Types of Chinese tea
White tea
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| File photo: White tea |
White tea derives its name from the distinctive white-colored appearance of the dry tea. The variety is made with uncured buds and young leaves of some tea cultivars from southeast China's Fujian Province. Those buds and leaves go through minimal processing so that they are kept closer to their natural state. Even the silvery-white hairs on the leaves are preserved, which gives the dry tea a whitish appearance.
Both green and white teas are among the most lightly oxidized teas, which increases the teas' antioxidant properties. Young tea leaves contain higher caffeine than older ones, so the caffeine content of white tea may be higher than that of green tea. China's white tea sells well in the United States because American scientists found that elements from white tea are beneficial to people's health.
White tea is a specialty of Fujian Province. Well-known brands of white tea are Bai Hao Yinzhen, Bai Mu Dan, Gong Mei and Shou Mei.
