Basic Introduction of Zixi White Tea
Zixi White Tea is produced in Zixi County, Jiangxi Province, and its origin is Anji County, Zhejiang Province. This tea is a rare treasure among teas, named for its silvery-white down covering the leaves, resembling snow. The appearance of Zixi White Tea is green, and when brewed, it resembles phoenix feathers. It has a fresh and refreshing taste, with a goose-yellow clear broth, and a sweet aftertaste. According to Traditional Chinese medicine, white tea has a cooling nature and can help reduce fever and extinguish fire. In 2012, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine approved geographical indication product protection for Zixi White Tea.
Nutritional Value
In addition to containing the common nutritional components found in other teas, white tea also contains essential active enzymes. Medical studies both domestically and internationally have shown that long-term consumption of white tea can significantly increase the activity of lipase in the body, promoting fat metabolism, effectively controlling insulin secretion, delaying the absorption of glucose in the intestines, and helping to maintain balanced blood sugar levels. White tea is rich in various amino acids. Its cool nature helps to reduce fever, eliminate heat, and detoxify. In the producing areas, drinking a cup of Bai Mudan tea during summer rarely results in heatstroke. Thus, Bai Mudan is one of the essential white teas for local tea farmers during summer. In Northern China and Fujian, it is widely regarded as an effective treatment for measles patients. Therefore, in the “Fujian Miscellany” by the Qing dynasty figure Zhou Lianggong, it is recorded: “White downy Silver needles, produced in Hongxue Cave on Mount Daimu, are cold in nature and have effects similar to rhinoceros horn, making them a holy medicine for treating measles.” There is still a Fuding Dahao white tea tree over 170 years old in Mount Daimu, known as “Green Snow Bud.” The longer white tea is stored, the higher its medicinal value becomes. White tea also contains abundant vitamin A precursors, which convert rapidly into vitamin A once absorbed by the human body. Vitamin A synthesizes rhodopsin, allowing clearer vision in dim light, and can prevent night blindness and dry eye disease. White tea also contains substances that protect the body's hematopoietic function from radiation damage, significantly reducing the harmful effects of television radiation. Therefore, drinking more white tea while watching TV is beneficial with no drawbacks, especially for children, who can benefit from its eye-protecting properties and health benefits.
Product Characteristics
Zixi White Tea is divided into bud tea (such as Silver Needle with White Down) and leaf tea (such as Bai Mudan, New White Tea, Gongmei, and Shoumei) based on differences in tea plant varieties and standards for picking fresh leaves. The main types include Bai Mudan and Silver Needle with White Down. Bai Mudan is made from the buds and one or two leaves of young shoots from large white tea trees or Narcissus varieties, ranking among the finest white teas. White tea made from the plump buds of large white tea trees is called “Silver Needle with White Down,” named for its silver color and needle-like shape, the most precious variety of white tea. It has a fresh fragrance, a pale yellow broth, and a fresh and refreshing taste, considered the supreme among white teas. Chinese Tea has always valued white tea above others. The most distinctive feature of white tea is its silvery-white down, giving it a beautiful appearance, and its plump buds produce a bright yellow broth with a fresh and mellow taste and tender, even leaves. It has been proven to have anti-cancer, cancer-preventing, heat-reducing, detoxifying, and toothache-relieving effects. In particular, aged Silver Needle with White Down can be used as a fever reducer for children with measles, proving more effective than antibiotics. Traditional Chinese medicine confirms that white tea has a cooling nature and can help reduce fever and extinguish fire. Overseas Chinese often regard Silver Needle tea as a rare treasure.
Biochemical analysis shows that white tea contains 6-8% amino acids, reaching up to 12%, which is 2-3 times higher than other teas, providing excellent antiviral and immunological functions, making it a rare treasure among teas. The quality of Zixi White Tea is exceptionally superior and distinct, combining ornamental, nutritional, and health benefits, making it a rare and precious tea, earning the title of “King of Green Teas.”
Historical Folklore
The history of white tea is long. Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty had a special affection for white tea, giving it the highest praise in his “Great View Treatise on Tea,” calling it “unparalleled” and stating that “white tea stands alone, different from ordinary teas… and thus white tea became the first.” White tea was then listed as a royal tribute. The earliest record of Zixi White Tea dates back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty in the “Annals of Zixi County,” where it was referred to as “white down,” and was one of the important products of Zixi. The method of making the tea was: “before the Grain Rain in March, pick the tenderest leaves, one leaf and one bud (shoot), dry them, heat a pot, add the leaves and stir-fry, knead them while hot, and then dry them over charcoal fire. When steeped, the color is light, but the aroma and flavor are superior.” As the saying goes: “the value of tea lies in its whiteness,” “the best tea is white, while green is ordinary.”
Awards and Honors of Zixi White Tea
In July 2006, at the Jiangxi Province Famous Tea Evaluation Conference, Zixi White Tea won the gold medal for its unique qualities when brewed: complete bud and down, free-form flower-like appearance, covered in down, green in color, goose-yellow and crystal-clear broth, fragrant aroma, fresh and refreshing taste, and sweet aftertaste that lingers on the lips. It stood out among 73 participating tea producers and also won the “Popular Product Award” at the first Jiangxi Agricultural Expo, adding a new star to the ranks of fine Jiangxi teas.
In early 2008, it won the gold medal at the first Jiangxi Tea Expo. In March of the same year, leaders of the Jiangxi Agricultural Economic and Crop Department highly praised Zixi White Tea, considering it the best Green Tea in the entire province at the time.
In 2009, Zixi White Tea products were certified as organic food.