What is Chinese White Tea?
What is Chinese White Tea, anyway? We’ll cover that in this comprehensive (but easy to understand) guide.
While less popular than other kinds of tea in the West... White tea is the simplest form of Chinese Tea. By that, I mean the least processing of any Chinese tea. It’s picked, wilted, and dried… nothing more. Making it a truly humble tea.
Even more amazing is that it’s full of antioxidants and flavor. And it can even be aged unlike some other categories of tea! So grab a cup, it’s time to get brewi
What Makes White Tea Unique?
There are 3 major reasons why White tea is unique.
Simplicity
L-Theanine Content
And Aging potential
Let’s touch on each of these quickly.
Simplicity of White Tea
White Tea is picked, withered, and dried. While other teas go through a series of additional processing steps such as:
Oxidizing in Red Tea (known as Black tea in the West)
Or “Kill green” in Green tea
This simplicity makes the tea itself a true expression of the leaf, growing location, and tea-making skill.
L-Theanine content
White Tea also contains high levels of L-Theanine. This is an amino acid known for making you feel relaxed. L-Theanine is also responsible for the “savory” taste in tea. While all tea has L-Theanine, White tea is particularly high in it.
It’s worth noting that Matcha and some other Japanese Green teas have a higher level of L-Theanine. Though, in those cases that comes from tea shading. Anyhow, If you’re trying to get tea drunk (yes, that’s a real thing), look no further than White Tea.
Extra info: Tea shading is where the tea plants are covered with a tarp screen for up to a month before harvesting. This step can alter a tea’s taste, color, and even chemical composition. To go into detail, check out our dedicated article about Tea Shading here.
Aging Potential
And third, White tea can be aged! Not all tea can or should be aged. But why is this?
It can sound a little complex, but it has to do with how chemical reactions happen within the tea leaf. Enzymes in a tea leaf are responsible for controlling the chemical reactions that change the flavor.
Most teas (like green, yellow, red, oolong, and black) have these enzymes heated during processing in a step called Kill green. This step halts any further changes in flavor. Teamakers use this process to “fix” a tea and halt the flavor right where they want to.
When teas age after this step has been done, they do change in flavor. But it’s more because they’re going stale. So teas will change in flavor, but they won’t necessarily change in a positive way.
This isn’t the case with White tea… Because the Kill green step never happens during white tea processing. So the enzymes in the leaf are still active. Which means that they continue to facilitate slow reactions in the leaf, and will slowly change the tea flavor-wise as it gets older.
So, for example, you’d probably not want to age Green tea, especially Matcha which loose its freshness in a matter of weeks once it is ground. Those kinds of delicate Green teas can’t age and improve - they can only go stale. But White tea (or another Chinese tea called Pu Er Tea) can age and do sometimes taste better as they age.
Taste and Aroma
What Does White Tea Smell Like?
White tea’s aroma is usually:
Floral
Hay-like
Earthy
The minimal processing of White Tea results in a brew with a very fresh, herbal smell and some floral notes. Aged White tea can smell a bit stronger, more sweet and mature.
Terroir – Where is White Tea Grown?
Traditionally, White tea has been grown in China’s Fujian Province. Fujian – also famous for its WuLong (oolong) tea – has long been prized for its terroir.
Essentially this term just describes an area's microclimate and soil and how they impact flavor. The most famous terroir for White tea in China is Fuding. Which is in the northeast part of Fujian.
Fuding is home to the most sought-after White teas in the world.
Wu Yi Mountains
Fujian is a really awesome place (beyond all of its great tea). Its nature is breathtaking. Fujian is famous for its beautiful WuYi mountains, which are actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Meaning they’re a protected area deemed important culturally, historically, and environmentally.
WuYi Shan is the most bio-diverse area in southeast China. Fujian is even home to another UNESCO World Heritage site, the Fujian Tulou – “A property of 46 buildings constructed between the 15th and 20th centuries” constructed by the Hakka people and used as communal housing and defense. There’s lots of interesting nature, culture, and history to soak up in Fujian.
White Tea Picking
Tea picking is an important factor in tea production. In fact, it’s so important that the names of some White teas are given based on their picking grade!
Different picking grades (or the number of additional leaves that a tea picker plucks along with the bud) will produce different flavors in a tea. This has a lot to do with the maturity of the leaves being picked and the contained nutrients in them. Which all influence a tea’s flavor, aromas, and appearance.
