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.