What Is White Tea? Processing, Types, and How to Brew It

Among the categories of tea, alongside green tea, black tea, oolong tea, dark tea, and yellow tea, there is a type called white tea.

White tea is not simply a tea that looks white. In terms of processing, it is fundamentally different from green tea. Green tea is steamed or pan-fried to deactivate its enzymes, but white tea skips this step. In other words, the defining feature of white tea is that no heat is used in making it.

Because no heat is applied, white tea has a fresh, lively aroma that our customers describe as "tea juice." On the other hand, have you ever tried white tea and found it dusty, with nothing particular to enjoy? Because white tea is processed so simply, the quality of the fresh leaves shows directly in the finished tea. In search of the best white tea, we stay in the producing areas of Yunnan for nearly two months each year and make white teas with a long aftertaste and a distinctive aroma.

White tea also has a gentle, mild mouthfeel. Its components are mainly water-soluble, so it is easy on the body even when you drink a lot of it, like water, and children can drink it too. In our experience, children love white tea, especially cold-brewed white tea.

Why White Tea is Called White Tea

The leaves of white tea are literally white. While the variety plays a part, the processing method is more significant. In Japanese tea, the buds and young leaves have fine hairs. However, during the production of green tea, the leaves are rolled, causing the fine hairs to fall off or be pressed onto the leaves, making them less noticeable. In the case of white tea, the lack of steaming or frying, as well as the absence of rolling, leaves the fine hairs intact, giving the leaves a white appearance.

The History of White Tea

The history of white tea is thought to go back more than 2,000 years. The prototype of white tea was tea made by drying freshly plucked leaves in the sun or shade, without steaming or pan-frying them. Chinese reference books on tea record that leaves were already being dried in this way in the Zhou dynasty (about 1046 to 256 BC) [1].

Tea buds have been excavated from the tomb of Emperor Jing of the Western Han dynasty, from the 2nd century BC [2]. The Tong Yue, written by Wang Bao in 59 BC, also includes a scene of buying tea at a market [3]. By this time, tea was not only drunk but also bought and sold. To store tea leaves or carry them to market, they had to be dried. Together with the record of leaves being dried in the Zhou dynasty, this suggests that dried tea has been used since ancient times.

The Guang Ya, written in the 3rd century, describes a method of pressing tea leaves into shapes and drying them [4]. It makes no mention of steaming or pan-frying the leaves. The steaming of tea leaves is first clearly described in The Classic of Tea by Lu Yu, compiled in the 8th century [5]. Before that, the method of simply drying freshly plucked leaves, the prototype of white tea, is thought to have been practiced for a long time.

In Yunnan, where tea trees have been used since ancient times, this method is also thought to have existed for more than 2,000 years. The Man Shu, written in 864, records that people around present-day Simao and Xishuang Banna plucked leaves from trees and boiled them with Sichuan pepper, ginger, and cinnamon to drink [6]. It does not say that the leaves were dried, but drying is the natural way to store plucked leaves.

Few old records remain in Yunnan. On the other hand, tea trees said to be more than 1,000 years old still stand around the villages. Traditional ways of using tea leaves have also been handed down, such as the liang ban cha of the Jino people, a salad made with fresh tea leaves, and the suan cha of the Blang people, in which the leaves are fermented [1]. White tea made in Yunnan more than 2,000 years ago has not been found. Even so, considering the records of dried tea in the Zhou dynasty and Yunnan's long history of using tea, it is reasonable to think that the prototype of white tea, made by drying tea leaves, was also produced in Yunnan.

Until the method of making Pu-erh tea spread in the Song dynasty, the tea drunk in Yunnan is presumed to have been mainly something like the prototype of white tea. In the Song dynasty, pan-frying techniques reached Yunnan, and it seems that raw Pu-erh began to be made around this time. The modern method of white tea, which controls withering to bring out a floral aroma, was established in Fujian Province in the Qing dynasty (from the late 18th to the 19th century) [7]. In many regions, the method evolved and diversified into raw Pu-erh and green tea. White tea is still made in Yunnan and Fujian today. At HOJO, we produce white tea in Yunnan together with our producers, using our own method based on the Fujian approach.