Some teas are made from just the bud, while others are the bud plus other leaves. Oftentimes with White tea, the higher the picking grade, the better (and more expensive the tea is). In fact… The famous styles of Chinese White tea are based on different picking grades:
Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Bud only, top picking grade)
Bai Mu Dan (2nd picking grade)
Gong Mei (3rd picking grade)
Shou Mei (4th picking grade)
This might sound confusing, but no worries. We’ll go over these styles in much more detail below in our “Famous White Tea Styles” section below.
Common White Tea Varietals
It’s worth noting that there are a few additional factors that greatly influence the flavor of ANY tea being produced. And one of those is Varietal, which is also known as cultivar.
Varietal Explained
Think of apples – If you go to the grocery store to buy them, you’ll have tons to choose from. They’re all from the same plant but have wildly different flavors and uses when cooking or eating.
For example – granny smith apples work better for pies because of their taste and texture. This same exact principle applies to tea leaves. Certain varietals are used to make certain kinds of tea because of their specific characteristics, both agriculturally as a reliable crop and flavor-wise.
For White tea, there are a few main varietals used. While not super necessary to know, it’s kind of cool to know them. Especially if you’re a tea nerd like me.
Fu Yun #6
This is the most widely used White tea cultivar in the Fuding region. It yields a lot of leaves but is less complex in flavor than other cultivars.
China Tea #1
China Tea #1 is the nickname for an early clone varietal scientifically mentioned in China. (Tea plants reproduce sexually – wild, I know – so a clone is just that...a clone of the parent plant). It was super popular before the 1970s and has long been used in other tea-growing regions across China.
China Tea #2
China tea #2 has larger buds than China Tea #1, making it a more desirable leaf for White tea processing. And it’s more drought resistant, which can be really important to tea farmers.
Indigenous Varietals (wild)
Sometimes White tea is also made with indigenous varietals. Meaning the plants that naturally grow in a tea-growing region. But the yield on these kinds of tea bushes is much smaller. And they’re much more expensive than the cultivated varietals mentioned above.
Sorry if this is getting far too geeky… I suggest reading more about White tea varietals here if you're trying to become a tea nerd.
White Tea Processing
It took me a while to really appreciate White tea. To be more specific, it took me a while to finally have a GOOD White tea. White tea is truly a simple, humble kind of tea. Like I mentioned before, It’s basically just picked, wilted, and dried.
So it must be super easy to make, right? Nope. Not even close… With simplicity comes many nuances. When I finally had a well-made White tea, I realized how difficult it really was to process. And just how important good processing is to White tea.
A good White tea truly is a pure expression of the plant and the terroir. The subtleties are what’s important. A well-made white tea is truly special.
How is White Tea Made?
The basics of White tea production are actually easy to understand. It’s the simplest form of tea in the sense that it’s:
Picked
Wilted (to control moisture content)
And dried
But of course, knowing HOW and WHEN to do these steps is super important.
Picking
Picking the correct leaf grade at the right time has a lot to do with the overall quality and flavor of the tea being made. And like mentioned above, the micro-climate (terroir) dictates flavor significantly. So naturally, the first step in White tea making is the picking process.
Wilting
The next step is probably the most important and difficult. Wilting of the tea leaves controls the amount of moisture within the leaf. If moisture leaves the leaf too slowly or too quickly, there will be issues with the flavor of the White tea.
Wilting is often done under the sun… Which is about as reliable as you’d imagine. To know when or how long to move the leaves to shade, tea makers really have to understand:
The leaf
The weather
And the environment
They also work with the wind to ensure this process is happening in a controlled manner. During this time, the tea will naturally oxidize. Meaning the flavors of the tea will start to change and become a little sweeter. This withering process can take days.
Unlike other Chinese teas, such as Green or Oolong, White tea never goes through a Kill green step. So because white tea’s enzymes are still active, the tea can age. Changing in flavor as it gets older.
Kill green: This is a step where the enzymes in the tea leaf are heated and destroyed to stop them from further oxidizing or changing flavor. In Chinese, this step is called shāqīng (殺青).
Drying
The last step in White tea processing is drying, which stabilizes the leaf so it’s ready to be sold, shipped, and brewed. This can only occur when enough moisture has left the leaf. The leaves are left in the sun to dry.
Baking
After the leaves are dried, they’re sometimes baked over charcoal to ensure they’re well-dried.
