White tea is one of the six major classifications of tea, named for its most notable feature: the prominent white hairs (or “silver tips”). The production method involves harvesting the leaves without undergoing panning (the process of pan-firing the leaves) or rolling. Instead, the leaves are left to wither for 48-72 hours and then directly dried. The types of Chinese white tea are distinguished based on the quality of the tea buds, which include Silver Needle, White Peony, Gong Mei, and Shou Mei.
Types of Chinese White Tea
This is the highest grade of white tea, made solely from the buds of the tea leaves. On average, it takes around 20,000 buds to produce 500 grams of Silver Needle tea.
Only one bud with one leaf or one bud with two leaves is harvested to produce this tea, and the leaves must be young and tender. On average, each tea picker can harvest only 1-2 kilograms per day.
This tea is made from one bud with two or three leaves, with the buds required to have white hairs. It currently has a relatively high production volume among white teas.
Made from more mature tea leaves, it is named “Shou Mei” because the leaves resemble an elderly person’s eyebrows (“Shou” means longevity in Chinese).