What is White Tea?

White tea is nothing more than the leaves of the camellia sinensis that have been processed a certain way. It is the least common of the four types of teas (white, green, oolong, and black).

White teas are the least processed of any tea and therefore taste the most like fresh leaves or grass. They also have the lowest amount of caffeine and most likely have the highest antioxidant properties.

What is Tea Processing?

Processing tea is generally considered the art of tea. It is where many of the subtleties in taste, body, and overall character are created.

In its most basic form, it is taking the raw green leaves and deciding whether or not, and how much oxidation (or fermentation) should take place before drying them out. Tea leaves have enzymes in their veins. When the leaf is broken, bruised, or crushed, the enzymes are exposed to the air resulting in oxidation.

The amount of oxidation depends upon how much of the enzymes are exposed and for how long.

The Processing of White Tea:

First of all, white tea starts with just the tightly rolled buds of the White tea does not go through any oxidation at all.

In order to prevent oxidation, white teas are immediately fired or steamed after letting them wither (air dry) for a period of time. There is no rolling, breaking, or bruising of any kind.

The dried buds have a silver-like appearance because the tiny white hairs of new growth are still present. This is probably why the most popular white tea (at least in the US) is called Silver Needle.

My Suggestions:

Here is a quality Chinese white tea from Adagio Teas.

"White tea from China. Silver Needle is among the most revered of Chinese teas, produced in the Fuding and Zhenhe districts of its Fujian province. Gathered only in the few days of early spring, the preparation of this tea is governed by strict requirements to ensure a premium product. This dedication to perfection is evident in the cup, which is sweet and delicate with a clean, airy fragrance. Our ""Sublime Needle"" is a Special Grade (Bai Hao) version of this exquisite tea."

If you are new to white teas and would like to try a few different examples, I would suggest this .