The benefits of White Tea

benefits-of-white-tea

What is white tea?

White tea is a blend of the delicate unopened buds and carefully harvested immature leaves of the Camilla sinensis plant. Great care is needed when harvesting white tea to ensure the buds are not fractured, as the young leaves are fragile and delicate to handle.

The buds and leaves are individually gathered by hand and air dried in the early days of Spring. The tea is named after the fine white hairs that are visible on the young, unopened tea buds.

We directly source our organic white tea from a growing cooperative in the Fujian province of China.

What does white tea taste like?

White tea is a pure and light tea with a very delicate body and a clean, slightly sweet aroma. Its flavour is subtle, refreshing and mild compared to black and green tea, which are harvested from the same plant, with differing processing methods.

Health benefits of white tea

White tea is renowned for its high antioxidant properties and low caffeine content. White Tea has traditionally been used for its anti-inflammatory qualities, as a supplement for cleansing, and to help reduce the signs of premature aging.

The presence of polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins in White Tea are thought to help reduce the signs of aging by assisting in the recovery of damaged skin cells and to improve oral health by stopping the growth of bacteria that causes plaque formation.

When should I drink white tea?

White tea also contains less caffeine compared to Green and Black tea varieties, so it can be enjoyed throughout the morning and later in day.

Our white tea selection offers a wide variety of different grades, from a snow bud variety of  White Tea grown at high altitude, to an especially carefully hand picked and produced Silver Needles or a more of a fruity blend of White tea Rose and Goji berries.

White Tea

Our standard white tea is called snow bud. It’s grown organically and sourced directly from a growing cooperative in the Fujian province of China. It is a combination of buds and only the newest leaves, which are individually gathered by hand and dried in the early days of spring. Our White Tea Organic Loose Leaf is a pure and light tea with a very delicate body and a clean, slightly sweet aroma.

White Rose and Goji

This is a botanical blend of white tea, delicate flowers and naturally sweet goji berries. Hibiscus flowers, rose petals, and rose hips bring this beautiful blend to life, offering a clean body, with a light, refreshing flavour. This blend can be enjoyed both hot and as a refreshing iced tea.

Silver Needles

Silver needle tea or bai hao yin zhen is a white tea, grown and picked entirely by hand in the Hunan province of China. Harvested on just a handful of days per year, it is the most revered and expensive variety of white tea grown, with only the top downy buds (new shoots) used to produce the tea. Silver needles offer a very pure, subtle and superior flavour of white tea that can be steeped multiple times presenting delicate variations with each steeping.

The Love Tea range is Certified Organic, fairly traded, packed in completely biodegradable packaging and hand packed in Melbourne.

How to brew white tea

White Tea & White Rose and Goji

Place a heaped teaspoon (2 grams) of tea per cup (250ml) into a teapot or infuser. Add filtered water at 65ºc–75ºc and allow to infuse for 3–4 minutes. Strain the tea and serve.

Silver Needles

Place a heaped teaspoon (3 grams) of tea per cup (250ml) into a teapot or infuser, add filtered water at 65ºc-75ºc and allow to infuse for 4 – 5 minutes, strain the tea and serve.

Because of the lower caffeine content and the high antioxidants in White Tea, we recommend consuming 2-4 cups of White Tea per day. You are also able to steep the same tea leaves multiple times. Please also avoid using boiling water to brew your White Tea as this may breakdown the nutrients and antioxidants in the buds and leaves.

You can purchase the entire White Tea range on our website here.