WHITE TEA

A partially fermented tea created in the northernmost part of China, (whose tea plants tend to have naturally longer tips than those of Indian and Ceylon varietals), White Tea gets its name both from a particular tea plant variety and its method of processing, which raises small silvery hairs on the dried leaves and buds similar in appearance to the fuzz on a ripe peach. Using only the youngest first flush panicles of the tea plant, white teas are a delicacy, light and very sweet. White teas are not graded as Black and Green Teas are, but are prized by the region from which they originate. True white teas are produced in the northernmost part of the Fujian district, including the rarest Silver Needle Pekoe and Mu Tan. White teas grown in India or Ceylon are often good quality leaves, but lack the processing nuances of their northern neighbor.