Chinese White Tea

White tea originated from China, who have been enjoying this for over a thousand years.

What Is White tea

White tea contains the most nutrients out of the tea's through the way it is processed. White tea goes through the least amount of processing,, The tea leaves are picked before the are fully ripe and are covered by fine white hair, thus the name white tea. Because of the richness of the tea it is normally the most expensive of the teas.

The Taste And Color

Unlike, the grassy taste of green tea, white tea has a sweet, light taste. Its flavor helps sweeten the senses but will not overwhelm the taste buds.

How To Brew

White tea should be brewed from soft water (water with low mineral content) and water that is not too hot (optimal temperature is around 180-185*c). This is because of the natural state that tea is processed in and any high mineral content can damage the flavor and also bind the antioxidants. If you know your water is hard in your area, it is best to filter this first.

Like other tea's, white tea should be used from fresh water, not water that has been reboiled or left to cool in a kettle.

Amount Of Tea And Steeping

The amount of tea you use does come down to individual preference, however because it is the most expensive of tea's, one teaspoon per cup should suffice.

When leaving your white tea to steep, never steep more than a minute. Because of the fragile nature of the silver buds, over-steeping the tea can ruin the taste.

Although milk and cream adds to the flavor of most teas, never add this to white tea. This will destroy the antioxidant health benefits of the white tea, and will prevent you from enjoying the white tea leaves in their pure form.

Benefits Of White Tea

White tea has many medicinal benefits. For instance for those looking to reduce their caffeine intake, white tea has the least amount of caffeine than other teas and coffee. Due to the way the tea is processed it also retains more anti-oxidants than most other teas. Anti-oxidants are important for the body as they neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are damaging to the body, but are normally handled by these anti-oxidants, but if the body cannot produce these, then this can lead to damage in the body. Drinking white tea has been known to increase the amount of anti-oxidants in the body.

White tea has also been know to reduce both cholesterol and blood pressure with the release of these anti-oxidants making a good choice for anybody looking for tea that will be part of a healthy lifestyle.