Chinese white tea
White tea was first discovered in the Fujian Province in China, thus the name Chinese white tea. It is the tea that is the less processed, making it the most natural one. But the question remains what is White tea? Well as all tea enthusiast would know that all types of tea come from a single source which is the Camilla Sinensis tea bush. How each tea type derives its name depends on the process it goes through after the leaves have been plucked.
Black tea derives its dark color and flavor from a complicated fermentation process which includes exposing the crushed tea leaves to the air for a strictly defined number of minutes, while green tea is roasted in an oven or pan (while kept moving for even curing). Chinese white tea is made from immature tea leaves that are picked shortly before the buds have fully opened. The secret lies in what happens after the buds are plucked, the white tea takes its name from the silver fuzz that still covers the buds, which turns white when the tea is dried. Tea leaves destined to be sold as white tea undergo even less processing than green tea leaves.
White tea has a lighter, sweeter taste than green tea. Like green tea, you should steep it in water that should be below the boiling point. White tea has slightly less caffeine as compared to green tea as white tea holds 15mg of caffeine as opposed to 20 mg in green tea.
Some studies show that white tea has more polyphenols (antioxidants) than green tea which helps our body in different ways such as:
1)Reducing high blood pressure
2)Protection against getting a stroke
3)Inhibit growth of cancer cells
A detailed list of all the benefits of white tea can be found in my post named “WHITE TEA BENEFITS”
Pace University conducted studies in 2004 that showed that Chinese white tea is more effective than green tea in killing bacterial viruses. It’s also especially effective in killing staph infections and killing the bacteria which causes tooth decay.
Today everyone from chefs to medical researchers is praising white tea’s delicate flavor and its health benefits.