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White tea (白茶) is a tea made with leaves that are processed in a manner to let them wilt slightly and lose the "grassy" taste of green tea, while undergoing minimal oxidation. Like green, oolong and black tea, white tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. Oolong and black teas are oxidized before curing.
White tea is a specialty of the Chinese province Fujian. The leaves come from varieties of tea cultivars. Popular are Da Bai (Large White), Xiao Bai (Small White), Narcissus and Chaicha bushes. According to the standards of picking and selection, white teas can be classified into a number of grades, described in the varieties section.
Varieties of white tea
Chinese white teas
Bai Hao Yinzhen (白毫銀針) (Silver needle): The highest of the Bai Hao Yinzhen should be fleshy, bright colored and covered with tiny white hairs. The shape should be very uniform, with no stems or leaves. The very best Yinzhen are picked between March 15 and April 10 when it is not raining and only using undamaged and unopened buds. Fujian Province, China.
Bai Mu Dan (白牡丹) (White Peony): A grade down from Bai Hao Yinzhen tea, incorporating the bud and two leaves which should be covered with a fine, silvery-white down. From Fujian Province, China. (Sometimes spelled Pai Mu Tan.)
Gong Mei （貢眉） (Tribute Eyebrow): The third grade of white tea, the production uses leaves from the Xiao Bai or "small white" tea trees.
Shou Mei （寿眉） (Noble, Long Life Eyebrow): A fruity, furry white tea that is a mix of tips and upper leaf, it has a stronger flavor than other white teas, similar to Oolong. It is the fourth grade of white tea and is plucked later than Bai Mu Dan hence the tea may be darker in color. From Fujian Province and Guangxi Province in China
White Puerh Tea: （白普洱茶） Harvested in the spring from plantations found high on remote mountain peaks of Yunnan Province, China. Very labor-intensive, with each step processed by hand, these luxury whites are wonderfully rich in fragrance, and possess an alluring, sweet nectar-like quality.
The fleshy hairs are visible, a unique characteristic of the Silver Needle White Tea
Other white teas
Ceylon White: Grown in Sri Lanka. Ceylon White tea can fetch much higher prices than black tea from the area. The tea has a light liquoring with notes of pine and honey and a golden coppery infusion.
Darjeeling White It has a delicate aroma and brews to a pale golden cup with a mellow taste and a hint of sweetness. It has a delicate taste. A tea from Darjeeling, India.
Assam White: White tea production in the Assam, north eastern region of India is rare. Lighter in body than the traditional black teas, a white Assam yields a refined infusion that is sweet with a distinct malty character.
African White: Produced in minuscule amounts in Malawi and Kenya, mostly as silver needles (Yin Zhen) type made of assamensis buds; usually higher in caffeine and richer in flavour than Chinese whites, sometimes approaching yellow teas, and often changing flavours in the cup.
Health benefits
Health effects of tea
A 2009 Kingston University study showed that white tea had high anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-collagenase, and anti-elastase properties which could potentially reduce the risks of developing rheumatoid arthritis, some cancers, heart disease & slow the enzymatic break down of elastin and collagen (ie wrinkles or sagging) which accompany aging.
White tea compared to green tea
A study at Pace University in 2004 showed white tea had more anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities than green tea.
White tea contains similar concentrations of catechins to green tea, although the concentration of specific oxidation products differs slightly due to its lack of processing. Furthermore, one study examining the composition of brewed green and white teas found that white tea contained more gallic acid and theobromine.
As white tea is made out of young leaves and buds, it has more of amino acid theanine (has relaxing and mood enhancing properties) than green and black teas which are made from older leaves.
Caffeine content of green and white teas are similar, though both depend on factors such as the variety of tea, the cut and length of the leaf, and the method of steeping.
White tea is thought to contain less fluoride than green tea, since it is made from young leaves only, but both white and green teas use young leaves, and bai mu dan white tea uses the more mature leaves as well.
Brewing
Generally, around 2 to 2.5 grams of tea per 200 ml (6 ounces) of water, or about 1.5 teaspoons of white tea per cup, should be used. White teas should be prepared with 80°C (180°F) water (not boiling) and steeped for 2 to 3 minutes. Many tea graders, however, choose to brew this tea for much longer, as long as 10 minutes on the first infusion, to allow the delicate aromas to develop. Finer teas expose more flavor and complexity with no bitterness. Lower grade teas do not always stand this test well and develop bitter flavors or tannins. On successive brews (white teas produce three very good brews and a fourth that is passable), extend the time by several minutes per brewing. The third brew may require as long as 15 minutes to develop well. Temperature is crucial: if it is too hot, the brew will be bitter and the finer flavors will be overpowered.