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Know Your Tea: Unearthing the Beauty and Uniqueness of White Tea

Know Your Tea

White tea is not green tea, nor can it be easily defined as just a harvest of tea leaf buds in the spring. White tea was named for the under belly of its unopened leaf buds that retain baby fuzz and make the buds look silvery white. But not all unopened buds are then automatically white teas. The criteria of single origin white tea is three fold: It has to be of the Fujian Da Bai varietals #1, or #2. These varietals produce large, full, whitish leaf buds with a lot of flavor. Indigenous to the northern Fujian area around Fuding, near Taimu mountain, Da Bai varietals are suitable for making green tea as well. It must follow the white tea processing method, which is strictly sun or hot air dried. Modern day production methods include a room where hot air is forced through a room full of bamboo racks…

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Which of these White Peony white teas were made for export to the…

Single Origin Teas

Which of these White Peony white teas were made for export to the West, at low prices (roughly 1/3), and from Guangxi? Can’t tell? At very close look, I can tell, but the taste gives it away. The palate is the ultimate judge, above any claims from anyone. But that means one has to have a frame of reference for what is true white tea (or true any other tea). Mr. Lin says few local professional tea buyers would ever be fooled, and at the prices that the Western importers demand, they can only get a version from Guangxi. They do disclose that fact if asked. I bet no one does. There is even white tea from Vietnam in the West. But some of us live and die by specificity of terroir and maker, and the truth is always paramount above business dealings. Mr. Lin was highly amused with the faces I was making today- he intentionally trotted out a bunch of fakes to test my reaction. Not knowing it was pop quiz time, I didn’t want to offend, but every face said- WTF…. Mr. Lin smirked and was very entertained. I must have passed with flying colors, because at the end, he brought out the small batch of sublime Bailin Gongfu. And Guangxi, folks, is very far away from Fuding, Fujian, home of white tea. But not as far as Vietnam.

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Which is the 40 hour process white tea, which is the shortcut 20…

Taste and Flavor

Which is the 40 hour process white tea, which is the shortcut 20 hour version out in the market today? The difference to me is obvious, and not an acceptable one. I opt for the traditional 40 hour method, with the sugary melon notes, vs. the grassy greener shortcut with a fragrance like cheap perfume. Those who don’t know, said Mr. Lin, insist on the shortcut Silver Needle. Mr. Lin shows off his pure silver water kettle that he cooks his aged white teas with. The smooth water quality of pure silver vs impure silver vs mere stainless steel kettles, is extreme! I take his word for it. Though I failed to score some Fuding mountain water, I am determined to get a pure silver kettle to test just how much better water boiled in it can taste.

As for the White Down, the March 28 lot was sublime- ashy grey silver, like Mr. Lin’s silver pot. Beautiful, 1000 meter elevation, tight needles, exquisite liquor.

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Day 7 harvest of the White Peony King and Day 4 of the White Down…

Tea Adventures

Day 7 harvest of the White Peony King and Day 4 of the White Down (Baihao Yinzhen) costs doubled this year, due to huge sudden demand for place of origin leaves. Word got around on the health benefits. In China, it’s just the opposite: good tea taste comes first, health benefits second. Place of origin is really important, since ‘white teas’ from anywhere other than Fuding origin white varietals can not claim those benefits, nor taste.
My face turned a scorching black. So, do we not import white teas this year, or make zero or lose money ? Raise the price? Sure. The Chinese economy clips along at a forced slowdown to 9% growth in GDP, while the US is lucky is we get to 3% growth. That and the currency exchange and other woes, pretty much gives us the following options:
1. Sell fake white teas like other tea merchants
2. Increase the price so we break even
3. Not raise the price and lose money
4. Not sell any white teas

Unlike green teas where I have numerous regions to choose from ( we are not carrying Taiping Houkui until prices get back to reasonable), only real white tea is what we will carry.

Stay tuned, our final prices will come in in a few days.

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Tasting through the last 9 days of white tea harvests with Mr….

Tea Adventures

Tasting through the last 9 days of white tea harvests with Mr. Lin, whose family is the top producer and leader of the white tea industry in Fuding. He’s not happy today- the rainfall has made the wilting indoors really difficult and his staff were not paying enough attention.
We tasted through samples of each day, along with the senior tea buyer of Anxi Empereur Tea, who is responsible for purchasing for a mere 600 stores. It was nice to taste with other professionals much more senior to myself, and finding exact concurrence. Day 7’s harvest of the White Peony and Day 9 were the best. Day 7 was sweeter and smoother, day 9 was most flavorful. Though I agreed completely- Days 3 through 6 were too light yet – I chose Day 7. It represented bright clear Spring.
One year, I sat in that same room tasting white teas with some Russian buyers who knew little of what they were tasting. It was a far cry from tasting with real black belts and finding that after all, my choices matched theirs exactly. That means while tea tasting is subjective, judging is less so. If we ever get to 600 stores, I guess I would still be the teabuyer!

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True white tea

Tea Adventures

Visiting with Mr. Lin, one of the producers of white tea in the Fuding area. As we had dinner right on the water in a fishing village, he commented on how just not too long ago, when he and his brothers were harvesting tea up in the hills behind us, his sister would cast a net right here, catch some fish, and walk them all the way up the mountain for her brothers. This beautiful new highway and…

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