Among the tea varieties, white tea is one of the most delicate tea because of its processing requires very controlled conditions. It is obtained from the very young leaves of the tea tree (Camelia sinensis) and its production is very low, so its cost is higher. In this article, we will tell you more about the characteristics of white tea and its difference from other teas.
Because white tea leaves do not undergo oxidation (or this is minimal), white tea is the one that contains the least amount of caffeine, about 15 mg per cup. On the other hand, it is the tea that has more catechins and polyphenols, which are responsible for great health benefits.
White tea is a tea renowned for its antioxidant power and therefore, for its anti-aging properties. In fact, some call it the elixir of youth. That is why we are going to tell you about its characteristics and virtues in this post. Although it is important to tell you that its advantages will be very valid in your body if you accompany its consumption with good lifestyle habits (diet, exercise, etc).
Characteristics of White Tea
White tea is a very powerful natural antioxidant due to its high level of polyphenols. Numerous studies have revealed that a glass of white tea has the antioxidant power of 14 glasses of fresh orange juice. Surprising, right?
The key lies in your collection process. You already know that white tea, like green, red or black, comes from the leaves of the same plant, Camellia Sinensis. The difference between white and other teas is that their leaves are not fermented. Immediately after harvesting, the heat fermentation is cut off.
Another characteristic of white tea is that the most tender bud is collected, the leaves closest to the end of the branch. In other types of tea, both buds and mature leaves are collected.
By not going through so many steps when processing it, white tea sprouts preserve their antioxidant virtues to a greater extent, hence the property that has made them so famous.
The Origin of White Tea
The origin of this tea is attributed to China back in the years 618-907 after Christ; however, the history of this is complicated and controversial since there is no bibliography on the matter since the knowledge was passed from parents to children.
The first time anything about this tea is published is in 1876.
The Taste of White Tea
A characteristic of white tea is its mild and light taste. And the higher the quality of the blades, the softer, lighter, and more subtle it is.
Some people accustomed to the intense flavor of black or red teas, come to consider it tasteless.
For this reason, when someone in the store asks us about white tea, we analyze what type of tea they usually drink, if they have consumed it before and what type of quality. For a person who is starting in the world of white teas, we usually recommend flavored and/or blends of white teas with green tea. With the idea that little by little your palate adapts to this soft and subtle flavor.
The Price of White Tea
Something that is striking is the price since this is higher than other types of tea.
As we said at the beginning, the key to this tea is the harvesting process, very careful and select.
If you look at a handful of Silver Needle white tea, you will see that there are no green leaves, but the so-called "eyebrows" (so-called because of the resemblance to an eyebrow if you put it with the curve up), these "eyebrows" are the buds of the leaves not yet opened of the tea plant and in a whole working day barely 40-80 grams are collected.
It also influences that the volume of white tea is greater than other teas, being in some cases double or even triple. We always recommend not buying a tea for its price, but for its quality.
Types of White Tea
To talk about the types of white tea, we are going to focus on those who work in our store.
Throughout these years we have made a selection of the most demanded and valued in terms of taste and quality.
Flavored White Teas
These are white teas or sometimes mixed with green tea to which an ingredient or aroma has been added. We recommend these flavors to new consumers of white tea or to those who need a more intense flavor.
Pai Mu-So
It is the most common and economical, the most basic in the range of white teas. It is a collection of shoots with some more mature leaves and even a stem.
Snows Buds
The quality goes up compared to the previous one. It is the tip of the bud and the leaves they present are tender and not deployed. It is grown at an altitude of 1000 meters and is harvested with careful manual “plucking” in which only a few leaves and shoots are collected.
This tea offers a light green color mixed with the characteristic silver, the infusion made has a soft green tone and is delicate and fruity in taste.
Silver Needle or Silver Needles
The best quality white tea. In this tea, you will only see the eyebrow of the tea. It grows at an altitude of between 850-1000 meters. The climate, soil conditions, morning fog, and a large amount of sun the plants receive in the afternoon make this tea unique.
In the cup it gives a bright infusion with a pinkish touch, developing a soft aroma and a taste on the tongue reminiscent of apricot.
The flavor of this tea is extremely light and is only recommended for habitual palates with high-quality white tea. The leaves can be reinfused several times (two or three).
The Benefits of White Tea
As white tea comes, it has the same origin as all the varieties of pure tea (black, green, red, etc.) it shares the same properties due to the characteristics of the leaves of the Camelia sinensis tree. It is also digestive, antibacterial, moisturizing, and has all the properties of tea.
However, due to its chemical composition, it is much more similar to green tea than white, its main characteristic being the greater amount of polyphenols and other oxidants, and the lower concentration of caffeine.
2. It is a Powerful Antioxidant
One of the great benefits of tea is the high concentration of antioxidants they have. White tea is precisely the one with the highest level of catechins and polyphenols.
Studies on this variety of tea are not so frequent because its consumption is not very widespread, due to its scarce and expensive production. However, we know that this quality of white tea gives it a wide range of benefits.
Antioxidants protect the body from free radicals that are freely produced by our metabolism and that cause many harmful processes such as DNA damage and cell aging. Antioxidants protect us from several of these effects, such as type II diabetes or cancer.
3. Great Hope in the Fight against Cancer
Antioxidants have always been recommended as cancer preventives. In white tea, an antioxidant, in particular, known as ECGC, is a component that could be used for the treatment of cancer. This molecule is also a polyphenol and is the "star" of cancer researchers. One of the studies is considering getting the patient to take pills with ECGC and some other component that transports it directly to the young cancer cells.
Meanwhile, you have to settle for enjoying a rich white tea so that your digestive system absorbs these beneficial molecules.
