There’s so much to know about tea! In the Series entitled, Tea Knowledge, I will take a particular subject each year and expound on it monthly. In 2018, the subject is “White Tea” and for the month of January the topic is “What Is White Tea?”.
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DEFINITION
One of the several types of tea derived from the Camelia Sinensis plant which generally feature young or minimally processed leaves. The Chinese name for white tea is 'Baicha'.
CHARACTERISTICS
SILVERY-WHITE DOWN OR HAIRS
GROWN IN FUJIAN REGION
MINIMALLY PROCESSED
PALE YELLOW BREW
PROCESSING
Step #1: pluck new budded tea leaves
Step #2: wilt, or dry out moisture in tea leaves for 72 hrs.
Step #3: dry* tea leaves at around 110°C
*air, solar or mechanical drying
GLOSSARY
Wilt or Dry: alleviate moisture in tea leaves for 72 hrs.
Oxidation: a chemical process that occurs when liquids from tea leaf are released during bruising; a process avoided in white tea production.
Fujian: a province of China
Do you feel your tea IQ increasing? I hope so! Stay tuned next month for the Tea Knowledge topic: How To Steep White Tea.
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Do you like white tea?