White Tea - another addition to the Tea Family
White tea originated in the Chinese province of Fujian. Its popularity has expanded its boundaries and today it is grown in both China and India. This tea gets its name from the fine silvery white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea plant. As the name suggests, this is a clear brew with a slight golden tinge. This is the rarest type of tea. It comes from young tea leaves that are picked before the buds have fully opened. The tea leaves are generally steamed or air-dried. This minimal processing keeps it close to its natural stage which in turn allows it to retain all its beneficial properties, namely antioxidants. Antioxidants are those powerful agents that prevent and repair damage caused by naturally producing free radicals. This brew has the distinction of having the highest concentration of these antioxidants. The taste of this brew is also true to its colour – it’s mild tasting, pleasant and not overpowering. There are also different flavours, like White Ginger and White Licorice. The family of "white" is the The Rarest of all Teas. Given the delicate nature of the tea, it is important to ensure that the “beneficial qualities” of this tea survives the brewing process. It is recommended that one teaspoon of leaves per cup is sufficient. If you’re brewing a teapot, use about one tablespoon for a litre. The steeping time should be just under one minute or slight more. Again depending on your taste, if you want a slightly stronger brew, let it steep a little longer. You can extract a couple of infusions for each serving.
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