White teas – Eight facts about white teas

White tea (Chinese: ‘bái chá’ [白茶)]/‘pure, lightly coloured tea’) was initially produced, as stated, in China and undergoes very little processing after harvesting, which is why it has its typical characteristics. It is claimed that it was first cultivated at the time of the Tang dynasty (618 - 907 CE) and was particularly popular at the courts of the Chinese emperors. It thus has a long history and is deemed one of the six basic types of Chinese tea.

What actually gives the tea its name are the distinctive leaf buds that are covered with a silvery-white down of fine hairs. One of the most distinctive features of a white tea is its markedly light to light-yellowish colouration in the cup, while in some cases it can take on a light brown hue. Connoisseurs value white teas for their mild and fresh taste.

White tea comes from the Camillia sinensis plant and is still cultivated in its original form in the southern and south-eastern provinces of China. The most prominent regions in which the tea plant is grown are the provinces of Hunan, Anhui and Yunnan; of particular relevance in this connection are the mountainous regions in the province of Fujian.

Today, however, the plant is also cultivated in other provinces of China and other places around the world, while creative blends from various countries of origin are now available on the market. One such blend is our LIGHT PASSION® tea.

In contrast with other tea varieties, such as green and black teas, white teas are subjected to far less processing. The best time to harvest them is directly after winter or in the early spring. After being picked, the leaves and buds are spread out on fabric or bamboo mats and left to wilt, after which they are dried to prevent oxidation. When it comes to white teas, the leaves are often allowed to dry naturally in the sun although sometimes special drying systems are used. The avoidance of more intense forms of drying is essential to ensure that the fine and nuanced aromas and mild flavours of these teas, together with the light colour in the cup,  are retained.

The terms mellow, light and fresh perhaps best describe the flavours of a cup of white tea. Delicate floral notes become apparent with every mouthful and these can be more or less pronounced depending on the white tea variety. Among the multifaceted flavour nuances of these teas are, for instance, subdued flowery-fresh, sweet or grass-like hints. There are no underlying spicy or earthy flavour tones in white teas. Our organic tea

LEGEND OF PAI MU TAN® is an example of a good quality tea, the flavours and aromas of which are generated quite naturally by the tea itself.

If you like the idea of the natural flowery character of a white tea combined with a hint of tropical fruits, then you should try our LIGHT PASSION® tea. In this blend, the tropical flavour of passion fruit is so subtly fused with the overall taste sensations that on drinking it one is almost gripped by a desire to visit exotic locations.

A choice variety such as a white tea deserves to be prepared with care. Of particular relevance to the result are the following factors:

·      The water: the softer the water, the rounder and more consistent is the flavour. It is advisable not to use mineral-rich water.


 

·      The temperature: depending on the variety, the ideal temperature for brewing is in the approximate range 80 - 90°C. Never use boiling water to prepare white tea!

·      The infusion time: a good white tea should be allowed to infuse for some 2 - 3 minutes. Our

     Avoury One® will take all the worry about timing infusion out of your hands and automatically dispense your white tea after 2 minutes.

·      The tea quantity: if you are using loose leaf tea, you should allow about a teaspoonful for each 200 ml water. But you can, of course, vary the quantity according to personal preference. The measure present in our white tea Avoury® TeaCycle Cap® is such that it always provides for the perfectly flavoured cup of tea.

Thanks to the availability of these individually portioned tea capsules and the sophisticated brewing technique employed by the Avoury One®, our tea machine will prepare you the perfect cup of tea at just the press of a button.

Yes, white teas contain caffeine. This is the case for all tea varieties that are prepared from the Camellia sinensis plant. However, the content of caffeine in a white tea is generally far less than that present in black and green teas. Because of their mild flavour and fresh-flowery aroma, our white tea varieties

LEGEND OF PAI MU TAN® or LIGHT PASSION® are ideal when drunk as a luxurious morning tea.

It is prudent for tea fans to choose tea varieties that are caffeine-free as beverages just before retiring for the night And we offer a wide range of such teas in the form of fruit teas and herbal teas that will suit practically all tastes.

White teas are considered to be members of the aristocracy of teas. And there are good reasons why these teas have this reputation - there are several factors that mean they are among the ranks of those most coveted in the world.

They are harvested by hand

White teas are often prepared from the youngest tea leaves and the still unopened buds, while manual harvesting means that the delicate tea leaves can be specifically selected, something that contributes to the quality and excellence of the finished product. The traditional methods of harvesting and preparation are extremely labour-intensive.

The low yield

 Only the leaf buds and selected young leaves are picked, and there is generally only a narrow time window in spring for harvesting. As a result, the yield per plant when the traditional techniques are employed is necessarily lower than if all the tea leaves as a whole were to be processed. This is true for at least the premium varieties of white tea.

The increasing demand

 As the popularity of these exclusive tea varieties grows, the demand naturally correspondingly increases. But as harvesting and processing are so time-consuming and only limited automated production techniques can be employed, supply is unable to keep pace with demand.

High quality teas are our passion and for this reason we continuously explore new ground in order to provide our customers with the very best in tea-related enjoyment. Our tea products are cultivated under monitored conditions in all the various tea-growing regions. Each

Avoury® TeaCycle Cap® is packed in Germany, and these ensure that our teas can be readily and freshly brewed with precision with the help of our revolutionary

Avoury One® tea machine. The result is that the exceptional quality and innate characteristics of each tea variety are preserved, including those of LIGHT PASSION®, with its added natural flavouring, and of those teas left in their natural state, such as our LEGEND OF PAI MU TAN®.