4. White Tea is Antibacterial
As we have already mentioned, the different varieties of tea have a disinfecting effect against various bacteria, especially some pathogens that are found in the intestine and on the skin or mucous membranes.
Again, it is the polyphenols that are responsible for this effect, and white tea is the one with the highest concentration. This is very useful to combat bad breath, due to dental plaque.
5. Regulates the Immune System and Associated Inflammation
Fatal sepsis (or shock) is an abnormal response of the body to infection. The disorder is very serious because symptoms - which include a drop in blood pressure leading to septic shock and failure of major organs, such as the kidneys, liver, lungs, and central nervous system - develop rapidly. Half of the affected patients die.
In a new laboratory study, Haichao Wang, Ph.D., of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and his colleagues have been studying the therapeutic powers of dozens of Chinese herbal compounds to reverse this fatal immune response. They discovered that white tea, thanks to the ECGC it contains, was able to stop the process in mice, causing them to recover. It appears that white tea inhibits the cells of the immune system from becoming "hyper-excited" and that this discovery could be the solution for many other conditions such as allergies and inflammations.
6. Help to Lose Weight
White tea benefits for weight loss: We already know that all teas are very good companions when following a diet to lose weight. Teas are hydrating and diuretic, and as such, they eliminate toxins from our body by stimulating metabolism. But white tea has a very interesting effect: it produces satiety. This is also due to the ECGC, which increases the production of Cholecystokinin (CCK) in the intestine and which is responsible for making us feel satisfied after eating.
Although it seems like a tongue twister, it is not! It is enough to know that a cup of white tea between meals will make you feel satisfied and overcome the crises of any diet.
7. Protects Heart Function
Like many heart-healthy fruits and vegetables, white tea is high in flavonoids that help lower high blood pressure. By lowering blood pressure, white tea is helpful for a wide range of cardiovascular health benefits.
8. White Tea Benefits for Skin: Improve Your Skin and Prevent Wrinkles
If there is one effect that all human beings want, it is to stop aging. Until science or technology allows us to live forever young (or a few more years), we can use resources that will give our skin a much more youthful appearance and delay the appearance of wrinkles and their depth.
White tea is one of those resources, due to its well-studied oxidizing characteristics, which protect skin cells (and also the brain and liver) from the effects of aging. But also polyphenols protect from the harmful action of the sun's rays, ultraviolet A and B when ingested for at least 1 year.
9. It Has a Very Subtle Flavor
If all its health benefits are not enough for you, you should at least try white tea for its properties faithful to the brewing process. Its aroma and flavor are very subtle, and slightly sweet, even more so with the second and third sip than at the beginning.
It is ideal to try it with additions such as rose petals, vanilla, or cinnamon because it enhances those flavors without confusing them. It is not advisable to add milk because that subtlety is lost. Slightly sweetened with Stevia it makes it a very versatile drink.
As we mentioned at the beginning, the greatest virtue of white tea is its antioxidant property. But this drink gives us other benefits very similar to those of green tea.
White Tea vs Green Tea
All studies and recommendations always point towards the consumption of green tea. Why is this reference to green tea and not white tea? Let's see the main differences between green tea and white tea.
Both green and white tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. On the other hand, the harvest of white tea is carried out before that of green tea. The collection of white tea only takes place for a few days at the beginning of spring, it is done carefully by hand and selecting the highest quality buds. Regarding processing, green tea is partially oxidized and in the case of white tea, oxidation is minimal. Black tea, on the other hand, is a tea that is highly oxidized during its processing and therefore does not preserve all its antioxidants well. Both green tea and white tea are considered rich in antioxidants, but white tea has more.
How much difference is there between green tea and white tea?
Depending on the variety of tea and although this figure is not exact but indicative, we can say that green tea contains 75% antioxidants compared to white tea. For this reason, white tea is sometimes said to be more beneficial than green tea. Most studies refer that the causal agent of the beneficial health effects of green tea is antioxidants. Therefore, if white tea contains more antioxidants, it is probably also more beneficial to health.
On the other hand, green tea contains more caffeine. A cup of green tea contains approximately 25-30 mg of caffeine and white tea about 15-20 mg. Many of the benefits of tea are associated with caffeine. We can say that green tea is more balanced because although it contains fewer antioxidants than white tea, it is still a drink rich in antioxidants. Besides, green tea contains more caffeine, which would be more useful for weight loss and increasing alertness or concentration levels.
Is green tea or white tea better?
We think the reason green tea is always recommended is that it is better known, cheaper, and easier to buy. In addition, studies on white tea would be difficult to carry out since very few people consume it.
Both are two beneficial drinks and if you are hesitating between choosing one or the other, pay attention to the benefits you expect: If you are more interested in losing weight and staying awake while enjoying all the benefits of antioxidants, we recommend tea green. If you don't like the effect of caffeine and you drink tea mainly looking for a beneficial effect on your health, we recommend white tea.
Although keep in mind that both are perfectly compatible, the difference between the antioxidant content is very modest and that of caffeine is also very modest if we compare it with black tea which contains few antioxidants and a lot of caffeine.
At a Glance of White Tea Value
* It is a powerful diuretic
* Consumed between meals helps weight loss diets
* It reduces the risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases
* Improve defenses
* Take care of our skin, preventing skin inflammations and dandruff
* Its catechin content helps prevent hair loss and cares for the scalp
* Due to its phenol content, it stimulates the production of elastin and collagen, which contributes to the maintenance of the skin in good condition
* Catechins also strengthen the body against liver diseases
If you are fond of tea, do not hesitate to try white tea.
White Tea - The Rarest of all Teas
You May Like
0 Comments