Choose White Tea to Relax At The End Of A Busy Day

Traditionally, White tea is the greatest embodiment of the art of the tea maker to produce the purest, simple tea that encompasses the subtleties of the youngest, freshest tea buds of a season. The liquor is pale, straw-like providing a certain sweetness. Flavours of honey, chestnut and peaches most commonly come to the fore. It can form the perfect luxury at the end of a long busy day.

White tea is produced in a similar way to <a href="http://www.greysteas.co.uk/">Green tea and the levels of caffeine are very low. The soft, silvery, downy-white buds are picked in early spring before they even open to produce new leaves. It is important that at this time there is no rain, frost or dew during harvesting that might in any way might compromise their delicate quality. Next, the buds are withered in the fresh mountain air away from light that would increase the chlorophyll content of the tea and the leaf is then dried.

White tea is originally from China's Fujian Province although today Anhui Province also produces good white tea. There are three types of white tea. Firstly, traditional budset white tea from Fujian Province where only the bud is picked. The leaf is greenish-grey in colour and produces a pale liquor with flavours reminiscent of ripe melon, fresh apricots and peaches. Baihao Yinzhen or White Needle is a good example of this exquisite tea.

Baihao Yinzhen - White Down Silver Needles Baihao Yinzhen is produced in the few weeks between March and April. With a twisted needle-like leaf and a pale green shade it is amongst the more exclusive teas you can purchase. It creates a smooth, delicate yet distinctively pale cup with the honeyed aroma of well hay gathered in on a hot day. It has a lovely buttery taste with a certain sweetness.

Secondly, are new style white teas produced from the 1960s in many tea growing areas in which the bud and first leaf is picked. Different proportions of bud may be used to maintain consistency of flavour. This is generally more concentrated than budset white tea and tends to be much less expensive. The leaf may be very lightly rolled to enable an eight to fifteen percent oxidation using the principle of oolong production. There is no astringency. Pai Mu Tan and Snow Bud are good examples of these new style white teas.

Pai Mu Tan - White Peony Produced in the Zheng Huo county of Fujian Province, China, Pai Mu Tan is produced by the bud and first two leaves of the tea bush. The white hairs on the bud gives the tea the visual appearance of White Peony, one of China's most glorious flowers. Without any rolling the leaf and bud remains intact in production. In fact this tea leaf can be appreciated in its natural state, for it remains just as it was when plucked from the bush - smooth and flowery. The flavour is sweet and mellow with a refreshing aroma and attractive floral fragrance. The liquor is light and bright.

China White Snow Bud Snow Bud has a fresh green and silvery tippy appearance. Made with the finest White Leaves from the highlands of the South West Zhejiang Province, Snow Bud is pale amber tea in the cup and is beautifully smooth with a complex, sweet, floral character and a slight nutty undertone.

The third type of white tea is traditional style from other provinces such as Anhui, Zhejiang or Yunnan or even the Nilgiri hills or Assam region of India. We would particularly recommend Dragon Well and White Monkey as beautifully made and consequently fabulously delicate teas to taste.

Lung Ching - Dragon Well Lung Ching is produced in Zhejiang province and is widely considered to be one of the world's finest white teas. A very pale white-green flat but stunning needle-like tea that is pressed by hand. It has a delicious, full bodied almondy hint with just sufficient astringency for definition and satisfying refreshment.

China White Monkey This exotic hand made tea has the shape of a monkey paw and produces a most delicate, sweet and very aromatic tea with a well rounded, floral aroma. It is picked young - with lots of white tips and is a lovely white-green in appearance. White tea should be made with fresh water that has been boiled and allowed to cool to around 65 to 80 degrees Centigrade. Infuse from seven to fifteen minutes but if multiple infusions are desired then these should be from one progressively to two minutes allowing the water to cool further between each. Drink white teas without milk. They are best enjoyed in the evening and especially after a meal and make a wonderfully relaxing beverage with which to contemplate your day.

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