White tea

There are no more than 10 types of white tea, the main ones:

• Baihao Yinzhen (白毫 银针 "white-haired silver needles")
• Baimudan (bái mǔdān, 白牡丹, “white peony”)
• Shaw Mei (寿眉 "old man's eyebrows")
• Gong Mei (Gōng méi 龚 眉 "eyebrow, offering, gift")

The first two types are considered the highest quality teas, the next - belong to the "simple" and "small" forms, their quality is inferior to the first two.

White tea is made from the leaves of a certain variety of tea bush, the most common - Da Bai Hao (large white fluff), Shui Xiang ("narcissus"; sometimes also dark Shui Xiang), etc. The peculiarity of these tea bushes is that they start it is very early to vegetate - at the end of February, tender buds covered with white pile begin to appear, and the whole bush, its branches are also covered with a white fluff that protects the plant from the cold. Bai Hao - “white pile” - was previously demonstrated by the Chinese as an indicator of the highest quality of tea, it was believed that the more such kidneys in tea, the better it is, therefore all types of white tea are elite.

There is a so-called Indian variety of white tea, which is made in Sri Lanka and the province of Nilgiri . This tea is a bit similar in appearance to Chinese, but the similarities end there. Darjeeling tea is also interesting.

For example, Organic Tea Darjeeling Plantation Okayti, Imperial (Okayti Imperial) of the second collection is classified by the highest tea category leaf SFTGFOP1 (see. Tea leaf categories )

White tea appeared long before green tea and shen puer, but the first written records of white tea date back to the 12th century, the reign of the Song Dynasty. This is due to the fact that initially white tea was used exclusively as a medicine. Later, when tea found its place in Buddhist rituals and began to be consumed as a noble drink, several tea drinking ceremonies formed, the common feature of which was grinding the tea into powder. This method is not very suitable for white tea. However, during the reign of the Song Dynasty, there was a ban on the sale of grated tea, due to the mixing of other plants with tea powder and the complexity of quality control. Thus, the tradition of drinking leaf tea gradually emerges. It was during this period that white tea takes its place not only on the medicinal shelf, but also next to other teas.

It is produced mainly in the mountains of the Chinese province of Fujian at an altitude of 1000-2200 meters ^[1] . Also produced in East Nepal, Taiwan, Northern Thailand, Galle (South Sri Lanka) and India.

Tea is harvested in a selective manner. Tea is harvested in mid-March - early April by hand early in the morning from 5 to 9 in the morning. The weather should be clear and sunny. Tea pickers have no right to eat onions, garlic, spices, drink alcohol so that the smell does not spoil the aroma of the leaves. If during the gathering the wind starts or it rains, then the whole crop disappears, and the prices for white tea, already high, are growing significantly.

For white tea, the youngest undamaged leaves are collected, usually for expensive varieties of tea, either one or two upper leaves are shrouded, wrapped in white pile - “baychu”. After collection, the leaves wither, dry naturally under the rays of the sun, alternately place it in the shade ( solar-shadow fermentation ). After drying, the tea is dried in an oven, sorted or immediately packed - the tea is ready. White tea is unique in that it does not curl; human exposure is minimal. When sorting, the best raw materials are tea buds ( tipsa ) go to Bai Hao Yin Zhen, what remains is sifted, buds ( tipsa ) and the second leaf become Bai Mu Dan, and the last thing that remains is Shaw Mei. Since tea is made from high quality raw materials, all varieties are considered elite, Bai Hao Yin Zhen is the best.

If in the manufacture of white tea the weather conditions do not allow it to be dried in the sun, then dryers are used indoors, but such tea is much inferior to the quality described above.

White tea is not consumed immediately after preparation, it should be at least a month old, such tea can become better over time due to chemical processes taking place deep in the leaf. But at the same time, such tea does not tolerate transportation and long storage.

It has a lot of healing properties, it is called tea of ​​youth and health. It comes first in terms of the content of nutrients, since it is not subjected to heat treatment, it contains vitamins C, PP, B vitamins, trace elements, amino acids and many other substances, it has less caffeine than other types of tea. It has a cooling effect, it can be drunk both in the morning and in the evening. White tea is also used in medicine.