Making White Tea: White Tea Starts and Ends with Withering

Here is a comparison between the processing methods of white tea and green tea.

Green Tea

Fresh leaves → Enzyme inactivation (steaming or pan-frying) → Rolling → Drying

White Tea

White tea processing does not include "enzyme inactivation" or "rolling." The processing of white tea is very simple.

Withering → Drying

In practice, white tea production consists only of withering and drying. The purpose of withering in white tea is to promote enzymatic fermentation by putting the leaves under dehydration stress. As the leaves lose water and wilt, their cell membranes are damaged. As a result, enzymes react with various compounds, producing a sweet, floral aroma.

The key to this floral aroma is terpene aroma compounds such as linalool and geraniol. Linalool smells like lily of the valley or bergamot, and geraniol like rose. In fresh tea leaves, however, most of these compounds are stored in a form bound to sugars, called glycosides [10]. Glycosides do not evaporate, so you can hardly smell any floral aroma in freshly plucked leaves. The hydrolytic enzymes that cut off the sugar and release the aroma are β-primeverosidase and β-glucosidase [8][9]. In healthy cells, the glycosides and the enzymes are kept in separate places and never meet. When withering damages the cell membranes, this partition breaks down, the enzymes act on the glycosides, and the terpene alcohols freed from the sugar rise up as aroma. It has also been reported that the dehydration stress of withering itself promotes reactions that newly synthesize terpenes in the leaves [11][12]. In other words, the floral aroma of white tea is created little by little by the enzyme reactions that take place in the leaves during withering. White tea, unlike green tea, has no pan-frying (the step that deactivates enzymes with heat). That is why the enzymes can keep working throughout withering, and I believe this is what gives white tea its gentle floral aroma.

To bring out this sweet aroma, it is important to reduce the moisture gradually. In white tea processing, the humidity, airflow, and temperature of the withering environment must be strictly controlled. The process looks simple, but it demands delicate control.

Although Simple, White Tea Processing Requires High Technical Skill

Because the process is so simple, white tea is, in a sense, a tea anyone can make if quality is not the goal. If you leave plucked leaves in a reasonably airy place and then dry them, you have something you can call "white tea." However, making high-quality white tea is far more difficult than you might imagine, involving how the fresh leaves are handled, how they are withered, and how good the withering environment is, and quality varies greatly from maker to maker. Withering is the most important process in white tea production. The leaves are spread on airy bamboo mats and left still indoors. During withering, the buds are not turned or stirred. Any movement immediately damages the very delicate buds, and the damaged parts turn red through enzymatic fermentation. We stay in the producing area to manage white tea production, and the new white teas we sell at HOJO are green. On the market, however, you often see white tea as brown as wood ear mushrooms.

The Importance of High-Quality Raw Materials

Because white tea is processed so simply, the quality of the raw leaves is extremely important. White tea made from second or third flush leaves, or from fertilized leaves, looks beautiful but has a weak character in both flavor and taste. It becomes the kind of tea described earlier as "dusty," leaving first-time drinkers wondering what they are supposed to enjoy.

When choosing white tea, it is important to consider the quality of the raw leaves carefully. As a comparison, think of wild spring vegetables, such as the young shoots of the Japanese angelica tree (tara no me). Healthy shoots gathered in the mountains taste good however you cook them. This is because the ingredient itself is of good quality and has a natural sweetness. Simple dishes that make the most of the ingredient bring out its quality best. White tea works the same way. Because it is processed so simply, the real pleasure of white tea is to choose good leaves and enjoy the natural aroma and sweetness they carry.

Evaluating the Quality of White Tea

The quality of white tea is determined by three main factors.

1. Quality of raw materials (amount of fertilizer)
2. Timing of plucking: first flush → second flush → third flush
3. Processing technique

Quality of Raw Materials

The quality of the raw material means the depth of flavor. We call this the aftertaste. The Japanese word for aftertaste, yoin, is called hui gan in Chinese, and the strength of hui gan is the decisive factor in the quality of tea.

