same plant. The Chinese type is a smaller bush with more narrow and smaller leaves than the assamica type. Of course there are also many different cultivars within each of these two varieties.
Camellia Sinensis is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia. In the south of China the plant grows in hilly terrain with mild temperatures and plentiful rain.
The history of Chinese tea goes back many thousand years while white tea is the youngest Chinese tea also in this respect. It was first mentioned around the 1100 century and commercial production started as late as at the end of the 17th century. The famous Silver Needle Pekoe was first marketed in 1885 and White Peony as late as 1922.
White tea is made from local Fujian cultivars of the camellia sinensis called big white (Da bai), small white (xiao bai) and others. The production of white tea is not big and therefore the price is higher than of most other teas. The production is now increasing due to rising popularity and high demand.
The prime quality of White tea is harvested during some short weeks in March/April and that's also one reason why the volume of this tea is so much lower. It's only picked in perfect weather conditions in order to maintain the highest quality. Some of the tea is also picked during summer and autumn and naturally this is known as a lower grade tea.
After harvesting the buds and leaves are withered for about 3 days to reduce the water content. During this slow drying process the tea is also slightly oxidized which is the reason why it's more brownish than green tea. In green tea the oxidation process is stopped at an earlier stage; a fixation, where high heat is applied to kill the enzymes.
After the withering process the tea is dried. The leaves are then oven-baked to reduce the moisture content to less than 5 %. It's a quick process that normally takes less than an hour.
Types of white tea:
Yin Zhen Bai Hao (silver needle)
This is recognized as the top grade tea.
Bai Mu Dan (White Peony)
This tea is mild and sweet with a bit more stronger flavor and darker color than silver needle.
Gong Mei (Tribute eyebrow) or Shou Mei (longevity eyebrow)
A mellow, clean and sweet taste and fresh clean aroma.
Gu shan baiyun (Drum mountain white cloud)
A mild, sweet and very fragrant taste.
Sowmee white tea
A lower grade tea with a stronger taste and toasty flavor.
Snow dragon tea
Delicate and sweet with taste reminiscent of toasted sweet rice.
Panda Pearls tea
One of the rarest white teas, a floral and fruity taste.
100 Monkeys tea
Premium grade and somewhat stronger than most white teas.
Star of China
Premium grade with a delicate and subtle taste.
White tea (Chinese pinyin; báichá) is grown and harvested primarily in China, mostly in Fujian province, but also in Jiangxi and Yunnan. This tea is made from the buds and leaves of the same plant as other Chinese teas; Camellia sinensis. The leaves and buds are allowed to wither outside before they are lightly processed to prevent oxidation.
The term "white tea" derives from the delicate silvery-white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea bush. This gives the plant this whitish appearance. The tea brew, however is not white, but pale yellow to light brown. The plant Camellia (Chinese pinyin; CháhuÄ, meaning tea flower) has mainly two varieties used for tea production; sinensis as mentioned above and Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam tea grown in India and Sri Lanka).
As mentioned above all tea types whether it's white, green, oolong, black or puerh tea are made from the same plant. The Chinese type is a smaller bush with more narrow and smaller leaves than the assamica type. Of course there are also many different cultivars within each of these two varieties.
Camellia Sinensis is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia. In the south of China the plant grows in hilly terrain with mild temperatures and plentiful rain.
The history of Chinese tea goes back many thousand years while white tea is the youngest Chinese tea also in this respect. It was first mentioned around the 1100 century and commercial production started as late as at the end of the 17th century. The famous Silver Needle Pekoe was first marketed in 1885 and White Peony as late as 1922.
White tea is made from local Fujian cultivars of the camellia sinensis called big white (Da bai), small white (xiao bai) and others. The production of white tea is not big and therefore the price is higher than of most other teas. The production is now increasing due to rising popularity and high demand.
The prime quality of White tea is harvested during some short weeks in March/April and that's also one reason why the volume of this tea is so much lower. It's only picked in perfect weather conditions in order to maintain the highest quality. Some of the tea is also picked during summer and autumn and naturally this is known as a lower grade tea.
After harvesting the buds and leaves are withered for about 3 days to reduce the water content. During this slow drying process the tea is also slightly oxidized which is the reason why it's more brownish than green tea. In green tea the oxidation process is stopped at an earlier stage; a fixation, where high heat is applied to kill the enzymes.
After the withering process the tea is dried. The leaves are then oven-baked to reduce the moisture content to less than 5 %. It's a quick process that normally takes less than an hour.
Types of white tea:
Yin Zhen Bai Hao (silver needle)
This is recognized as the top grade tea.
Bai Mu Dan (White Peony)
This tea is mild and sweet with a bit more stronger flavor and darker color than silver needle.
Gong Mei (Tribute eyebrow) or Shou Mei (longevity eyebrow)
A mellow, clean and sweet taste and fresh clean aroma.
Gu shan baiyun (Drum mountain white cloud)
A mild, sweet and very fragrant taste.
Sowmee white tea
A lower grade tea with a stronger taste and toasty flavor.
Snow dragon tea
Delicate and sweet with taste reminiscent of toasted sweet rice.
Panda Pearls tea
One of the rarest white teas, a floral and fruity taste.
100 Monkeys tea
Premium grade and somewhat stronger than most white teas.
Star of China
Premium grade with a delicate and subtle taste.
Julian Andrews is a writer who specializes in the health & fitness sector. You can check out his latest website at White Tea Health Benefits, where he provides unbiased reviews and advice regarding the health benefits and how to drink various Chinese teas including What Is White Tea.
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