White tea is one of China’s special treasures, made from the youngest and most delicate hand-picked leaf tips and buds. The taste of such tea is fresh and delicate, while the liquor has a snowy-silver color, which is where white tea gets its name. It is one of the most expensive types of tea due to its detailed production process.
White tea is mainly produced in the counties of Jianyang, Fuding, and Songxi in Fujian Province. In this hilly region, the red and yellow soils, mild year-round climate, and abundant rainfall contribute to the unique character of white tea.
Taiwan also produces smaller quantities of white tea.
The most popular types of white tea are White Peony and Silver Needle (Bai Hao). White Peony is made from the first and second tips of the stems. It is of the highest quality and gets its name from the way the leaves open like flowers in spring.
Silver Needle is the most expensive type of white tea. It is made only from a single tea leaf tip, which, when dried, resembles a silver needle. The tea has a delicate yellow color, a refreshing taste, and a pleasant aroma.
PRODUCTION
The production process takes place in 4 stages:
- Withering
Withering draws moisture to the surface, softens the leaves, initiates natural enzymatic fermentation, and provides the foundation for the next stage. This process reduces the grassy taste of the tea. The freshly picked leaves are spread out to dry. A key factor in producing excellent white tea is the withering process, which takes place both outdoors and indoors. The best combination is drying on a mild sunny day, followed by continued drying indoors.
The stems are separated from the leaves, the natural waxy coating is removed, and the leaves are roasted over low heat until they become dry. When the moisture content is reduced to 4–5%, the leaves are packaged.
- Fixing (“kill-green”)
This process stops natural fermentation and growth processes within the leaves without damaging them. Techniques include steaming the leaves, manually pressing them in a hot vessel, and roasting. This process provides the foundation for the next stage.
- Rolling / Shaping
The leaves pass through hot and cold rollers to flatten them, allowing the leaves to be shaped and enhancing the flavor of the tea.
- Drying
Drying stabilizes the final moisture content of the leaves, stops fermentation, prevents the development of mold, removes the grassy taste of the leaves, and develops the tea’s aroma. Methods include sun drying, heating in a vessel, and hot-air drying.
STORAGE
Due to the processing methods used to preserve their natural character, the leaves are exposed to the natural reduction of enzymes through oxidation and are more perishable than other types of tea.
White tea is best stored in a cool, dry place in an airtight container or even in a refrigerator. Refrigeration is recommended as it can improve the flavor of the tea and extend its shelf life. Tea that is stored under refrigeration should not be kept in a heated environment after being removed from the refrigerator, as this could cause the tea to deteriorate.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Chinese tea is traditionally associated with many health benefits, ranging from a general sense of well-being to claims of almost miraculous healing properties. To the average Western consumer, white tea is particularly interesting because of claims regarding weight loss and cancer prevention due to the antioxidants it contains. Each individual should assess the accuracy of such claims for themselves.
Although Traditional Chinese Medicine has cited evidence of its medicinal properties for centuries, relatively little modern research supports these claims. More recently, even the extent to which antioxidants may contribute to disease prevention has been questioned.
We believe that every food product can have both positive and negative effects on health to some degree and for different individuals. We do not recommend drinking tea specifically for its health benefits. We believe tea should be enjoyed primarily for its wonderful taste and for the experience of sharing tea with yourself or with friends.
We mention the benefits traditionally recognized by Traditional Chinese Medicine in relation to white tea:
- Reduces inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis
- Helps regulate insulin secretion
- High in vitamin A, helping prevent dry eyes and night blindness
- Reduces radiation levels and helps repair DNA damage
THEINE
It is often said that tea contains more theine than coffee contains caffeine. The opposite claim can also be heard. Considering the different types of tea and coffee, as well as the ways in which they are processed and prepared for consumption, both claims should be taken into consideration.
How much theine do tea and coffee contain?
According to a detailed study published by the British government in 2004, tea contains 40 mg of theine, instant coffee 54 mg, and ground coffee 105 mg per serving.
It is generally believed that Chinese green tea contains less theine than black tea. A large number of studies and discussions suggest that this may not be the case. In fact, green tea may contain more theine than black tea.
Most black tea exported to the West comes from India, and the Camellia assamica plant used to produce Indian tea contains more theine than Camellia sinensis, the species used to produce Chinese tea. It also appears that the oxidation process used in the production of Chinese black teas tends to reduce theine rather than increase it, as was previously believed.
When comparing Chinese green tea with Chinese black tea, the theine content of Chinese green tea appears to be higher than that of Chinese black tea. Both teas contain less theine than Indian black tea, while all types of tea have significantly lower levels of theine than coffee.
Since white teas are lightly fermented, we can generally consider their theine level to be somewhere between that of unfermented green tea and lightly fermented black tea.
(Note: We use the term “Chinese black tea”, which is commonly used in the West, to describe the tea known in China as red tea. The true Chinese black teas, known in China as post-fermented teas, are mature teas such as pu-erh tea.)
If you are sensitive to theine, there is a way to reduce its level. The best way to prepare tea is by using the traditional Chinese Gong Fu Cha method (“preparing tea with great skill”). This highly controlled preparation method is characterized by the use of small teapots and multiple infusions with very short steeping times of just a few seconds.
This method enhances the flavor of each type of tea and reduces the amount of theine compared with Western-style tea preparation. In Gong Fu Cha, the first infusion is used to rinse the leaves and is discarded, so it is not consumed. The first infusion also washes away a significant amount of theine, which is highly soluble in water.
