white tea

White Teas. The closest to pure.

The least processed teas are White Teas. White teas contain only the buds and very young leaves of the tea plant, as a result, they are rarer and often more expensive. Only recently have white teas become popular outside of China. The straightforward, yet delicate taste and health profile similar to green tea has helped white tea burst onto the Western tea scene in recent years.

While white teas are "less processed" than greens, they are actually usually more somewhat more oxidized. Mild oxidation occurs during the "wilting" stage, when white tea is air-dried after it is first picked. White tea is then baked and dried further, and it may be very lightly rolled, but little is done to change what was picked from the plant. One way to tell that white tea is slightly oxidized is that white teas don't usually need to be steeped as carefully as greens. Steeping white tea with boiling water or for longer time periods can still produce good results.

Grown mostly in the famous Fujian province there are several well-known and rare blends. The most famous is Bao Hao Yinzhen or "Silver Needles". White tea is picked between March 15 and April 10 when precipitation is the least to insure a fair amount of undamaged and unopened buds. This is a very high grade tea and one of the most sought after; a most prized and revered blend for the tea connoisseur .

While green and black teas have been flavored and scented for centuries, flavored white teas are a relatively new art. We have found that white tea enhances other flavors, and consider our White Ambrosia and White Ginger Pear to be among our most innovative blends.