White Tea

White tea is a high quality tea that originates from the Fujian province of China and comes from areas such as Fuding, Zhenghe, Song Xi or Jianyang. White tea must come from one of these regions, you can compare it with Champagne. Champagne may also only have its name if it comes from the Champagne region.

White tea is known as one of the most delicate teas because it is so minimally processed. White tea is harvested before the leaves of the tea plant are fully open, when the young buds are still covered with fine white hairs, hence the name "white" tea. (Silver Needle)

These buds and unfolded leaves of the newest growth on the tea plant are picked by hand and then dried quickly and carefully so that the leaves cannot oxidize. This minimal processing and low oxidation results in one of the most delicate and purest teas available.

The 4 most famous white teas are:

  1. Silver Needle of Bai Hao Yinzhen - Only the silver haired buds of the 1st crop.
  2. White Peony or Pai Mu Tan - Buds with the 2 youngest leaves of the 2nd crop
  3. Tribute Eyebrow of Gong Mei - Mixture of silver needle and white peony but contains fewer buds and is often used to make white tea cake.
  4. Long Life Eyebrow of  Shou Mei - Picked at the end of the season.

Silver Needle and Pai Mu Tan are the most famous of these.