Tag: brewing white tea

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Table of Contents

• How to Make White Tea
• White tea vs green and black tea
• Types of white tea blends
• White tea benefits
• Steps to brewing the perfect white tea

How to Make White Tea

Among all the kinds of tea, white tea is the least popular as far as consumption goes, but this is probably due to its relatively new time on the international health scene. Though long appreciated and enjoyed by the Chinese, the Westerners are still quite new to it, white tea having been introduced into the western market only recently.

White tea vs green and black tea

Unlike green, black and oolong tea which are differentiated in the fermentation process; white tea, though coming from the same plant as the others mentioned, come from young tea leaves that are plucked from the plant even before its buds have bloomed. Its buds are covered with a silver thin layer of hair that predominantly becomes white once the leaves are dried and from which the tea is named after.  White tea leaves are not left to dry out in air as with the others, but instead, the freshly picked leaves are steamed.

Types of white tea blends

It also comes in different varieties, with the most known kinds being White Peony and silver needles. White peony consists of one bud and two leaves in every stem while silver needles, since it is considered as the finest quality of white tea, is also the most expensive, and consists purely of buds that resemble silver needles when they dry out.

White tea benefits

White tea is considered to be the healthiest of all Chinese teas because it is the least processed and remains closest to its natural state upon consumption. It also requires the most delicate preparation, but which must not overwhelm enjoyment of its sweet, silky delicious flavor and enticing aroma.

Experts say the best method of preparing white tea is through the traditional method. It is quite simple but some tips for the right way in preparing it can help bring out its best flavor. As they say the secret to a good tasting tea is in its brewing preparation.

Steps to brewing the perfect white tea

To begin with, choose from among different tea ware, including a gaiwan, glass cup, teapot or porcelain cup from which you will use to brew your tea. The right size of tea ware must be taken into account since tea must ideally be consumed immediately and will lose its potency or taste very bitter if left on the tea ware some time. Glass cups are the most commonly used these days while teapots are the most ideal.

Keep in mind, the right type of water is crucial to come up with the best white tea. This means only cold filtered or purified water should be used and never hard water or water that has been boiled a day before and left to stand for more than 24 hours. Do not mistake to use boiling water as it will definitely ruin the taste.

As you are brewing the water, gather all the necessary materials so you’ll be prepared to put in what’s needed when the right temperature is reached. It is as necessary to come up with the ideal temperature of water used for brewing which should be just about 170 to 180 degrees F.  Either you boil water to more than that temp and allow it to cool down before pouring over to tea leaves or boil water in the exact temperature and immediately pour over tea leaves.

Also remember to add more leaves when you are using loose leaves for your white tea since they are less dense and may not immediately produce the right flavor for you. Be guided with the standard measurement of one tea spoon for every cup of water and adjust to your preference.

Another important factor to watch out for in preparing white tea is the steeping time. Though it is commonly indicated on the packaging, many people tend to take this for granted but it is crucial in bringing out the teas best potential. Usually, three minutes is the ideal period. Steeping leaves too long will make the taste of tea bitter while too short a time will make it bland.

White tea is usually best drunk in its plain and original brew without any sugar or milk additives. You can do it any way that you want, but we suggest you try it without anything added as it can quickly be overpowered and can take away most of its original flavor.

With this easy process and helpful tips, you’ll be able to come up with the best-tasting white tea beverage to enjoy!

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Table of Contents

• How to make a perfect glass of white tea.
• Brewing your White tea
• Other things to remember when brewing white tea
• Conclusion

How to make a perfect glass of white tea.

If you are like me then there is a good chance that you have tasted a white tea when you are out and about and just had to buy the loose leaf, but when you get home the taste is nothing like what you remembered it.  Sometimes when getting tea I start with the small sample size to test the waters out so to speak and see how I like the tea, but after learning more and more about tea I quickly realized that I had been treating all tea alike. This is a big no no as tea is just like pasta, and the preparation of it requires you to look into the ingredients before cooking it.

Brewing your White tea

White tea is like fresh pasta as it is generally the least processed teas which result in a lower time of cooking at a lower temperature than the other types of tea.  Generally I will prepare my white tea at around 80 degrees for around 2-3 minutes. Although this is a general guideline the steep time will vary between the different types of white teas, their inclusions (fruit and flowers), and your own personal tastes. I prefer my white tea on the lighter side so keep the steep time around 2 minutes, as it results in a nice clean crisp cup of white tea.

Other things to remember when brewing white tea

Another thing that you will want to keep in mind when making white tea is how you are preparing the tea leaves to be brewed. It is very important that you allow enough water movement around the tea leaves to fully allow them to uncurl and release their true flavors into the warm water around them. This is generally the thing that gives loose leaf teas an advantage over traditional tea bags, as you can use your own strainers that have ample space to let the water move the leaves around and expand, which will in turn give you a full and robust flavor of tea. In teabags you might notice that when you are done steeping your tea the leaves can sometimes look like they are clumped together and this is generally how they sit in your cup with the warm water around them. Because they are cramped in the small tea bags it doesn’t let the tea leaves expand and get in full contact with the water, which results in a less than perfect cup of tea.

Conclusion

White tea has really started to come into its own on the international stage as a top level high quality product and in turn has become a lot more popular. With this popularity you will find more and more places carrying white tea, which we do here White tea, so take a look around and see if there are any that strike your fancy. Follow the above listed instructions and hopefully you will find your own perfect cup of white tea.