White Tea Oxidation
White tea is generally about 0-10% oxidized. Overall, oxidation is an important step of tea processing. During this process, chemical compounds in the tea leaves begin to change, which greatly affects the flavors a tea has.
Most categories of tea go through special steps that control the amount of oxidation the leaves go through. It allows tea makers to seal in the desired flavors. Usually, teas will go through a special step that stops the enzymes in the leaf from further oxidizing.
BUT…It’s not the case for White tea. As mentioned above, White tea is basically just picked, wilted, and dried. So its processing is extremely minimal. And that’s why the tea is so humble. It’s a pretty pure expression of the tea leaf itself. And because the leaf is still technically active enzymatically and chemically – It slowly changes as the tea ages.
As White tea leaves age, the flavor changes because this oxidation process is occurring. So White teas will go from being bright, fresh and floral, to deep, fruity, floral, and sweet.
Extra note: If you want to know more about the oxidation process, and learn why and how oxidation is used in tea to get so much variety from the same tea leaf, you can check out our previous Guide on What is Oxidation in Tea here.
What Makes Chinese White Tea White?
Essentially, the name ¨white tea¨ refers to the color of the brewed tea liquid. Which is much lighter than other kinds of Chinese tea. Especially with young leaves.
Famous White Tea Styles
Bai Hao Yin Zhen
Bai Hao Yin Zhen is also known as Silver Needle. It’s the top picking grade of Chinese White tea, and it’s composed of just the buds. It has a characteristically delicate flavor. This flavor is also complex because the bud offers the most nuanced flavors.
What’s interesting is that the picking usually includes the bud and some leaves. But the leaves are then plucked off, leaving just the bud. (Which makes things a little more time consuming)
Bai Mu Dan
The second picking grade of White tea is Bai Mu Dan (which is commonly known as White Peony). What makes it different from Bao Hao Yin Zhen is that it’s made from a bud and two leaves.
So essentially it’s the same picking as Bai Hao Yin Zhen, but the additional leaves are left attached. The inclusion of additional leaves makes the flavor a little deeper and less delicate.
Gong Mei
Gong Mei is the 3rd picking grade of White tea. So it’s picked later than Bai Mu Dan, and includes more mature leaves that yields less complex flavors.
Shou Mei
Shou Mei is the 4th picking grade of White tea. It’s usually picked in the late spring or early summer and its flavors are way less nuanced than the other picking grades.
Because it’s picked the latest and includes a higher amount of mature leaves (and usually few or no buds), it yields a much less complex flavor. And is typically the most affordable option of White tea.
Yunnan White Tea
Yunnan, the southwesternmost province of China, is known for its production of Pu Er tea.
But it has also produced White teas in recent years.
Yue Guang Bai
Grown in Yunnan Province, Yue Guang Bai (also known as moonlight white) is a sun-dried White tea. It’s known for being fruity, sweet, and grassy. It’s a bit more aggressive than other styles of White tea because it’s made with material usually used for Pu Er Tea, which is a much bolder type of tea.
White Tea Benefits
In the West, White tea seems to be thought of as one of the most healthy kinds of tea. While it’s true that White tea is loaded with antioxidants…
It’s important to remember that ANY tea should not be taken as medicine. It’s a beverage with health benefits, but it’s best to drink White tea without any expectations concerning your health.
Does White Tea Have Caffeine?
Yes… White tea has caffeine. It’s a common misconception that White tea is caffeine-free. But that’s not true at all. White tea DOES contain higher levels of L-Theanine, which is an amino acid that all tea has.
L-Theanine is responsible for making you relaxed. That’s why you may not feel the effect of the caffeine as much as you might when you drink other kinds of tea. But keep in mind that all tea has caffeine.
Is White Tea Healthy For You?
Like I mentioned before, Tea is a healthy beverage. But it isn’t medicine. While there are many studies being done on the health benefits of the compounds in White tea. The beverage itself isn’t scientifically or medically recognized as an effective treatment for any health issues.
Antioxidants in White Tea
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are compounds in tea leaves responsible for health benefits. Many of them are being studied for their potential for:
L-Theanine
L-Theanine is an amino acid in tea that's responsible for making a tea drinker feel relaxed. White tea happens to have higher amounts of L-Theanine, making it one of the more relaxing teas to drink. Theanine has also been shown to help with anxiety and stress relief.
Chinese White Tea FAQ
Is White Tea Herbal?