So what kind of tea has a long aftertaste? It is tea that has grown slowly over time. Slow growth makes the cells of the leaves denser and the tea richer in components. When you stay in the producing areas, you can see that even within the same spring first flush, budding times differ by as much as two months. When high altitude, old trees, and no fertilizer come together, the tea grows slowly. This kind of tea has a very long aftertaste and is ideal for white tea with an intense aroma.

Timing of Plucking

In Fuzhou and Fuding, the white tea producing areas of Fujian Province, the value of tea tends to be determined by when it is plucked. In particular, Ming Qian white tea, plucked before the Qingming Festival, has a high proportion of buds and a smooth mouthfeel, so it sells at very high prices. Another reason is that these producing areas are close to large cities such as Xiamen and Fuzhou, where demand for early-plucked tea is high.

In Yunnan, on the other hand, tea from old trees and naturally cultivated tea, known locally as sheng tai cha (ecological tea), in other words tea with a long aftertaste, is highly valued. These trees grow slowly, and much of the tea considered high quality locally is plucked after the Qingming Festival.

In Lincang, in southwestern Yunnan, where we specialize, plucking begins in late March. However, trees grown without fertilizer or pesticides, at high altitude and of great age, grow more slowly, so for high-quality tea the first flush is sometimes not harvested until May. Leaves like these are the raw material for high-quality tea with a very long, strong aftertaste.

Processing technique

There are two key points in processing technique.

1. Leaf discoloration
2. Poor withering

As for discoloration, the tea turns brown if the leaves are handled roughly at the farm, stirred vigorously during withering, or spread so thickly during withering that drying takes too long. This is the same as fermentation in black tea, but with white tea, the most even color possible is desired.

If the moisture is not managed evenly during withering, some leaves dry out and become crisp before withering is complete. Enzymes cannot work without water, so the reaction stops before the aroma is released from the glycosides. In this case, instead of the sweet aroma typical of white tea, you notice a green smell like freshly cut grass. On the other hand, if withering goes on too long, the leaves turn too brown and the aroma takes on a stuffy odor, which is not desirable.

Types of White Tea

Fujian Province

The most common white tea production areas are Fuzhou and Fuding in Fujian Province, China. The main varieties used for white tea production are Fuding Da Bai Cha and Zhenghe Da Bai Cha. Fujian Province is historically famous for white tea production, and white teas such as Bai Hao Yin Zhen and Bai Mu Dan are popular both in China and abroad. However, many tea gardens in Fujian Province have shifted to mass production using modern agricultural methods, making deeply flavored and rich white teas increasingly rare. HOJO used to handle white tea from Fujian Province but now produces white tea from naturally cultivated tea in Yunnan Province to achieve higher quality.

White Tea from Yunnan Province

White tea from Yunnan can be divided into three main types according to the tea trees used as raw material.

Yue Guang

The first is a white tea known as "Yue Guang," which means moonlight. Most Yue Guang is a single-bud white tea made from the buds of a cultivar called Jinggu Dabai ("big white" from Jinggu), though some is plucked as one bud and two leaves. It differs from other white teas in how it is withered. In ordinary white tea, the moisture leaves the buds at a steady pace as they wilt, and during this time enzymes that break down glycosides, such as β-primeverosidase, release floral aroma compounds like linalool and geraniol. Yue Guang producers pile the leaves thickly instead, so the moisture has trouble escaping and the leaves stay damp and stuffy. Under these conditions, the leaves ferment at the same time as they wither, producing the same family of color and aroma compounds you find in black tea. The leaf is covered in white down, but underneath it has turned brown. For a white tea maker, this is over-fermentation, which we would normally try to avoid. With Yue Guang, however, the aroma it produces has come to be accepted as the tea's own character, and that is the style most people now know. It smells like black tea, and the spent leaves are the color of black tea too.

