What Is White Tea?
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Compiled By Kim Pham | Published July 2007
WhitePeony
YinzhenSilverNeedle
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White tea is the least processed of all teas. The leaves
used to make white tea go through two general processing
stages: withering and drying. The determining factor of
quality for white tea production is the tea maker’s ability to
adjust withering stage to the weather.
The best white tea comes from the Fujian Province of
China and is picked in early spring. The rarest of all white
tea is the Yinzhen Silver Needle. It is picked only a few days
in early April before the new bud of the tea plant is revealed. Processing for all Silver Needle tea is entirely by hand and
only a small quantity is made available worldwide.
When shopping for Silver Needle, the best is made of
uniformly shaped buds covered with tiny white-silvery hair.
It brews a slightly nutty sweet flavor without the grassy flavor
often associated with green tea.
After the Silver Needle is picked, the tea farmer uses
remaining leaves for production the White Peony white tea.
It is the second most popular white tea worldwide.
The minimal processing of white tea leaves explains why
it is higher in health benefits than other types of tea. It is also
the least caffeinated of all teas from the tea plant.
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