Traditional Tea

White Tea

White tea is a very rare, expensive connoisseur tea that is mainly produced in China  in  Fukien (Fujian). Once harvested, it is withered and dried by steaming. White tea requires an experienced palate already initiated into the exquisite, subtle flavors of green and oolong teas. Its name, a literal translation from the Chinese, probably comes from the very pale color of its liquor. This tea has a very mellow taste and a hint of sweetness.

White tea benefits come from young tea leaves that are picked before the buds have fully opened. The buds are covered with silver fuzz that turns white when they are steamed and dried -- hence the name: white tea.

Rather than being air-dried, white tea leaves undergo less processing and are steamed. This process keeps the leaves closer to their natural state and increases the tea’s anti-oxidant properties.

Tea connoisseurs find white tea varieties delicate and sweet, with little or no grassy taste that is sometimes noted in green and black varieties.

It has only about 200 years of history and is the youngest among the major tea types(green, oolong and black tea).

Legend has it…

that the white tea tree variety was discovered by a girl named Lan Gu from Fuding county of Fujian Province in China , where the beautiful Taimu Mountain is located. While taking refuge in a cave in the mountain, Lan Gu found a special tea tree whose young buds were covered by silvery hair during spring.

When wide-spread disease was hurting the villagers, Lan Gu used the leaves from this special tree to help cure them. For her kindness and courage, people honored her with the name of Mother Taimu and named the mountain Taimu Mountain .

This legend parallels historical accounts that indicate the brew was first produced in Fuding in 1796 and later spread to two other counties (Zhenhe and Jianyang) in Fujian.

Types/Flavours

• Big White (finest and most popular)
• Narcissus White
• Vegetable White

In addition, the tea is differentiated based on plucking method -- Silver Needle (only one bud is plucked), White Peony (one bud together with one leaf down) and Longevity Eyebrow (one bud with two to three leaves down). Silver Needle, also known by its original Chinese name “Bai Hao Yin Zhen,” is the most precious and exotic.

As the least processed among all types, white tea leaves are only withered and dried. This light oxidation process preserves natural compounds that potentially deliver the most health benefits of any variety.

Benefits

The demand for white tea has soared since the release of early-stage research suggesting white tea benefits a bevy of health-related concerns and includes properties that boost immune systems, prevent dental plaque, provide colon cancer protection, and guard against skin cell damage. While the tea has been around for thousands of years in Asia , scientists have only recently found that white tea benefits are linked to stronger antioxidant properties than other teas.

• Extract may help slow viruses and bacterial growth, thus reducing the incidence of staphylococcus and streptococcus infections, pneumonia, fungus growth, and even dental plaque.

• Extract may help slow viruses and bacterial growth, thus reducing the incidence of staphylococcus and streptococcus infections, pneumonia, fungus growth, and even dental plaque.

• Used to treat some forms of skin cancer and serve as an agent in cosmetics to protect against signs of aging from damaged skin.

• Consumption of moderate amounts of white or green tea may hedge against colon tumors consistent with the prescription drug, sulindac.