White Tea quietly gained popularity in 2012. Over more than a decade, through repeated tastings by Tea enthusiasts and expert endorsements, it has become better understood and increasingly favored. Through conversations with white tea aficionados, we find that most store tea for its medicinal value and enjoy the changes it undergoes over time. So, why is white tea known as “a one-year tea, three-year medicine, seven-year treasure”? What are its greatest benefits?

To illustrate the anti-inflammatory properties of white tea, let's look at an example from one of our tea enthusiasts.

The other day, after waking up, Daojun discovered two large ulcers in his mouth. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that even drinking water was painful, and eating salty foods felt like pouring salt on a wound. Without any medication for oral ulcers at home, he had to endure the discomfort.

Daojun remembered that white tea has excellent anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects, especially aged White Peony Silver Needle, which is particularly potent. This presented a good opportunity to test just how effective white tea can be. Since he didn't have any aged White Peony Silver Needle, he used this year's first batch of Mi Needle instead. Around 10:30 am, he brewed a serving (4 grams) of White Peony Silver Needle.

While drinking the White Peony Silver Needle, Daojun felt some improvement in the pain, but once he finished, the ulcers remained unchanged and showed no sign of healing. Around 3 pm, he took out a premium White Peony (one of the varieties of white tea), ready to Brew another Cup. The quality of this White Peony was exceptional, with a pronounced medicinal aroma. After drinking it, he went back to work without further thought.

That evening, during dinner, Daojun noticed a significant reduction in the pain in his mouth, making it easier to eat and drink. By breakfast the next day, he was pleasantly surprised to find that while the ulcers hadn't fully healed, they were hardly painful anymore. To hasten recovery, he brewed a serving of aged Shoumei (another variety of white tea) that morning.

Honestly, even today (the third day), Daojun's oral ulcers haven't completely disappeared, but they no longer cause any discomfort. He believes that without using any medication, the ulcers improving so quickly must be largely due to these cups of white tea. In the past, such ulcers would typically take a week or more to heal without treatment.

The above content is based on Daojun's personal experience with white tea, which we present verbatim. White tea does indeed have anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties, but we must also recognize that while it possesses medicinal qualities, it is not a medicine and cannot produce rapid effects like Western drugs; at best, it works gradually, similar to traditional Chinese medicine. We shouldn't expect it to cure ailments instantly.

So, what makes white tea possess such properties, and do other teas lack them?

Tea is fundamentally medicinal, primarily functioning to reduce inflammation and detoxify the body, with the core of these functions being polyphenols. Teas that retain more polyphenols will excel in these functions. The amount of polyphenols retained depends on the tea processing method.

The initial withering and fermentation processes in tea production cause chemical transformations within the tea leaves, creating new substances. Even during later storage, transformations continue. These transformations occur due to differences in internal composition, processing environment, and degree of fermentation. As a result, the polyphenol content can vary significantly.

The processing technique for white tea involves sun-withering followed by sun-drying, then heap fermentation, and finally light roasting. Throughout the fermentation process, the surface of the tea leaves remains intact [like green tea, without kneading], preserving the original polyphenol content. Unlike Black Tea, there is no stir-frying stage. Additionally, unlike green tea and Pu'er, there is no initial fermentation, and like Pu'er, the drying is done by sunning rather than roasting. This is the unique processing method of white tea.