The aroma of dry white tea is unique, it has notes inherent only to white tea. Gray-green teaspoons are covered with white pile. Baihao Yinzhen consists only of whole buds in the form of needles, Bai Mu Dan - of white buds and leaves, which have different degrees of fermentation, so the color of this tea is uneven: from white to silver-green interspersed with brown. The Mei and Gong Mei shows are also uneven in color, there are almost no kidneys, the sheet is not solid.

The taste of white tea is refreshing, delicate, but at the same time full, rich in flavoring shades of flowers, honey , melon , peach , berries, birch sap . Color - delicate yellow-peach, can be almost imperceptible, may resemble fresh honey or amber, the infusion is transparent. White tea is one of the most expensive types of tea. ^[2] As a rule, the higher the price of tea, and, consequently, the quality, the brighter its aroma and taste. Baihao Yinzhen has a delicate, refined taste, which is difficult to appreciate for a person unfamiliar with tea, so familiarity with such teas should be started with “simpler” teas, Bai Mu Dan has more “obvious” taste characteristics.

Most often, tea is produced in loose form, it is pressed in the form of a pancake, and tea is also made from it, adding jasmine , chrysanthemum , but the flowers clog the natural taste of tea.

White tea is often faked, giving it the usual green tea . Sometimes the aroma inherent in white tea is imitated, so it is often very difficult to distinguish white tea from a fake. A fake does not have the virtues of white tea.

It is not difficult to distinguish white tea from a fake - the dishes from which it was drunk while still warm convey a special sweetish smell.

White tea requires a certain method of brewing, improper preparation can ruin the tea. Brewing consists of three parts: water temperature, brewing time and dishes. Tea masters know that there are a thousand ways to brew white tea correctly, but at the same time there are a million ways to do it wrong.

Depending on the properties that you want to get from tea, you should choose the optimal temperature and brewing time. The hotter the brewing water, the more pronounced the taste of the drink will be, but if the water is too hot, it will taste bitter, especially if the tea has been in the water for too long.

The duration of infusion must be determined taking into account the quantity of the driest tea and subsequent brewing (if you put a lot of tea, it can be brewed up to five times, each time receiving a drink with a new taste and aroma).

According to tradition, from 2 to 10 grams of tea (from one to five brews) are put on one cup, the water temperature is 60-65 ° C +5 degrees for each subsequent brewing. This allows you to maximize the properties of the drink and squeeze all of the tea tips. At the last brewing, the steamed tips can be squeezed into a cup of tea to improve the taste.

Properly selected dishes can better convey the aroma of tea - in no case can you use metal teapots and teapots for this; glass or ceramic dishes are best suited.

White tea should be stored in a dry room, in a well-closed ceramic bowl, with a well-ground lid. You can not store tea near smelling products, as it absorbs odors very quickly.

It is generally believed that white tea, like other weakly fermented ones, should be stored until the next harvest - that is, 1 year, however, the Fudinians themselves (people who grow white tea) have kept it for years, believing that aging of the tea gives it positive qualities. Today you can find, for example, White Peony, aged 10 years.

The best conditions for storing tea are a sealed container at a temperature of 10 ° C, that is, a refrigerator. In such conditions, tea can be stored for several years. However, in no case should you store tea at temperatures below 0 ° C, as this will destroy the tips.

• Hui, YH; Meunier-Goddik, Lisbeth; Slovejg Hansen, Ase (2004). Handbook of Food and Beverage Fermentation Technology. CRC Press. p. 1000. ISBN 0-203-91355-8 .
• Pettigrew, Jane (2004). The Tea Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide. Running Press Book Publishers. p. 129. ISBN 0-7624-2150-9 .
• Ho, Chi-Tang (2008). Tea and Tea Products: Chemistry and Health-Promoting Properties. CRC Press. p. 305. ISBN 0-8493-8082-0 .
• Hanson, Reginald (1878). A Short Account of Tea and the Tea Trade. Whitehead, Morris and Lowe. p. 127. ISBN 1-4021-5748-7 .
• Baraboy V. A. Catechins of a tea plant: structure, activity, application. / Biotechnologia Acta, 2008 ^[3] .

• White tea