Most Yue Guang comes from conventionally farmed, plantation-style tea gardens like those in Japan and Taiwan. Plucking costs have been rising in recent years. For a bud-only white tea made from ancient tea trees, one plucker can gather only about 300 to 400 g a day. Plantation-style gardens are much faster to pluck, so the plucking cost per kilogram falls sharply. This lower cost is why Yue Guang sells at a relatively affordable price. Because these trees are fertilized and younger than ancient trees, however, its lingering finish is relatively short compared with ancient tree tea.

Ancient Tree White Tea

The second is white tea made from the leaves of old trees grown in high-altitude gardens around 2,000m, the same leaves used for good raw Pu-erh. This type is called ancient tree white tea (gu shu bai cha). White tea made from trees grown at high altitude without fertilizer or pesticides has a very long aftertaste, and a natural sweetness lingers in the mouth long after drinking.

However, because these ancient tree tea areas are in mountain villages, their processing skills lag behind those of Fujian. To close this gap, we stay in the area for nearly two months and closely manage everything from selecting the raw leaves to processing, to raise the quality of the white tea.

Wild White Tea

The third is so-called wild white tea, made from Camellia taliensis. We have been making this white tea since 2015. At the time, we saw no other producers making wild white tea, but it has since spread so widely that it seems everyone makes it now. The name "wild tea" needs a little explanation.

Originally, wild tea means tea made from trees growing naturally in the mountains, not planted or tended by people. In Japan, it would be close to wild mountain vegetables. In Yunnan, however, Camellia taliensis is called "wild tea" whether it grows naturally in the mountains or is cultivated in fields. This usage is firmly established locally, and even neatly cultivated plants are called "wild tea." In other words, "wild tea" in Yunnan does not indicate whether a plant is natural or cultivated. It is a name for the species Camellia taliensis.

The name arose because Camellia taliensis originally grew wild in the mountains. The ethnic minorities who live in the mountains have long gone into the mountains in spring, plucked the leaves, pan-fried them in a wok, and drunk the tea. Even after it came to be cultivated in fields, the name remained. In Japan too, tara buds and ostrich fern grown in fields are still called mountain vegetables, and cultivated mountain grapes and bayberries keep their names. Yunnan's "wild tea" is another example of an original name being carried over to cultivated plants.

Now that wild tea has become popular, Camellia taliensis is widely cultivated in tea gardens across Yunnan. As a result, most of the tea sold as "wild tea" on the market is actually Camellia taliensis grown in tea gardens. Moreover, much of it is traded through middlemen, so unless you have checked the raw material at the source, it is not easy to tell whether it is natural or cultivated. In many cases, the sellers themselves believe it is genuine wild tea growing naturally in the mountains.

We distinguish our wild tea from the local usage and treat only natural Camellia taliensis growing wild in the mountains as wild tea. We have visited the area many times, checked the environment where the trees grow and where the leaves are gathered ourselves, and ask ethnic minority people living in remote mountain villages to gather the leaves. Compared with cultivated Camellia taliensis, genuine wild tea has a clearly richer aftertaste, a longer finish, and a cleaner taste.

Managing Yunnan White Tea — Insights from the Field

Health Benefits of White Tea

White tea is made without heating and undergoes slight fermentation, making most of its components water-soluble. This means it places little burden on the liver and is excellent for hydration. It is recommended for children and people who need frequent hydration, such as those working outdoors.

Various studies have been conducted on the functional properties of white tea. Here are a few examples.

White tea inhibits α-glucosidase (an enzyme that breaks down disaccharides), preventing the formation of glucose from carbohydrates. As a result, drinking white tea during meals can delay the rise in blood sugar levels, potentially inhibiting the synthesis of triglycerides [13].

As with tea in general, the polyphenols in white tea have strong antioxidant activity, which can help protect biological substances such as DNA from oxidation. The antioxidant effect can potentially prevent cancer and vascular diseases [14].

Beauty Benefits of White Tea

In recent years, we have seen more and more beauty products made with white tea. HOJO has also taken part in several white tea collaboration events with cosmetics companies.

To keep your skin healthy, it is important to drink water frequently every day. Because no heat at all is used in making white tea, it is rich in water-soluble components. Being able to take in the polyphenols in white tea while hydrating is one of the attractions of drinking white tea every day.

