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| Ba Gua Tea garden in Taiwan, this is area is famous for its hand-picking of tea leaves |
Although the Chinese have enjoyed white tea since the Ming dynasty, North Americans have only recently begun to discover its enjoyable taste and many health benefits. As with all teas, white tea begins as a Camellia Sinensis bush. There are four kinds of white tea, Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yinzhen), White Peony (Bai Mu Dan), Tribute Eyebrow (Gong Mei) & Noble, Long Life Eyebrow (Shou Mei).
White tea leaves are immature leaves that are picked shortly before the buds have fully opened. White tea contains only the silver buds, or the silver buds and first two leaves. The name comes from the silver fuzz on the leaves that turns white when dried. Since white tea is the least processed of all the teas, it contains more nutrients and antioxidants which have many health benefits. White teas leaves are withered to remove any moisture and then dried to remove any excess humidity. This differs greatly from Black tea, Rooibos tea and Oolong Tea (information on how these teas are processed will be available in later posts).
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| Silver Needles- Bai Hao Yinzhen |
White Peony or Bai Mu Dan contains only the buds and first two leaves. The ratio consists of one bud for every two leaves.
Many believe that there are health benefits associated with white tea which include; improved artery function, lower cholesterol, reduction of free radicals (therefore improving skin appearance) in the body, cancer fighting abilities, & healthier teeth and gums by killing the bacteria that causes plaque and bad breath.
Although tea contains less caffeine than coffee, there is conflicting research on the level of caffeine in white tea compared to the other tea families. Some believe that white tea contains the least amount of caffeine because caffeine levels are related to oxidation. Therefore, white tea being the least oxidized means that in theory it would contain the least amount of caffeine. Others believe that caffeine content is affected by many factors including fertilizers used on the plants, where the leaves where located on the plant, plant variety and the growing region. They believe that the younger the leaf, the higher the caffeine content, supporting the notion that white tea has the highest level of caffeine. To determine the exact caffeine level, expensive chemical tests would have to be conducted on each harvest. If you are trying to limit your caffeine consumption, purchasing white tea blends significantly reduces the level of caffeine because the white tea leaves are mixed with dried fruits.
The best temperature to brew your white tea at is 175°-185°. Plain white tea should be steeped for approximately 4 minutes while flavoured teas are best if only steeped for 2 minutes. All our teas come with specific brewing instructions on the packaging to ensure your tea is brewed perfectly every time!
Below is my favourite white tea, Pina colada white! It contains large chunks of real pineapple and coconut, smells & tastes absolutely amazing!
Below is my favourite white tea, Pina colada white! It contains large chunks of real pineapple and coconut, smells & tastes absolutely amazing!
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| Pina Colada White Tea |
