What Is White Tea
Aged Snowbud White Tea. Click to view product.
What is White Tea
To describe very briefly, White Tea is a kind of tea that has not undergone any oxidation (fermentation) process. When infused, white tea makes a pale yellow to light amber color cup of tea with delicate, floral and fresh flavor.
Production
Take the most common white tea, White Peony (Pai Mu Tan), as an example. Tea leaves are plucked from a special varietal tea bush called Narcissus or chaicha bushes. Secondly the leaves are not steamed or pan-fired (the process used in green teas). The leaves are naturally withered and dried in the sun. If mechanical drying is required it is a baking process at temperatures less that 40’C. Thirdly only special ‘two leaves and a bud’ are selected. These leaves must show a very light green almost gray white color and be covered with velvet peach fuzz down. White teas that are withered in conditions that are too hot with become reddish and in conditions that are too cold they will become blackish.
Health Benefits
Researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute in Oregon tested white teas on selected rats to test for the ability of white teas to inhibit natural mutations in bacteria and to protect the rats from colon cancer. Interestingly, white teas were found to be more effective than green tea in inhibiting the early stages of cancer but researchers were quick to point out that their study was on rats and the effects should not be extrapolated to humans. The researchers also discovered that white tea contains higher levels of caffeine compared to green tea brewed under the same conditions. They suggested that this could occur because white tea oxidizes during withering whereas in green tea the oxidation process is stopped early in the tea making process by steaming or panfiring.
Can't decide? Sample a variety of our white teas. The pack includes samplers of Silver Needle, White Peony, Peach White Tea and Blueberry White Tea, and each sampler makes 3 to 5 cups.
History & Heritage
White tea is one of the most delicate styles of tea, traditionally made in Fujian Province, China, with little more than gentle withering and drying. Silver Needle, made from downy spring buds, first appeared in Fuding around 1796, and White Peony, which includes buds and young leaves, was developed in the Jianyang and Zhenghe areas.
Interesting Facts
This sampler lets you taste the difference between an all-bud tea (Silver Needle), a bud-and-leaf tea (White Peony) and two fruit-flavored white teas.
Tasting Notes & Pairings
Expect a journey from honeyed and mellow to velvety and fruity. Try them side by side with fresh fruit and mild cheeses.
Brewing tips (general guideline): use 1–2 teaspoons (about 2–3 g) per 8 oz of water at 170–185°F, steeped 3–5 minutes. Adjust to taste.
Like every tea at Beantown Tea & Spices, the White Tea Sampler Pack is a collection of quality loose-leaf teas offered at an affordable price. Explore more in our White Tea collection, or pair it with our tea accessories.
The western cosmetic industry also has recently discovered the benefits of white tea. In addition to its anticancer properties, tea has a calming and detoxifying effect on the skin. White tea is especially potent in that it is has three times as many antioxidant polyphenols as green or black tea and has been shown to be 100% more effective in mopping up free radicals that cause skin to sag. Some of the world’s top cosmetic companies are becoming very interested in white tea for skin creams and the result is that high grade white tea is becoming even rarer than before.
Silver Needle's slender, downy buds shimmer silver-white in the tin and brew into a clear, glowing cup with a delicate fragrance that lingers long after the last sip.
History & Heritage
Known in Chinese as Bai Hao Yin Zhen, or "white hair silver needle," this is the most celebrated of China's white teas. It first appeared in Fuding, in Fujian Province, around 1796, when growers began making it from the buds of local tea bushes. In the late 1800s, tea makers in Fuding and Zhenghe selected bush varieties with especially large, downy buds, and the modern Silver Needle was born. White tea is traditionally made with little more than gentle withering and drying, with no rolling or pan-firing.
Interesting Facts
Silver Needle is the top grade of white tea, produced in a very short period in early spring, when the young buds are at their prime.
You will see two intact grayish-white leaves around a silver bud, all covered in a fine silvery down.
Fuding and Zhenghe, two counties in Fujian, are the traditional homes of Silver Needle, and each gives the tea a slightly different character.
Tasting Notes & Pairings
The flavor is fresh, mellow and sweet, smooth and refreshing, with none of the astringency or grassiness some expect from light teas. The infusion is shimmering and clear. Tea lovers often describe hints of honey, melon and soft white flowers in a good Silver Needle. Pair it with light fare such as fresh fruit, mild cheeses, almond cookies, or delicate seafood.
Brewing tips (general guideline): use 1–2 teaspoons (about 2–3 g) per 8 oz of water at 170–185°F, steeped 3–5 minutes. Adjust to taste.
Like every tea at Beantown Tea & Spices, Silver Needle is a quality loose-leaf tea offered at an affordable price, with sample and larger sizes so you can find your favorite. Explore more in our White Tea collection, or pair it with our tea accessories.