White Tea
Enjoying White Tea's Delicate Flavor and Many Health Benefits
The health benefits of white tea are numerous. Prized in China and Asia for centuries, recent research espousing white tea's benefits is making it more popular than ever.
White tea has been around for centuries, and is believed to date back some 5,000 years in China. Despite its long history, the wonders of white tea have not been widely enjoyed throughout the world until more recently.
Boasting a light delicate flavor that is slightly sweet, white tea has also been used for medicinal purposes throughout the ages. Perhaps it is just this - white tea’s beneficial health properties that has strengthened its popularity here in the U.S. A growing number of research studies reveal that white tea has many healthful benefits, even more than its black and green tea counterparts.
All varieties of tea - white, black, green and oolong – provide a multitude of health benefits (ADD link) ranging from being a cancer preventative to good oral hygiene. However, it is believed that because white tea is the least processed of all teas (it is not fermented), it retains more of the beneficial nutrients of the Camellia sinensis plant.
White tea benefits include having the highest level of antioxidants of all varieties of tea. In fact, research reveals that white tea has 10 times more antioxidants than vitamin E
and contains high doses of polyphenols which may help lower undesirable fats in the blood. These protected nutrients protect the body from damage by free radicals, which can accelerate aging. Further, white tea is filled with catechins, an antioxidant that has been found to lower cholesterol. White tea has been shown to have a positive effect in fighting cancer-causing cells, and may in fact help protect against certain types of cancer including prostate, stomach or colon cancers. Other healthful benefits from drinking white tea include greater bone density and strength, protection against many bacteria and viruses, even helping lower blood pressure.
White tea gets its name from the silvery white hairs that appear on the unopened buds of the tea plant. The two main varieties of white tea are Silver Needle and White Peony. Silver Needle has been prized by consumers throughout ages by tea lovers because of its delicate flavor and aroma. Silver Needle white tea (Baihao Yinzhen) is considered the highest quality white tea because it contains only the delicate buds of the tea blossom. It is said that the leaf buds are plucked just before they open. These delicate buds are then steamed and dried, with no rolling or firing. The result is a tea that resembles silver needles.
White Peony tea (Bai Mudan) consists of the bud as well as the two uppermost leaves, which are covered in the silver white hair. The flavor of White Peony is a bit stronger than Silver Needle, and the brew has a darker color to it.
Other white tea varieties include White Darjeeling, Long Life Eyebrow (Shou Mei) and Tribute Eyebrow (Gong Mei).
To properly brew white tea, water should be about 185 to 190 degrees F, just below boiling point. Use 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of white tea per 8 ounces of water. Steep for two minutes. Additionally, one serving of white tea can be brewed several times.
