Character
The Story of White Tea
Discover white tea, one of the world's least processed teas, whose delicate down-covered buds yield a fresh, subtly sweet fragrance prized in modern perfumery for its clean, calming character.
Heritage
White tea carries one of the oldest documented lineages among Chinese teas. The earliest records appear during the Eastern Han Dynasty, when a young man named Yin Zhen brought homemade tea to Confucian master Xu Shen. The master's residence filled with such rich aroma that he invited Yin Zhen inside to brew it. Xu Shen later annotated the character for tea in his classic dictionary, Shuowen Jiezi, describing its color, aroma, and taste. The term "white tea" first appeared in Lu Yu's Tea Classic during the Tang Dynasty, referencing tea from mountains east of Yongjia County. Cultivation centered in Fujian Province's misty highlands, where cool temperatures and gentle rainfall nurture the prized buds into their distinctive silver-furred form, unchanged for centuries.
At a Glance
15
Feature this note
China
Primary source region
Ingredient Details
Supercritical CO2 extraction
Dried tea leaves and buds
Did You Know
"White tea gets its name from silvery down covering the buds, resembling snow on silver needles."
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