White Tea is a specialty of Fujian, with main production areas in Fuding, Zhenghe, Songxi, Jianyang, and other places. White tea is one of the six major tea categories in China. The basic processes are withering, baking (or shade drying), sorting, and re-firing. Withering is the key process in forming the quality of white tea. White tea is characterized by complete bud tips, fully covered with fine hairs, a fresh and delicate aroma, a clear yellow-green liquor, and a light, sweet aftertaste. It is a lightly fermented tea and a special treasure among Chinese tea categories. As the finished tea is mostly bud tips covered with white hairs, it is named for its silver, snow-like appearance.

White tea, as the name suggests, is white in color and is not commonly seen in many regions. White tea production has a history of about 200 years, first created in Fuding City. The city has an excellent tea plant variety—Fuding Dabai tea—whose buds and leaves are covered with white down, making them high-quality raw material for tea production. Initially, this tea leaf was used to produce white tea. Why is the tea white? This is because people pick tender buds and leaves with abundant white down on the back. During processing, they are neither pan-fired nor rolled but are sun-dried or gently baked, preserving the white down intact on the surface of the tea, which gives it its white appearance.

【Historical Origins】

White tea has long been a treasure among teas, with a long history. Its elegant name has appeared for over 880 years. Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) dedicated a section to white tea in "Da Guan Cha Lun" (completed between 1107 and 1110, named after the era "Da Guan"): "White tea is a unique variety, different from ordinary tea. Its branches spread out, its leaves are thin and glossy. It grows occasionally among forest cliffs, not achievable by human effort. Those who have it are no more than four or five families; those that grow are no more than one or two plants; the production is limited to two or three cakes. The buds are few, making steaming and baking particularly difficult. A slight mishap in firing turns it into ordinary tea. It requires exquisite manufacturing and proper handling to achieve a jade-like purity inside and out, unmatched by others. Lightly baked versions also exist, but their quality is inferior."

The royal tea garden of the Song Dynasty was located in Beiyuan, Jian'an Prefecture, Fujian (present-day Jian'ou County, Fujian). The white tea mentioned in "Da Guan Cha Lun" refers to wild white tea grown on the tea mountains of the Beiyuan imperial processing area. Its production method still involved steaming and pressing into cake tea, different from modern white tea processing. The production of white tea began in the early Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty (1769) using bud tea to make Silver Needle. In 1885, Fuding Dabai tea was used to produce White Hair Silver Needle.

Regarding when white tea originated, there are different views in tea academia. Some believe it started in the Northern Song Dynasty, mainly based on its earliest mentions in "Da Guan Cha Lun" and "Dong Xi Shi Cha Lu" (which states that among the seven tea plant varieties in Jian'an, the first is "white leaf tea"). Others argue it began in the Ming or Qing Dynasty, mainly distinguishing tea categories by processing methods, as white tea only undergoes "withering and drying." Some scholars believe that the earliest tea in Chinese history was not green tea but white tea. Their reasoning is that after discovering the medicinal value of tea, ancient Chinese needed to dry fresh, tender tea buds and leaves for storage, marking the birth of white tea in Chinese tea history.

【Harvesting】

Tea made from single buds using white tea processing techniques is called Silver Needle White Hair; tea made from one bud and one or two leaves of varieties like Fuding Dabai, Fuding Dahaocha, Zhenghe Dabai, and Fu'an Dabai, processed with white tea techniques, is called White Peony or New White Tea; tea made from one bud and one or two leaves of Cai Cha (a common shrub tea in Fujian) is called Gong Mei or Shou Mei.

【Processing Technique】

The processing of white tea generally involves two steps: withering and drying, with withering being the key. Withering is divided into indoor withering and outdoor sunlight withering. The method should be flexibly chosen based on climate, with indoor or compound withering preferred on clear spring/autumn days or non-sultry summer days. The refining process involves removing stems, broken leaves, withered leaves, reddish leaves, and dull leaves, then baking over low heat until fully dry, using only a hint of fire aroma to complement the tea fragrance. When moisture content reaches 4–5%, it is packed while hot. The characteristic of white tea processing is that it neither destroys enzyme activity nor promotes oxidation, preserving the delicate aroma and fresh, brisk taste.

【Characteristics】

The most prominent feature of white tea is its silver-white hair color, often described as "green attire wrapped in plain silk." It has plump buds, a bright yellow liquor, a fresh and mellow taste, and tender, even brewed leaves. When brewed and tasted, it offers a fresh, mellow, and pleasant flavor and also has pharmacological effects. Traditional Chinese medicine proves that white tea is cool in nature and has fever-reducing and fire-diminishing properties. Overseas Chinese often regard Silver Needle tea as a rare treasure. The main varieties of white tea include Silver Needle, White Peony, Gong Mei, and Shou Mei. Especially White Hair Silver Needle, composed entirely of downy bud tips, straight as needles, is among the most beautiful in appearance. Its liquor is light yellow, fresh, brisk, and leaves a lasting, delightful aftertaste.

【Classification】

Based on tea plant varieties and the standard of harvesting raw materials (fresh leaves), white tea is divided into bud tea (e.g., White Hair Silver Needle) and leaf tea (e.g., White Peony, New White Tea, Gong Mei, Shou Mei).

The main varieties are White Peony and White Hair Silver Needle. Why does White Peony bear such an elegant name? White Peony gets its beautiful name because its green leaves clasp silvery-white hairy buds, resembling flowers. When brewed, the green leaves cradle the tender buds like budding blossoms. White Peony is made from one bud and one or two leaves of short, small shoots from Dabai tea plants or Narcissus varieties, making it a superior quality white tea. White tea made from the plump buds of Dabai tea plants is called "White Hair Silver Needle," named for its silver-white color and needle-like shape. It is the most precious variety of white tea, with a fresh aroma, pale yellow liquor, and brisk taste, representing the pinnacle of white tea. White tea made from short, small leaves and larger leaves of Cai Cha (a common term for shrub tea in Fujian) is called "Gong Cha" and "Mei Cha."

【Effects】

The effects of white tea include: preventing cancer, fighting cancer, preventing heatstroke, detoxifying, and treating toothache. Especially aged White Hair Silver Needle can be used as a fever reducer for children with measles, with better effects than antibiotics.