A woman is like a tea bag – you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.
-Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady
White
tea leaves are plucked much more discriminately than other tea leaves.
To begin with, they are only plucked on a few days of the year in the
beginning of spring.
Only the top leaves and
immature buds are picked, and of that harvest, only perfect specimens
make it to the basket – no leaves that are damaged in any way will be
sold. After harvesting, leaves are barely processed; it takes an
experienced eye and a watchful laborer to steam, and then dry the leaves
just enough to allow them to be transported. For all of these reasons,
the price of white teas is, on average, much higher than other teas.
White
tea leaves are processed the least of any variety of tea, without any
rolling or oxidation. Although the leaves and buds are silvery white in
color, the tea is a light yellow when it is brewed. White teas have
higher levels of antioxidants and lower levels of caffeine than any
other type of tea. The silver effect is caused by minute stirrings of
new growth in the form of delicate, white hairs on the outside of the
tea leaves and buds.
When brewing white tea, be
careful not to pour boiling water on the leaves, which are too fragile
to handle that kind of heat. Boiling water on white tea leaves will
result in a bitter tea. White teas are very subtle in flavor and it is
not uncommon for people who are used to stronger teas to think the
flavor of white tea is too faint.
Typical Preparation
Temperature: 170-180°F (77°C-82°C)Time: 3-5 Minutes
Milk/Cream: Never
Honey/Sugar: Never
Lemon: Never
Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)
Silver
Needle tea comes from the Fujian Province in China and is regarded as
the best of all white teas. It is comprised of only buds and has a very
subtle, mildly sweet flavor.
White Peony (Bai Mu Dan)
White
Peony tea is considered the second finest white tea from China. This
one is made up of buds and leaves, but the leaves are covered in the
fine, white hairs that envelope the buds. The flavor is a bit more
robust than Silver Needle tea.
Long Life Eyebrow (Shou Mei)
After
Silver Needle and White Peony teas are harvested, the remaining white
leaves are gathered for Long Life Eyebrow tea. The flavor of Long Life
Eyebrow is stronger than White Peony, but still delicate compared to
other tea varieties, like black tea.
Tribute Eyebrow (Gong Mei)
The
lowest-grade white tea, Tribute Eyebrow is made from a slightly
different tea bush than the other three. It is comprised of mostly
broken leaves with few, if any buds. The flavor is the most robust of
all four of these white teas.
