White tea

White tea (Silver Needle, White Peony, Bai Mu Dan) is made from buds and young leaves of Camellia sinensis with almost no processing: the leaf is plucked, withered for a long time and dried, often in the sun. It is neither rolled nor heated to stop the enzymes.

The classic styles come from Fujian province in China: Yin Zhen uses buds only, Pai Mu Tan buds with a few young leaves.

The plant is the usual tea bush, as for the other types. In Fujian the traditional cultivar for white tea is Da Bai.

The method fits into two steps. Withering usually lasts 36–48 hours, then the leaf is dried; steaming sometimes replaces withering. No microbes ferment the leaf here: Assad and colleagues (2023) call white tea only very slightly oxidised, and Hilal and Engelhardt (2007) state that production comes down to drying.

The Chinese definition cited by these authors ties white tea to Fujian, traditional processing rules and a spring harvest. Elsewhere the name is often used for tea made only from buds and first leaves, a definition that would exclude Pai Mu Tan. The EU–China geographical indications deal gave Fuding Bai Cha, white tea from Fuding, protection on 1 March 2021.

The liquor is pale yellow, with a light umami note and a fresh green aroma touched with sweetness. White tea does contain caffeine, and no less than green tea. Hilal and Engelhardt compared about 30 samples of each from the same districts: dry white leaf held 3.35–5.74 g of caffeine per 100 g (average 4.85), green leaf 1.67–3.90 g (average 2.90). These are dry-leaf figures, not cup figures; USDA data for brewed white tea was not obtained.

Green tea is not oxidised either, but it is heated by steam or in a pan straight away, while white tea is only withered. Yellow tea adds a covered yellowing stage, and Oolong tea is shaken hard. The Types of tea page maps all these routes.

On the pack, look for the style: Yin Zhen (Silver Needle) or Pai Mu Tan (White Peony). The name Fuding Bai Cha with a PGI symbol points to Fuding. UKTIA's table has no separate row for white tea, only general water guides: 90–98 °C for black, about 80 °C for green.

Why this matters to you: if you count caffeine, do not treat white tea as a caffeine-free stand-in for green.