How to select old White Tea: High-quality old white Tea has a dark brown color, and as the years increase, the dry tea color deepens, and the infusion color appears rich. The luster of old white tea is relatively high; high-quality white tea cakes have a pure and bright infusion that is reddish. Its aroma naturally carries jujube, fruit, and downy scents that are distinct and changeable. In short, when selecting old white tea, you must examine it closely, taste it, and Brew it multiple times.

How to Select Old White Tea

1. Appearance

White tea can be distinguished by appearance in four parts.

(1) Observe the shape of the leaves. High-quality white tea leaves are flat and spread out, with a raised wavy surface on the Leaf face, and the edges of the leaves are heavily curled. The buds and leaves are connected, slightly close together, and the tips of the leaves slightly curve upward without being broken. On the contrary, low-quality teas have leaves that are artificially spread, folded, and bent, not naturally flat and spread out, and this can be carefully identified.

(2) Observe the cleanliness of the leaves. High-quality white tea contains only clean tender leaves without other impurities; low-quality teas often contain fragments, old leaves, old stems, or other impurities. When selecting, simply take some in your hand and flick through them with your fingers to determine the quality of the tea.

(3) Observe the tenderness of the leaves. In white tea, higher tenderness indicates better quality. If the tea we want to buy has many downy buds that are thick and robust, such tea can be considered a premium product; conversely, if there are fewer downy buds that are thin and delicate, or if the leaves are unevenly aged with old leaves mixed among the tender ones, then this indicates that the tea's quality is poor.

(4) Observe the base of the leaves. If the leaf color is bright, the base is plump and even, and there are many thick and robust downy buds, such tea can be considered a premium product; conversely, if the leaf color is dull, the base is stiff, and there are few broken downy buds, then the quality of such white tea is often poor.

2. Aroma

Pick up some white tea and carefully sniff it; its aroma can also help distinguish the quality of the tea. Teas with a strong, distinct, and fresh, pure scent can be considered premium products; conversely, if the aroma is faint, or if it contains grassy odors or other strange smells, then such white tea is often of poor quality.

3. Color

Distinguishing by color involves two aspects. Firstly, the color of the leaves and buds. High-quality white tea's downy buds are often Silver-white and have a luster; conversely, if the leaf surface color is grass green, red, or black, and the downy buds lack luster or have a waxy sheen, then the quality of these teas is generally poor.

After brewing white tea, we can also judge its quality based on the infusion color. High-quality tea produces an apricot yellow or apricot green infusion that is bright; conversely, low-quality white tea produces a murky and dark infusion that is reddish.

4. Taste

Good tea naturally has a good taste, which is undoubtedly true. After brewing white tea, we can savor its flavor to discern the quality of the tea. Teas with a fresh, refreshing taste that are rich and sweet can all be considered premium products; if the taste is bland and rather coarse and astringent, then such teas are often inferior.

If novice tea enthusiasts want to try old white tea, they can start by drinking new tea and preserve part of it, gradually experiencing the year-to-year transformation of the white tea; accumulating experience over time will enable them to distinguish between genuine old white tea and artificially aged old white tea! If you do not like storing tea, you can purchase 3-5 year old white tea. White tea that is 10-20 years old is, honestly speaking, quite rare to come across.