Today, there are several white tea productions, originating from different countries. But the real origin of this refreshing and subtle tasting nectar comes from the Yunnan provinces in China, where it is hand-picked from Camellia Sinensis tea plants. Unlike other teas such as red, green or black tea, white tea is only made of silver buds and some young shoots. This choice makes it a rare and expensive tea, but also richer in antioxidants, active principles with beneficial effects for the body. The buds and leaves do not go through the oxidation or fermentation stage, nor are they roasted like black tea for example. Only withering and drying are necessary for white tea.
Loose tea, tea bags, tea powder, tea cakes: how to choose your white tea?
If you ask white tea connoisseurs: which white tea to choose? They will tell you without hesitation: choose loose white tea. Although you can find on the market white tea in bags and even in powder, the nobility of this white tea does not deserve to be reduced to dust. However, for those who appreciate tea with an original and slightly sweet taste, Wuliangshan Yue Guang Bail organic white tea, which means "White Moonlight", is an excellent white tea more or less aged and compressed into a wafer like Pu Erh. You can also find organic white tea in bags, probably of very good quality, but this really takes away the charm of a traditional tea preparation, which invites you to travel with each tasting. You can opt for the grand cru white tea such as Yin Zhen or Silver Needles, Bai Mu Dan, also called Pai Mu Tan which means White Peony, or for very great white teas scented with jasmine, rose or flowers and fruits.
Plain white tea or flavored white tea, which white tea to choose?
Organic white tea tasters are unanimous: they will advise you to choose a great vintage and to taste it. It's all about finesse and taste. The ultimate rare tea to discover is the Yin Zhen "Pointes blanches". Only composed of unopened buds and covered with a white down, this white tea with flowery flavors and a slight taste of chestnut will seduce you by its freshness, its delicacy and its lack of bitterness. Pai Mu Tan "White Peony" is a clever blend of silver buds and the first two leaves. These are just withered and dried, to keep all the authenticity of the fresh leaves of the tea plant. Its color is slightly amber and its fruity taste is discreetly herbaceous. You can also choose the white tea Jasmine Dragon Pearl. Made of young hand-picked leaves, this tea features jasmine flowers that are put in contact for a few days to scent the tea, then delicately removed by hand. The leaves are then gently rolled into a ball. The color of the beverage is golden, its taste is slightly floral. Nanmei Wild Buds is, as its name indicates, made of wild buds which have the particularity of containing no theine. Its lemon and licorice taste is slightly acidic. There are quite a few other flavored white teas, but be sure to ask about the real origin of the tea and if it does not contain other teas such as green tea for example.
Which white tea to choose: Chinese white tea, Japanese white tea or white tea from another country?
Organic white tea, as we know, comes from China, from the Fujian region more precisely. It is in this region that we find the best white teas, cultivated, picked and handled with the greatest care and in a traditional way. However, many other countries have started to grow white tea and try to reach the quality of their Chinese colleagues as much as possible. We can find Yuzu white tea coming directly from Japan. It is a white tea scented with a Japanese citrus fruit, the Yuzu (wild mandarin married with Ichang lemon). Nepal offers an organic white tea similar to Pai Mu Tan. It is the same in India, in Darjeeling to be precise, where you can find the Royal Glenburn, a white tea made from buds and young shoots. Sri Lanka offers Sri Lanka Gold, similar to Yin Zhen. If you really want to taste a white tea, choose the purely traditional Chinese white tea.
How to store your organic white tea?
You now know which white tea to choose, and you decide to go for loose tea. But how to best preserve this precious, delicate and fragile treasure, which is quite expensive? White tea should be kept away from light and humidity. Even if the white tea has been dried, it must keep its 3% humidity and no more. Light oxidizes tea, whereas white tea has the particularity of being very little oxidized, which gives it its particular and not very astringent flavor. The tea caddy is the best container to store tea. Although there are all kinds of tea tins (glass, porcelain, wood), the metal tea tin is the preferred choice. If possible, choose a tea canister with a double lid. This will keep the tea from humidity and odors. Store your tea in a room other than the kitchen, still to avoid odors, and in a cool place, so as not to risk drying out the tea. White tea can be stored for over a year in these conditions.