Types of White Tea

Advances in understanding the chemical compositions of different varieties of tea have given rise to prevailing belief that the less the processing or oxidation the tea undergoes the more polyphenol antioxidants it retains.

The minimal processing of white tea yields a higher concentration of polyphenol phytochemicals, including the catechins.

White tea is one of the lesser known varieties of tea and it is created by being fast-dried. Before the leaves have had a chance to open fully they are picked and harvested. At this stage the buds are covered in white hair and that is where the tea gets its name. There are four main varieties of white tea:
*Silver Needle
*White Peony
*Long Life Eyebrow
*Tribute Eyebrow

Silver Needle and White Peony teas are considered to be the two best White teas available.

Ivory colored when dried Silver Needle variety is made from exclusively from the buds coming from the Fujian province of China. Silver Needle represents the highest graded white tea and should consist of only the unopened bud of the Dai Bai cultivar.

White Peony is a popular tea that looks whitish to clear in the cup. The buds and the top leaves are picked before they open and are allowed to wither only slightly.
Types of White Tea