White Tea

To the naked eye, the difference between green and white tea may seem very slight, but it’s actually pretty significant.

White teas are processed less than any other type of tea. They are not rolled prior to drying, and they are not steamed or fired to stop oxidation. Instead they are air dried only, although in recent years the air has been heated to speed up the process. The freshly plucked tealeaves are withered in the direct sun for just a short time. Then they are brought into an open air shed to complete the withering process where they continue to dry for several days. The shed’s shutters are used to control the amount of wind that passes over the tealeaves as they dry. When the process is complete the tea leaf is open and shaped irregularly. The final product is a whole tea leaf with whitish tips.

White tea is considered a delicacy for two reasons. First of all, its processing is so minimal that it takes longer than the forced methods that are used on green, oolong and black teas. This minimal amount of processing makes white tea three times more potent than green tea in its antioxidant content. Secondly, white tea is made from just the most tender tealeaves, which are not yet fully opened and their buds are still covered in very fine white hairs.

Although white tea is the most rare form of tea available, some varieties of white tea are more rare than others. For example, the white tea Pai Mu Tan, or White Peony, is an affordable white tea. This tea is a product of the top two leaves and a bud being plucked from the tea bush. The tealeaves selected are very light green, almost white, and they are covered in fine, white hairs.

Yin Zhen, or silver needles, is one of the world’s most costly varieties of tea. It is only produced in very limited quantities. It is harvested by hand on only two days of the year, and only the new, down covered tealeaf buds are plucked.