White Tea

The most delicate flavors of tea are found in white tea.  The makers of tea use several different methods of bringing out the different flavors of the plant’s leaves, but loose leaf white tea is the only variety that requires special growing techniques prior to harvesting.  The leaves of the tea plant intended for processing into the white variety are usually shaded from heavy sunlight.  During harvesting, the leaves are picked by hand, a more expensive and labor-intensive method.  Finally, younger leaves and more buds are chosen for the white variety of tea.  This special treatment prevents large amounts of chlorophyll from occuring in the leaves, which has a sweetening effect on their flavor.  It also means that white tea is less prevalent and usually more expensive than other forms of tea, and it remains more popular in China than any other country. 

Whereas most black and oolong teas are allowed to blacken during processing, as they oxidize, and both white tea and green tea undergo no blackening at all.  White tea, however, does undergo indoor wilting soon after picking.  Black tea and oolong tea also go through indoor wilting, which takes a certain amount of water out of the leaves.  From this point forward, the white variety is processed more like a green tea than a black.  As soon as the wilting process has gone on long enough, the leaves are reheated through baking to prevent any oxidation.  They are then lightly rolled during the shaping process, which extrudes small amounts of sap out of the plant and enhances the flavor.  White tea is then dried for the market, in common with all other varieties of the brew.   

 When scientists looked at the chemical compositions of the different varieties of tea, they found that white tea had unusual properties.  When you remember that white tea is composed of younger leaves, and higher levels of leaf buds, you might realize that its chemical composition is very different than other teas.  Several studies of the variety have shown that white tea definitely contains more theobromine and gallic acid than other types of the brew, along with higher levels of catechins, which are known to reduce plaques and carcinogens.  Because the buds of the tea plant contain more caffeine than older leaves, white tea is thought to have more caffeine than green tea, but to come nowhere near the breakfast levels of black tea.  . 

In China, white tea is considered one of the finest brews in existence.  One variety, the Bai Hao Yinzhen, is picked only between March 15^th and April 10^th, and only when there is no rain!  China has a carefully assembled grading system for its teas, but fraudlent label have been a big problem in the country for some time.  To properly brew white tea, you’ll need to take it easy on the heat.  The leaves should be measured out at one and a half teaspoon to the cup, and the water should NOT be boiling when poured over them.  Let them steep for two to three minutes.  One way to test the quality of the white tea you have is to allow it to steep for over five minutes.  If the brew develops strong bitterness, it is probably a low-quality, blended tea.