White Tea
What is white tea?
White tea is a very light-fermented tea. It refers to tea that has been processed only after sun-drying or simmer-drying, and is not being through fixing or rolling processes. The property of White tea is cold type, it has benefits to clear and reduce body heat.
White tea looks white, because most of the tea leaves that picked are delicate tea buds with white trichome on the back of leaves. The white tea is not fried nor rolled during processing, but sun-dried or simmer-dried directly, which can make the appearance of the tea trichome completely preserved, which is why the tea looks white.
The main characteristics of white tea are the plump white silver color of tea leaves, the bright yellow tea and the fresh taste. There are many varieties of white teas. The main varieties are white silver needle, white peony, Gong Mei, and Shou Mei.
White tea benefits
The benefits of white tea are mainly including anti-radiation, anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, and lowering blood pressure, blood fat and blood sugar. Also helps to nourish heart, liver, eyes, skin and mind. It also has a unique and wonderful health care benefits for discomfort of excessive smoking and drinking.
Benefits of white tea
- Anti-radiation: White tea has good benefits for anti-radiation. The extract of white tea is used in the development of facial skin care products in the United States and Europe.
- Anti-oxidant: The antioxidant capacity of white tea is much stronger than that of green tea, and its antioxidant content is three times higher than that of green tea.
- Anti-tumor: White tea has anti-tumor activity in vitro. After years of research, many research institutions such as the University of Oregon Cancer Research Center have shown that white tea contains a new anti-cancer substance, which can continuously suppress the shrinkage of liver cancer and improve immunity.
- Lowering blood pressure: Theophylline substances contained in white tea can dilate blood vessels and circulate blood, which is conducive to lowering blood pressure.
- Hypolipidemic: white tea has effects of anticoagulant and promoting fibrinolysis, can change the hypercoagulable state, and has no side effects of general anticoagulant drugs, can lower blood fat and prevent cerebrovascular disease.
- Hypoglycemia: For the mechanism of white tea to lower blood sugar, many medical institutions believe that white tea contains some active enzymes necessary for the human body. These enzymes can promote fat catabolism, effectively control the amount of insulin secretion, and decompose excess sugar in the body's blood, lower blood sugar levels, promote blood sugar balance, thus effectively prevent and treat diabetes.
Other health benefits of white tea
- Nourishing heart: The caffeine in white tea can also excite the heart and promote blood circulation.
- Nourishing liver: white tea cake is rich in dihydro myricetin and other flavonoids can protect the liver, accelerate the rapid decomposition of the ethanol metabolite acetaldehyde to non-toxic substances, and thus reduce damage to liver cells.
- Eye care: white tea is also rich in source of vitamin A, it can be quickly converted into vitamin A after being absorbed by the body, vitamin A can synthesize rhodopsin, can make the eyes look more clearly under the dark light, is preventable to night blindness and dry eye disease.
- Helping hangover: Dihydromyricetin in white tea works quickly, which is a good product for protecting liver and helping hangover.
- Weight loss: According to scientific research, white tea extract can significantly reduce the expression of genes related to the growth of new cells, and thus the fat content shows a downward trend, while also promoting the decomposition of fat molecules in existing fat cells.
- Preventing heat stroke: white tea is rich in a variety of amino acids which have the effects of antipyretic and detoxification. Often drinking white tea can prevent heat stroke.
Drinking tea advice from expert: flower tea is good for spring, drink white tea and green tea in the summer can cool down body heat and prevent summer heat stroke. Drink oolong tea in the fall. Drink black tea and dark tea in the winter helps to nourish stomach.
The types of white tea vary according to the region, cultivar and standards of fresh leaf picking. We can divide white tea into two types: bud tea and leaf tea.
Bud tea: As the name suggests, it is a white tea made from the tea buds that picked from the top of the white tea tree. The quality of this tea is extremely good, such as white silver needle tea and Tai Lao silver needle tea.
Leaf tea: is made from the leaves of white tea tree. The varieties of these leaf teas include White Peony, Shou Mei and other new craft white teas.
White tea brewing
In the process of brewing, certain skills must be mastered in order to make a fresh and mellow taste of tea.
There are five ways to brew white tea, including using Gaiwan, tea pot, big pot, glass cup and cook brewing. The amount of water should be carefully controlled for white tea brewing. Generally, lighter white tea has better taste. 3 to 5 grams of tea leaves is good to make 150 ml of tea, and the water temperature is required to be 195°F to 212°F. In general, a cup of white tea can be brewed up to four or five times, and the brewing time for first infusion is about 5 minutes. Tea can be ready to drink after filtered into fair cup. The second infusion can be as long as 3 minutes. Just drink as soon as it is brewed.
Of course, according to different drinking needs, the brewing of white tea is specified as:
Gaiwan: good for two people to drink, take 3g of Fuding white tea into the Gaiwan, and wash the leaves with 195°F of boiled water, which is also to warm and wet the tea. Then like Kung Fu tea brewing, the first steep takes 30-45 seconds, then decrease brewing time in subsequent brewing to experience the best fresh taste of Fuding white tea.
Big pot: good for group drinking. Take 10-15g white tea into a large porcelain pot, directly brew with 195°F to 212°F boiling water. Re-steep after finished. White tea is endurable for brewing, can be laid aside for hours, and the taste is still light and mellow. It can be used from morning to evening. It is a great tea for summer break.
Yixing Clay: Suitable for three to five people. Use a big belly Yixing Clay tea pot. Take 5-6g Fuding white tea into it, wash tea with about 195°F of boiled water. Drink after 45 seconds steep. Features: Very mellow and aromatic.
Glass cup: good for one person to drink alone. Use 200ml transparent glass. Take 3-5g of leaves with about 195°F of boiled water to wash the tea and getting it warmed. Then directly brew white tea with boiling water. According to personal preference, it is free to master the brewing time.
Cook brewing: is suitable for health care purposes. Take 10g of at-least 3 year-aged white tea with cold water, cook for 3 minutes until thick tea appears. Filter out the tea, and cool it to 160°F. And add rock sugar or honey to drink. It is often used to treat throat inflammation, fever, or discomfort of acclimatization treatment. The taste is mellow and striking. There is also a unique flavor after chilling in summer.
