White tea

White tea is made from young buds and the first tender leaves, simply withered and dried with very little other processing, no rolling, no pan-firing and only light, natural oxidation. That gentle handling is what makes it the least processed of the major tea styles.

Because so little is done to the leaf, white tea keeps a subtle, light, slightly sweet character rather than the bolder flavors of black or oolong. It generally needs a cooler brew and can also tolerate a longer steep than green tea, since it holds less of the compounds that turn harsh quickly.

When buying, look for visibly silvery, downy buds, often called white hairs, as a sign of quality and careful picking. A common mistake is brewing white tea like black tea, with boiling water and a fast steep, which mutes its delicate flavor instead of letting it come through the way a gentler brew does.