Chinese white tea – TEA OF THE MONTH OF APRIL
Chinese white tea you can find on our shelves is Pai Mu Tan (Bai Mu Dan). It is one of the favorites because of its specificity and refined taste. It has mild floral, soft notes, as well as licorice undertones.
What is white tea?
White tea, like all real tea, comes from a plant called Camellia sinensis. It is obtained by processing buds and leaves harvested in early spring. There are several categories/classes of white tea, and they get their name from the picking style. Unlike other teas, such as black and green teas, which are named after e.g. by region.
At the beginning of the year and with the awakening of spring, the first tender buds appear, covered with soft white hairs (hence the name white tea). In order to obtain white tea, only the buds, or a bud and a few leaves are harvested. Picking the buds before they form a leaf is the first category of white tea.
Yin Zhen- Silver Needle – Silver needle
It is a first grade, and a first category because the first buds are harvested, in early spring. The fact that it is “first grade” does not mean that it is the best tea, it just means that it is the first in line compared to the others.
Bai Mu Dan (Pai Mu Tan) – White Pheony
The bud and the first few leaves are harvested. There can be more leaves and thinner buds, and sometimes fuller, thicker buds and fewer leaves. It all depends on the producer and what kind of final product he wants to get (how much he will allow the leaflets to develop, how much he will let them grow).
Gong Mei – Tribute Eyebrow
The third or fourth growth of the year, which looks like Bai Mu Dan, but the buds are very thin and there are many leaves. The harvest is in early autumn.
Shou mei – Longevity Eyebrow
It can be harvested earlier, but it is usually the third or second harvest of the year. It may have only a few buds or none at all and contain only leaves.
Production
White tea is harvested in early spring, and it can also be harvested in early autumn, depending on which white tea it is. Traditionally, the leaves and buds are picked and placed on bamboo mats to dry in the sun.
Today, a more modern approach is used, drying under controlled conditions. The leaves are placed in large troughs, through which warm air flows. It passes through the leaves at a certain temperature. The temperature starts from 25°C and gradually goes towards 50°C. Buds and leaves are dried for about 40 hours. This is a slow and controlled way to raise the temperature. After drying, the tea will be 90% dry, and then it will be lightly roasted at around 30 or 40°C (very low temperature) to maintain the freshness of the taste.
Chinese white tea is, for lack of a better word, the “original version” of white tea. White tea, as well as its production, originates from China. More precisely from the Fujian province in China. It has a very mild “aftertaste”, slightly floral and light notes.
Today, white tea can also be found in India and Kenya, although the taste is different.
Preparation of white tea
The water temperature for preparing white tea should be around 70°C to 80°C. The amount of tea needed to prepare one cup of tea (we are talking about one average cup of about 250 ml) is about 3 g. White tea is very airy, so the best dosage would be one tablespoon, although it seems like a lot, it probably isn’t, it’s just quite light. The tea should steep for about 3 minutes, although up to 5 minutes is also fine. Tastes are different and whether someone will keep the tea in the water for 3 or 5 minutes is individual.
