What is your opinion of White Tea?
I get the consensus that it isn’t commonly drunk. I would like to know what people’s opinion of it is!
I think it isn’t as popular in our market as most of it being offered is stale garbage.
Along with poor steeping instructions treating it like a delicate green tea, it has no flavor so people gave up on it.
It is somewhat catching on in the more obsessed tea drinker, but the general market is a no.
I agree that there is not too much white tea in the US market and the International market it is hard to know what you are getting.
In the UK, if I’m desperate, I can usually get a cup of ‘loose-leaf-in-a-plastic-teabag’ cup of white tea from most of the rural coffee shops. Sure, it’s broken-leaf tea, but some vendors even know to brew it at a lower temperature, which isn’t something insignificant. I’ve never found anywhere local selling yellow tea in a plastic teabag, nor puerh, nor oolong for that matter. I’m a bit surprised that nowhere local sells oolong tea, now I think about it. Maybe they keep it underneath the counter. Who knows.
I love white tea, though generally the blends. It’s green tea that I’m not a huge fan of, though there have been a few I really liked. I think alot of people have been put off by white tea being more $$.
I don’t drink too much of it; however, when I do, I usually brew it at the low temperature of 75 °C. I find that if I brew the tea at a higher temperature, say even at 80 °C, the hot water extracts a woody taste that I don’t like. I find that this woody taste overpowers the sweetness and delicateness associated with white tea. I’ve heard of people brewing white tea at 85 °C, and sometimes even partially breaking up the tea leaves; however, I’m afraid that this is not for me. If I drink white tea it’s usually after drinking a lot of puerh tea, mainly just to give my stomach a wee break.
I was just looking up “Tea: Histories, Terroirs, Varieties”, and the book says that the recommended brewing temperature for silver needle tea is 65-75 °C, white peony 75-80 °C, and white teas from Darjeeling are apparently best brewed at 80-90 °C.
depends on the tea but i sometimes like a 90 C white tea, especially if it’s aged a bit. right now ive been drinking a bud heavy bai mu dan at 80 C and 85 C depending on the day.
Like everyone else is saying, I think this is largely about steeping methods. I have a few white teas, but they tend to stay in my cupboard because I don’t want to mess them up. Combine that with the fact that many white teas have a similar profile and are of dubious quality, and it might explain why this type isn’t very popular.
I’ve had good luck with the ones I bought, steeping them at 80 C. I confess I don’t drink that much: mostly just a change of pace.
In China, fresh white tea isn’t that popular. People mainly drink aged white, as it’s less harsh on the stomach.
I am still learning about the different types of tea. Considering all I have to go on is Adagio’s White Symphony and White Peach, I likely don’t have the most informed opinion. I will say that I tend to brew at 180 degrees F (I don’t know what that is C). I have found that the white tea I have is very mild and almost like drinking hot water. There is enough flavor to be noticed, but I can see why many people wouldn’t like it.
White tea is processed in a special and the most natural way: The tender and tippy leaves, without stir fixation or rolling, are placed in soft sunlight or in a room with good ventilation. It lacks the oxidation of tea polyphenol like green tea or promotes oxidation like black tea. White fuzzy tips are kept completely. The 70% or 80% dried leaves are baked with slow fire. Thanks to the simple, the least processes, white tea keeps the nutrients of its leaves
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