No...White tea is not an herbal tea. It comes from the tea plant Camellia Sinensis. In fact, only leaves from this plant can actually be called tea, and anything that’s an herbal beverage is technically called a tisane.
Is White Tea the Same as Green Tea?
No. While White tea and Green tea are from the same plant, they’re radically different styles of tea. White tea is basically just picked, wilted, and dried, then it oxidizes and changes in flavor as it ages. It’s sweet, floral, and earthy.
But Green tea has its enzymes killed during processing, so it doesn’t oxidize. So the flavor is much brighter, sharper, and fresh and the leaves also retain their bright green color.
Does White Tea Go Bad?
Not in any traditional way… During processing, White tea leaves never have their enzymes destroyed. Other kinds of tea (like Green or Red) go through an intentional step (kill green) that alters these enzymes. So they no longer facilitate chemical reactions in the tea leaves that would otherwise change the flavor.
This change is also sometimes called enzymatic oxidation or fermentation. Essentially the Kill green process “fixes” or halts the flavor. Because White tea never goes through this step, it continues to oxidize and change as it ages. This process takes a while. But slowly the tea starts to change flavors.
Do only Chinese make White Tea?
Other tea-growing countries do make White tea, but this is sort of a newer thing. So the processing and quality of tea aren’t always as good as the Chinese varieties. You may also see White tea from:
Taiwan
Japan
India
Nepal
Can White Tea Be Aged?
Yes, White tea can be aged! That’s actually one of the coolest things about White tea.
Because it’s still enzymatically active (meaning chemically), it will change in flavor, aroma, and color as it ages. White tea will go from fresh, bright, and floral to deep honey-sweet as it ages.
How to Brew White Tea
White Tea is often mischaracterized as a light, delicate tea that should be brewed with low-temperature water. Well, this isn’t true…White tea actually loves hot water! Brewing with really hot water (212F, or 100C) actually pulls out more flavor.
White Tea is really easy to brew because it’s hard to mess up or over-brew. Below are a few common ways to brew White tea.
Grandpa Style
In White tea regions, tea leaves are sometimes simply dropped into a tall glass with hot water. This humble style of tea is affectionately called “grandpa’s style” or “farmer’s style”.
Here’s how to brew grandpa style:
Boil your water to 212°F (or 100°C)
Add 2-4 grams of tea to a glass of your choosing (7-12 oz)
Fill the glass ¾ of the way with hot water. Brew for a few minutes. Take a sip – if it’s not strong enough, leave it a little longer.
Reboil the water and add to your glass to rebrew
Western Style
Western-style is a super simple way to brew White tea. But it uses a high water-to-tea ratio (lots of water, a small amount of tea), so the flavor is a little diluted…
To make tea in the Western Style:
Weigh out 2-5 grams of White tea leaf (more leaf equals stronger tea) and place it into a teapot.
Fill with the teapot boiling water (212°F or 100°C)
Brew 4-5 minutes, then pour.
To rebrew, add boiling water and brew for another 3-5 minutes.
How to Brew White Tea with a Gai Wan (the Traditional “Gong Fu” Method)
The best way to brew White tea is with a Gaiwan. If you’ve never used (or even heard of!) a Gaiwan before, no worries – Check out our easy guide on How to Brew Tea in a Gaiwan here.This method used a high leaf-to-water ratio (lots of leaves, a small amount of water).
So brews are more concentrated and flavorful. This brewing method is also called Gong Fu Cha, which means: “Brewing Tea with Skill”. Here’s how to brew this way:
What you will need:
Sharing pitcher (known as Gong Dao Bei)
5 grams of White tea
A cup to drink the tea
How to brew:
Weigh out 5 grams of tea and place in Gaiwan
Rinse tea with hot water, then discard
Fill Gaiwan with boiling water (212°F or 100°C)(50ml for a standard gaiwan)
Brew for 5 seconds and then pour into the sharing pitcher
Repeat this process to rebrew
Brew With Us
Now that you know all of the basics about White tea – how it’s made, where it’s grown, how to brew it, and how it can be aged… We’d really love to connect with you!
We’re building an online community of fellow tea lovers and connoisseurs and you’re invited… If you’d like to connect with us, fellow tea people, grab a cup and join our Sipper’s Union group on Facebook.
And if you feel like you wanna learn a bit more about Chinese teas, I invite you to read our other articles on the topic:
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