The processing techniques for White Tea, one of the six major categories of Tea, are the most natural and simple: after picking the fresh leaves, there is no frying or kneading, only withering and drying. On one side, there is Yunnan's abundant tea germplasm resources, and on the other side, there is a diverse and personalized consumer demand for the white tea market. The production process of white tea closely connects these two ends and acts as a lever to leverage the advantages of white tea from Yunnan.

Starting the Pursuit of Borderless White Tea

Driven by diverse and personalized consumption, people now increasingly prefer borderless white tea.

Borderless white tea refers to the perfect match between suitable varieties and their corresponding processing systems, as well as the dual feast of taste and emotional attachment that consumers seek in nature-made creations.

In traditional Chinese colors, “green, red, yellow, white, blue, and black” carry different meanings. When these colors represent the major traditional tea categories, white tea embodies the ancient wisdom of living in harmony with nature, freshness, and simplicity.

Among the six major tea types, the process for white tea is the simplest and most natural: after picking the fresh leaves, they are not fried or kneaded. Instead, they go through just two steps—withering and drying—to lose moisture. This process results in a tea rich in the fragrance of Taoist principles, covered in white down hairs, and presenting a Silver-grayish-green color, while still retaining traces of the leaves' vigorous growth.

The withering process is the key step and core technique in forming the quality of white tea. In practice, it mainly involves controlling factors such as the thickness, time, ventilation, and environment of the spread fresh leaves to influence biochemical changes, such as reducing the content of polyphenols, increasing amino acids and sugars, and forming unique aromatic compounds that give a floral scent. These changes lead to the final presentation of the white tea's quality. Drying is the last step in the processing of white tea, which serves to evaporate excess moisture, inhibit enzymatic catalysis, and further transform the green and bitter substances in the tea. There are various drying methods, primarily chosen by controlling parameters like temperature, light, and humidity, taking into account the specifics of the previous withering process.

In recent years, a light kneading process has appeared in the new processing techniques for white tea, characterized by gentle pressure and short kneading times. Studies have shown that this step contributes to enhancing the color and flavor of white tea.

Yunnan, as the birthplace of tea in the world, boasts rich natural resources. Here, more tea varieties have been proven suitable for white tea production through suitability trials. For example, Yinghong No. 9, an unknown large-leaf tea variety cultivated from individual plants within a large-leaf population, is known for its early budding period, wide applicability, excellent quality, and significant yield increase. Jinggu Large-White Tea (also known as Yangta Large-White Tea) has historically been used to make White Dragon Whiskers tribute tea. After being processed into dry tea, it has plump buds, densely covered in white down hairs, with a fragrant aroma and a mellow, sweet aftertaste that endures through multiple infusions.

Xiao Shiying, who has cultivated excellent varieties such as Yunkang No. 10 and Xueya 100, once mentioned in an interview with the media that large-leaf tea varieties from Yunnan have distinct characteristics such as large buds, good durability, ample aroma, and rich internal substances, making them advantageous for developing a white tea industry. Moreover, the term “large-leaf” is a broad term. In different tea-producing regions of Yunnan, there are many sub-varieties of tea trees, including specific white tea varieties and other numerous large-leaf varieties, harboring potential for diverse white tea flavors.

On one side, there are the abundant germplasm resources and the numerous tea tree varieties of Yunnan, and on the other side, there are the diverse demands of consumers guided by sensory evaluation. The production process of white tea closely links these two ends and acts as a lever to leverage the advantages of white tea from Yunnan.

To give Yunnan white tea a voice and brand influence in the present day, it is necessary to transcend the simple romance of Moonlight White and reconstruct the understanding of Yunnan white tea. Finding a specialized processing system for Yunnan white tea is both urgent and meaningful.

Processing Techniques for Yunnan White Tea

Starting with Composite Withering

Although the processing techniques for white tea—withering and drying—appear simple, subtle differences in the techniques and parameters can significantly affect the quality of the white tea.

Generally speaking, the withering methods for white tea can be roughly divided into natural withering, composite withering, and heated withering. Natural withering (sunlight or indoor natural withering) is the most traditional method, typically requiring an indoor temperature of 20-25°C and a relative humidity of 70-80%. However, this method takes a long time and can result in inconsistent tea quality due to weather conditions.

Traditional Moonlight White from Yunnan can be categorized under natural withering. Its leaves are dark green on the surface and silver-white on the back, with white down hairs resembling crescent moons. This reflects the simple and natural tea-making method where farmers pick the leaves, do not fry or knead them, and directly spread them out to start the withering process. After drying, the tea is made. According to legend, the name “Moonlight White” comes from spreading the leaves under moonlight.

Among the major tea types, white tea, with its relatively simple processing, is a creation of nature.

During the production of white tea, uncontrollable weather factors and the pursuit of scale and stability make artificial intervention an important part of the process. One common example is heated withering, which can be implemented in various ways, such as using hot air ducts, air-conditioned rooms with dehumidifiers, or far-infrared carbon fiber tea boards designed for withering. Different heating methods have different impacts on the quality of white tea. However, excessive artificial intervention inevitably deviates white tea from the path of following natural laws and being a creation of nature.

Between simple processes and artificial intervention, there is a persistent pursuit of white tea that is dried in sunlight, with the principle that “tea processed with fire is inferior, while naturally sun-dried tea is superior,” especially when not fried or kneaded. Combining the above two methods is the starting point of composite withering.

Scientific research indicates that composite withering accelerates water evaporation, promotes biochemical reactions and chemical transformations within the withered leaves, and plays a positive role in the formation of the aroma and flavor substances in white tea, significantly improving the quality of white tea. For Yunnan, the advantage of composite withering lies in the sunlight factor.

Different withering methods essentially involve controlling factors such as withering time, the amount and uniformity of spread leaves, light, humidity, temperature, and airflow. Currently, these factors are generally incorporated into the production systems of Yunnan white tea companies.

Jingsu Tea culture Company (hereafter referred to as “Jingsu”) chose to benchmark its prices against the top white Tea processing techniques in China when it entered the field of Yunnan white tea in 2016. General Manager He Haishan explained that benchmark