White tea is made from the very youngest leaves and unopened buds from the top of the tea plant. These buds have fine white hairs along their surface, giving them a whitish appearance. The processing of the harvested leaves is very minimal and quick, they are steamed or fired to keep them from oxidizing and breaking down almost immediately after harvest with very little withering or exposure to air. The lack of processing leaves the high levels of antioxidant catechins present in raw tea leaves intact in the finished white tea, and has a serious effect on the caffeine content.Tea that has not been oxidized or fermented very much, like white tea and green tea, can be difficult to brew properly, leaving many people believing that green tea or white tea are always bitter. However, brewing loose white or green tea is very easy with a little practice.
Brewing White Tea or Green Tea:
1. Water- water should be hot, but not too hot. Just below the boiling point, at around 80-90 degrees Celsius. Let the kettle sing then sit for a minute or so of silence. It is also very important that you use good water. Spring water is best, but a very clean filtered water will suffice.
2. When pouring the water over the leaves, especially if you are using the leaves a second or third time, it is best to pour the water around the edge of the brewing vessel and the leaves, not directly over the leaves.
3. Short brewing time: It is very important not to brew white tea or green tea for too long. Good whole leaf white or green tea should infuse for no more than 30 to 45 seconds the first time, and 15-30 seconds after that. If the tea has been rolled into tight balls, a longer infusion time of about 1 minute for the first brew will open the leaves up and shorter times of 15-30 seconds can be used after that.
4. Drain the water completely from the leaves immediately. As soon as the tea has colored or reached your desired strength, drain all of the water from the leaves. Make sure to drain them completely, especially if you want to brew the leaves more than one time.
A good white tea, brewed with good water and some rehearsed skill, can have a broad variety of distinctive flavours, but a few things are almost always true of white tea; it usually has a very light taste, with a bit of vegetal sweetness, a twist of maltyness or even pineyness, and a pleasant floral fragrance. Bottoms up!
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