Envoy at 15:25, 20 September 2007

2007-09-20T15:25:41Z

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[[Image:Bai Hao Yin Zhen tea leaf (Fuding).jpg|220px|thumb|[[Bai Hao Yinzhen tea|Bai Hao Yinzhen]] from Fuding in [[Fujian|Fujian Province]], widely considered the best grade of white tea]]

[[Image:Pai-mu-tan.jpeg|220px|thumb|[[Bai Mu Dan tea|Bai Mu Dan]], widely considered to be the second grade white tea]]

'''White tea''' is [[tea]] made from new growth [[bud]]s and young leaves of the plant ''[[Camellia sinensis]]''.
<ref name="pauling">Roderick H. Dashwood, {{cite web | title="Micronutrient Information Center - Tea" | url=http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/tea/}} Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University</ref>

The leaves are shocked with heat to deactivate oxidation and then dried. Therefore, white tea retains the high concentrations of [[catechin]]s, which are present in fresh tea leaves.
<ref>{{cite web | title="Health and Tea FAQs" | url=http://www.publichealth.arizona.edu/Divisions/HPS/TeaStudies/TeaStudyFAQs.aspx}} The University of Arizona</ref><ref name="pauling"/>
As white teas contain buds and leaves, whereas other teas are mainly leaves, the dried tea does not look green and has a pale appearance.
<ref>Roderick H. Dashwood, {{cite web | title="Spring/Summer 2005 Research Report - Tea Time" | url=http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/ss05/teatime.html}} Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University</ref>
Buds and young tea leaves have been found to contain higher levels of caffeine than older leaves, suggesting that the caffeine content of some white teas may be slightly higher than that of green teas.<ref name="pauling"/>

White tea is a specialty of the [[China|Chinese]] province [[Fujian]].
<ref>Jane Pettigrew, {{cite web | title="The Tea Companion" | url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0762421509}} page 129, Running Press Book Publishers (September 7, 2004)</ref>
The leaves come from a number of varieties of tea cultivators. The most popular are ''Da Bai'' (Large White), ''Xiao Bai'' (Small White), ''Narcissus'' and ''Chaicha'' bushes. According to the different standards of picking and selecting, white teas can be classified into a number of grades, further described in the [[White tea#Varieties of white tea|varieties section]].

==History==
{{seealso|Tea#Origin and history|l1=Tea: Origin and history}}

In hard times, very poor Chinese people would serve guests boiled water if they could not afford tea. Host and guest would refer to the water as "white tea" and act as if the tradition of serving guests tea had been carried out as usual. This usage is related to plain boiled water being called "white boiled water" in Chinese.
<ref name="all the tea">Kit Chow, {{cite web | title="All The Tea in China" | url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0835121941}} page 129, China Books & Periodicals Inc. (September 1990)</ref>

==Varieties of white tea==
===Chinese white teas===
*[[Bai Hao Yinzhen tea|Bai Hao Yinzhen]] (Silver needle): The highest grade of the Bai Hao Yinzhen should be fleshy, bright colored and covered with tiny white hairs. The shape should be very uniform, with no stems or leaves. The very best Yinzhen are picked between March 15 and April 10 when it is not raining and only using undamaged and unopened buds. [[Fujian|Fujian Province]], [[China]].
*[[Bai Mu Dan tea|Bai Mu Dan]] (White Peony): A grade down from [[Bai Hao Yinzhen tea]], incorporating the bud and two leaves which should be covered with a fine, silvery-white down. From [[Fujian|Fujian Province]], [[China]]. (Sometimes spelled Pai Mu Tan.)
*[[Gong Mei tea|Gong Mei]] (Tribute Eyebrow): The third grade of white tea, the production uses leaves from the ''Xiao Bai'' or "small white" tea trees.
*[[Shou Mei tea|Shou Mei]] (Noble, Long Life Eyebrow): A fruity, furry white tea that is a chaotic mix of tips and upper leaf, it has a stronger flavor than other white teas, similar to Oolong. It is the fourth grade of White tea and is plucked later than Bai Mu Dan hence the tea may be darker in color. From [[Fujian|Fujian Province]] and [[Guangxi|Guangxi Province]] in [[China]]

===Other white teas===
*[[Ceylon tea (white)|Ceylon White]]: A highly prized tea grown in [[Sri Lanka]]. Ceylon White tea can fetch much higher prices than [[Black tea]] from the area. The tea has a very light liquoring with notes of pine & honey and a golden coppery infusion.
*[[Darjeeling tea (white)|Darjeeling White]]: It has a delicate aroma and brews to a pale golden cup with a mellow taste and a hint of sweetness. This tea is particularly fluffy and light. A tea from [[Darjeeling]], [[India]].
*[[Assam tea(white)|Assam White]]: White tea production in the [[Assam]] region is rare. Much lighter in body than the [[Assam Tea|traditional black teas]], a white Assam yields a refined infusion that is naturally sweet with a distinct malty character.
*[[White Puerh Tea]]: Harvested in the spring from plantations found high on remote mountain peaks of Yunnan Province, China. Incredibly labor intensive with each step processed by hand, these luxury whites are wonderfully rich in fragrance, and possess an alluring sweet nectar like quality.<ref>Puerh Cha, {{cite web | title="China's Luxurious White Puerh Tea" | url=http://www.puerhcha.com/Pu-erh%20Tea%20Articles/White_Pu-erh_Tea.htm}}</ref>

==Potential health benefits==
{{seealso|Potential effects of tea on health}}
===White tea compared to [[green tea]]===
A study at [[Pace University]] in 2004 showed white tea had more [[virus| anti-viral]] and [[bacteria| anti-bacterial]] qualities than [[green tea]].
<ref>Science Daily {{cite web | title="White Tea Beats Green Tea In Fighting Germs" | url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040526070934.htm}}, (May 28, 2004).</ref>

Another study examining the composition of brewed green and white teas found that white tea contained fewer [[catechin]]s and [[epicatechins]] than green tea, but more [[gallic acid]], [[theobromine]], and [[caffeine]].
<ref>Santana-Rios G, Orner GA, Amantana A, Provost C, Wu SY, Dashwood RH. {{cite web | title="Potent antimutagenic activity of white tea in comparison with green tea in the Salmonella assay." | url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11448643&dopt=Citation}}, Mutation Research-Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis, Vol. 495, no. 1-2, pp. 61-74. (22 Aug 2001). </ref>

White tea contains less [[fluoride]] than green tea, since it is made from young leaves only.<ref>Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrient Information Center[http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/tea/]</ref>. High fluoride levels can be dangerous to one's health.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}

==Brewing==
Generally, around 2-2.5 grams of tea per 200 ml (6 ounces) of water, or about 1.5 teaspoons of white tea per cup, should be used. White teas should be prepared with 80°C (180°F) water (not boiling) and steeped 2-3 minutes.
<ref>Upton Tea Imports, {{cite web | title="A Brief Guide to Tea" | url=http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/information/INFObriefGuide.pdf}}</ref>

==References==

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[[Category:Chinese tea]]
[[Category:White tea|*]]
[[Category:Tea culture]]

White tea - Revision history

Envoy at 15:25, 20 September 2007