There is also interesting research on white tea and beauty: a report that white tea extract suppressed the activity of collagenase, an enzyme that breaks down collagen. Along with its appeal as an everyday tea, research like this is one reason white tea is attracting attention in the beauty field [15].

How to Brew White Tea

There are no particular rules for brewing white tea. To put it bluntly, high-quality white tea tastes good without much fuss over how it is brewed.

For first flush white tea like ours, an easy method is to pour 200ml of boiling water over 3g of leaves and wait about 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you have time, rinsing the leaves once with boiling water before brewing to warm them makes the tea clearer and even more delicious. From the second infusion on, a few seconds is enough.

Cold Brew and Hot Brew Bring Out Different Aromas

Cold brewing is also recommended. Put 5g of leaves in 1 liter of water and leave it in the refrigerator for a few hours.

What makes white tea interesting is that its aroma is completely different when brewed hot and when cold-brewed. This is because, when brewed with hot water, the enzymes in white tea cause the tea to ferment.

When brewed hot, the enzymes in the leaves keep working with each infusion, and the leaves change slowly. So the first and second infusions are very floral, but the aroma gradually shifts to a sweet, fruity aroma, and you can enjoy a different aroma with each infusion. You may wonder, "Doesn't heat deactivate the enzymes?" However, the center of thick stems and similar parts do not heat up enough in a short time, so the enzyme reactions continue and the aroma changes.

Cold brewing lets you enjoy the character of white tea to the fullest. Because the enzymes in the leaves hardly work in cold water, the fresh, floral aroma comes out as it is. The fresh aroma, reminiscent of shiso leaves and grapes, makes you want to call it tea juice.

With cold-brewed white tea, the spent leaves stay bright green even after steeping for a long time, and the aroma is quite different from that of hot-brewed white tea. Cold-brewed white tea is characterized by a vivid aroma with top notes, where a fresh, sweet aroma like shiso leaves, a citrus aroma, and a sweet floral aroma blend beautifully.

White Tea Is Delicious Cold-Brewed

Try cold-brewing 3g to 5g of leaves in 1 liter of water in the refrigerator for half a day to overnight. It keeps for several days in the refrigerator. Cold white tea is very delicious, and it is very popular in my home too.

For a tea party, or when you want to surprise friends or guests, brewing 5g in 500ml of cold water gives a very rich aroma. Using water that has been boiled and cooled, rather than unboiled water, makes the aroma stronger.

The important point is to use water that is as cold as possible, because the enzymes in the leaves become active as the water temperature rises. Also avoid brewing where light hits the tea, as light degrades its components.

Enjoying the Cold-Brew Aroma in a Hot Tea

As mentioned, cold-brewed white tea has a unique aroma, and there is actually a way to enjoy this cold-brew aroma with hot water too. Make a strong cold brew of white tea and dilute it with boiling water. Adding about 80 to 90% boiling water to 10 to 20% white tea concentrate gives you a piping hot tea that tastes freshly brewed.

The key to this method is to use only a small amount of water for the cold brew. For example, steep 5g in about 100ml to 200ml of water. Several hours or more is ideal. I prepare it before going to bed and let it steep overnight until morning.

If you chill just the cold-brew concentrate, take it to work, and dilute a little at a time with hot water, you can enjoy white tea that tastes freshly brewed even at the office.

Cold Brew and Sparkling: White Tea at Its Best

A very popular way to enjoy white tea in recent years is to carbonate cold-brewed white tea directly with a soda maker. Sparkling white tea is far more delicious than you might imagine, with a refreshing, champagne-like feel and a long aftertaste, and it goes perfectly with food.

Store-bought carbonated water has various problems with taste, and blending it with cold-brewed tea does not give the same impression. Please try making sparkling white tea with a soda maker.

A Different Way to Enjoy White Tea: Surprising and Practical Ideas

How the Aroma of White Tea Changes with Aging

Like Pu-erh tea, white tea ages when stored. However, the taste of aged white tea and ways of enjoying it became widely known in China only relatively recently.

