White tea has caught the wide attention of tea lovers, nutritionists, and scientists. The many studies indicating that white teas are abundant in anti-oxidants, anti-viral and anti-bacterial benefits, are leading lots more people to drink white tea. With the increasing demand, more brands and also tea producing countries are now offering white tea. However it is vital that you know that you can find great variations quality at brands that offer white tea products. How do someone distinguish the standard and expense from the white tea they are buying? Bill Lee, tea master of China Flair Tea Company and founding father of the Institute of Masters of Tea Arts, explains the best way to distinguish the grade of white tea by its most important aspect–taste.

Types of White Tea

White teas are a category of tea produced in many regions of China, Taiwan and countries including India and Nepal. White tea gets its name from your beautiful silvery white down that covers the young leaf buds. However, to get classified as a white tea it should be also processed in line with the orthodox white tea method. That’s the reason silvery young leaf buds can also be found in other tea categories for example green teas and black teas, however they are not classified as a white tea.

The most traditional and prized white tea arises from Zhenghe and Fuding counties in China’s southeastern province of Fujian. Traditional white teas from China are broken into several grades, each using a different name. Each grade represents how much young leaf buds that are included and perhaps the lower leaves underneath the bud are incorporated. White teas with an increase of silver leaf buds are usually considered a finer grade. Listed below are the standard grades of white tea by name:

o Bai Hao Yin Zhen (White Downy Silver Needles, or simply Silver Needles) – made entirely of young silver leaf buds

o Bai Mu Dan (White Peony) – contains the young silver leaf bud along with the two lower leaves

o Shou Mei (Longevity Brows) otherwise known as Gong Mei (Tribute Brows) – almost entirely consists of mature leaves, with few silver buds.

What they are Silver Needles, White Peony, and Shou Mei represent grades of white tea, but these names more specifically indicate the style of white tea, and not the actual quality of white tea. Each name only indicates the percentage of young silver buds and mature leaves which might be incorporated to make that style of tea. Types of white tea with an increase of silver leaf buds and much less mature leaves can establish a lighter flavour and a more delicate character. Incorporating more mature leaves will create a warmer and nuttier style.

Exactly why these styles are called grades is really because producing white tea with an increase of silver leaf buds requires higher costs. White teas including Silver Needles, that happen to be composed of 100% silver leaf buds, are therefore more expensive and considered a better grade.

Hence the issue of quality is not actually regarding the grade that people choose, however the actual tea we buy within that one grade. We may choose to drink a White Peony because we like that kind of white tea, but we have to distinguish its quality by comparing it along with other White Peony teas. Many brands now offer a white tea called White Peony, but the quality of White Peony offered by brand X is not necessarily the same quality as brand Y. Factors that determine its quality including the use of harvest, the age of the trees, their environment, and the proper processing from the foliage is not shown by its name.

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