Licorice & Sloe Company

White tea; is it the new green tea?

By Bil Silliker | January 12, 2006

Customers often come into our teahouse and ask about white tea. Some are looking for a definition; others say they’ve heard that white tea is “better for you than green tea.” So what is white tea and how is it different than green tea or any other tea for that matter?

What makes “white tea” is a combination of the varietal of the plant camellia sinensis, the region of china in which it is grown and in the plucking and processing of the young buds before they open up into leaves, although some white teas do include a top leaf or two.

The buds of the camellia sinensis plant are typically covered in a white downy hair referred to as pekoe (rhymes with gecko). When dried, these downy hairs give the bud a silvery white look. When brewed, white tea often gives a paler infusion than green teas.

There are only a few authentic varietals of the camellia sinensis plant used to make white tea and they’re all grown in the Fujian province of China. The English names for these are “Big White,” “Small White,” “Big Hair” and “Water Sprite.”

As white tea has become popular, many tea estates have used similar processing to create tea from the unopened buds of almost any varietal of camellia sinensis and have called these white teas. This is similar to the “sparkling wine vs. champagne” argument. All real champagne comes from the Champagne province in France, everything else is just sparkling wine. While these newer versions are not authentic white tea, they are wonderful additions to the vast array of tea choices and should be enjoyed as ceremoniously as any other tea.

Is white tea better for you than green tea? That’s a hot topic that is better left to the experts; remember I’m only a student of tea. The thing is… all tea is good for you, don’t limit your drinking habits based on health alone. When deciding between white and green tea, remember that white tea is more forgiving in brewing temperature and time, and it’s less astringent than green tea.

As for which white tea you should drink, here are some helpful hints. Silver Needle is smooth, subtle and sophisticated. Pai Mudan (White Peony) is bold and tastes like autumn in a cup. Snow Dragon has a little bite to it and can be fun to watch if served in a glass pot.

A final note on white tea is that it loves to be served iced with a touch of sweetener and a splash of fruit (peach is my personal fave).