White tea is appealing even when freshly made, but aging it for about a year without oxygen makes the aroma even stronger. After three years or more, the change in aroma from aging accelerates, and a fruity aroma reminiscent of natural wine begins to appear. In our experience, if you want to age white tea, three years is the minimum.

White tea changes in aroma with aging even more than Pu-erh tea. The liquor, pale cream in the first year, turns yellow to orange after one to two years, and with longer aging it becomes dark like black tea. The aroma also changes greatly: from a floral aroma like Darjeeling first flush at first, a sweet aroma like honey and apricot gradually forms, and as the liquor darkens, it turns into a rich muscat aroma. With even longer aging, it changes to an aroma like raisins.

However, to age white tea, it must be stored under the right conditions, such as low humidity and no oxygen. White tea is a tea whose aroma changes greatly when it is aged unopened without oxygen. The change becomes noticeable especially from around the third year, and in addition to the fresh floral aroma of new tea, a sweet, rich fruity aroma reminiscent of grapes, tropical fruit, and honey comes out strongly. On the other hand, aging with exposure to air speeds up the change but produces sourness and off-flavors. To age it into a clean, refined fruity aroma, we recommend aging it without oxygen.

Note that in white tea, loss of freshness and change through aging are completely different things. White tea loses freshness not because of how long it is stored but because of exposure to oxygen in the air. So by storing it without oxygen as soon as possible after processing, you can reliably prevent it from losing freshness. Once white tea has been sealed without oxygen, it stays fresh even after long storage. What changes is not its freshness but the character of its aroma.

In Conclusion

To repeat, precisely because white tea is processed so simply, we hope you will choose white tea made from good raw leaves. In valuing the ingredient and finishing it with simple processing, it has something in common with Japanese cuisine. Perhaps for that reason, white tea goes surprisingly well with Japanese food.

Some people drink mass-produced white tea and end up disliking white tea itself. It may be similar to eating poor-quality sashimi and coming to dislike sashimi. First, please try white tea made from good raw leaves.

Good white tea can be enjoyed not only for its fresh aroma but also for the aroma that deepens with aging over about 3 to 7 years of storage.

References

1. Wang Zhenheng and Wang Guangzhi (eds.), Zhongguo Mingcha Zhi (China Agriculture Press, Beijing, 2000)
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3. Wang Bao, Tong Yue (Western Han, 59 BC)
4. Zhang Yi, Guang Ya (Wei of the Three Kingdoms, 3rd century)
5. Lu Yu, The Classic of Tea (Tang dynasty, 8th century)
6. Fan Chuo, Man Shu (also known as Yunnan Zhi, Tang dynasty, 864)
7. Yuan Dishun, Chinese White Tea
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9. Ijima, Y., Ogawa, K., Watanabe, N., Usui, T., Ohnishi-Kameyama, M., Nagata, T., & Sakata, K. (1995). A primeverosidase as a main glycosidase concerned with the alcoholic aroma formation in tea leaves. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 59(5), 962.
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11. Combined metabolic phenotypes and gene expression profiles revealed the formation of terpene and ester volatiles during white tea withering process. (2023). Beverage Plant Research. https://doi.org/10.48130/BPR-2023-0021
12. Zhou, Y., Deng, R., Yang, Z., et al. (2020). Enzyme catalytic efficiencies and relative gene expression levels of (R)-linalool synthase and (S)-linalool synthase determine the proportion of linalool enantiomers in Camellia sinensis var. sinensis. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 68(37), 10109–10117.
13. Kwon, Y.-I., Apostolidis, E., & Shetty, K. (2008). Inhibitory potential of wine and tea against α-amylase and α-glucosidase for management of hyperglycemia linked to type 2 diabetes. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 32(1), 15–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4514.2007.00165.x
14. Dias, T. R., Tomás, G., Teixeira, N. F., Alves, M. G., Oliveira, P. F., & Silva, B. M. (2013). White tea (Camellia sinensis (L.)): Antioxidant properties and beneficial health effects. International Journal of Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics, 2(2), 19–26. https://doi.org/10.19070/2326-3350-130005
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