There are not many kinds of white tea but enough to confuse a beginner! White tea is the least processed of all tea. White tea came from many countries. The major ones are mostly from China.
Well, there are 3 major kinds of white tea:
Photo courtesy of Geekgirlunveiled
* Silver Needle tea (Chinese name = Bai Hao Yinzhen )
* White Peony (Bai Mu Dan or Pai Mu Tan)
* Snow Buds (Shou Mei)
Care to guess how the leaves look like?
…like needle, of course!
Well, Silver Needle tea is
* Best grade of white tea
* Contains only young buds collected in spring.
* Products are silvery + look like needle tips.
* Tea products are brightly colored
* Most expensive of all white tea
* Taste naturally sweet, delicate, and refreshing
* The drink has golden color
* Best when brewed at about 73 Celsius (or ~ 164 Fahrenheit)
* Drink best served in the summer
Important traits of White Peony:
* Mix of 2 white tea plants
* Buds and 2-3 upper young leaves
* Leaves smell flowery
* Processed tea leaves have ash-like color.
* Taste mild, nutty – somewhat subtle nature
* Excellent tea for beginner
* Drink best served in the evening
* Cheaper than Silver Needle Tip white tea.
Important traits of Snow Buds white tea
* Least known white tea
* looks like green tea—best known for this characteristic
* Taste somewhat like vegetables
Other minor white tea
Some other kinds of white tea are also selling on the market.
They usually take the name of the place the tea plants are grown.
2 common kinds are:
* Darjeeling White tea
* Ceylon white tea
Interesting characteristics of Darjeeling White tea:
* grown and harvested in Darjeeling, India
* Infusion yields light gold color
* Sweet smelling
* Savory yet a bit sweet taste
* Other white tea from India: Assam white tea
Interesting characteristics of Ceylon White tea:
* Grown and harvested in Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka)
* Quite expensive tea
* Brewing yields reddish gold
* Light sweetness in taste
The taste of white tea is quite different from other teas. White tea has several unique characteristics that differentiate it apart from other tea. It’s useful to have some ideas to what white tea, isn’t it? Find out which kind of white tea is suitable for you and your palate!
Compare taste of different kinds of white tea to other teas
Here are some important and useful traits about the smells and taste of white tea: The fragrance is not as strong as other teas. White tea’s fragrance is more subtle. After brewing, white tea is not completely transparent (a hint of other colors as well)
Beginners may feel like drinking flavored water. Light and sweet! When the tongue get used to it, you can sense a light sweetness and a bit of bitterness.
Phto courtesy of Chris Chang
There are different types and blends of tea in the market today. Each blend has different fragrance and flavor that is unique to its origin.There are low-quality blends and of course high-quality blends. Low-quality blends of tea are resulted from the cost and the availability of certain tea.
Some blenders just choose teas that are abundant to include in the blends. This ensures no interruption in the mass production of tea blends because there is very low risk to have tea shortage.
However, other blenders place the importance on the quality of the blends. This results in many popular blends of tea today.
One thing for sure is that you don’t have to follow the crowd. Create something of your own. There are many kinds of tea. Pick the ones you like! Experiment a bit…! Now, to get you start here is some popular and common blends of tea.
Green tea blends
* Dragon well
This is one of the most popular tea in China. When brewed, it gives light green color water. It has a somewhat mellow taste.
* Jasmine
This is a mixture between green and black tea. The tea is scented with jasmine blossoms to add a nice and pleasant fragrance. People can perceive the original flavor better without the addition of milk.
* Gunpowder
The tea is made from green tea. It has strong taste with a bit of fruitiness. This is sometimes called Pearl Tea. This type of tea can keep its freshness longest among green teas.
* Pi lo Chun
This is a rare green tea from China. The tea leaves are rolled into tiny needles. The tea leaves are then scented with fruity fragrance like peach or plum.
* Matcha
This is a popular powder tea in Japan. When dissolved in water, the tea appears to be bright green. This is a common tea that is used in Japanese tea ceremony.
* Formosa oolong
It’s one of the best teas today. The tea is only has in Formosa. The special soil and weather in Formosa makes this tea one of best teas in the world. People around the world try to make this tea but the quality is never parallel to Formosa oolong. The soil and weather can’t be imitated.
The dried products have dark green color. When brewed, it gives light yellow water.
* Formosa Pouchong
This is oolong tea that is scented with different flower blossoms to yield different fragrance. This tea is best served in the evening.
* Earl Grey
This is a blend of Darjeeling tea and Chinese tea scented with bergamot oil. This blend of tea has a mild and pleasant flavor. This is a nice afternoon tea.
* Keemum
This is a high-quality tea from China. It has a rich flavor. It can be served in the afternoon or in the evening.
* English Breakfast
This is a mixture of Assam and Ceylon tea. It has a strong and bold flavor even with the addition of milk. It is best served in the morning, hence the name!
* Ceylon (or sometimes known as Sri Lanka)
It is viewed as one of best teas. When brewed, it has bright yellow color. It tasted strong and full-bodied even with addition of milk. The interesting thing about this tea is that it tastes great as hot tea or iced tea.
* Assam
This is a specialty of India. When brewed, it appears to be dark red color. It has a bold flavor with or without addition of milk. The tea is best served in the morning.
* Prince of Wales
A blend of tea made from black tea Keemun. It was invented by a member of the England royal family. This becomes a very popular afternoon tea.
* Irish breakfast
This is blend between Ceylon tea and Assam tea. It has a very strong and full-bodied flavor even with addition of milk. This tea is often served in the morning.
* Spiced blends
This blend is created from black tea Ceylon. Dried lemon, orange peel, or cinnamon are often added for the extra flavor.
* Chinese restaurant style
Different Chinese restaurants offer different blends of tea. One popular blend include 1/2 Formosa Oolong tea, 1/4 green tea, and 1/4 Jasmine tea. This tea tastes very pleasant and refreshing along with Chinese cooking.
* Minted tea blends
Mint is usually a component of herbal tea. But if you want the refreshing sensation, you can also add mint into real tea. Popular tea for minted tea can be Assam or Ceylon. Mint varieties include peppermint or spearmint. Minted tea can be delicious as hot tea or iced tea.