White tea | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Chinese | 白茶 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | White tea | ||||||||||||||||||||
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White tea may refer to one of several styles of tea which generally feature young or minimally processed leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. [1]
Currently there is no generally accepted definition of white tea and very little international agreement on how it can be defined. Some sources use the term to refer tea that is merely dried with no additional processing. [2] Therefore,white tea is very close to the natural state of the tea plant. Other sources use the term to refer to tea made from the buds and immature tea leaves picked shortly before the buds have fully opened and allowed to wither and dry under the sun,[ citation needed ] while others include tea buds and very young leaves which have been steamed or fired before drying. [3] Most definitions agree,however,that white tea is not rolled or oxidized,[ citation needed ] resulting in a flavor characterized as "lighter" than most green or traditional black teas.
In spite of its name,brewed white tea is pale yellow. Its name derives from the fine silvery-white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea plant,which give the plant a whitish appearance. The unopened buds are used for some types of white tea.
It is harvested primarily in China,mostly in the Fujian province, [4] but more recently produced in Taiwan,Eastern Nepal,Thailand,Galle (Southern Sri Lanka) and northeast India.
What is today known as white tea may have come into creation in the last two centuries;scholars and tea merchants generally disagree as to when the first production of white tea (as it is understood in China today) began. White tea may have first appeared in English publication in 1876,where it was categorized as a black tea,because the leaves are not steamed first as in the making of green tea in order to denature intrinsic oxidative enzymes. [5]
White tea is often sold as Silvery Tip Pekoe in the style of the tea leaf grading system,as well as under the simple designations China White and Fujian White. [4]
Some tea from the related wild Camellia taliensis in Yunnan is made using white tea processing techniques.
White tea,like black and green tea,is made from the Camellia sinensis plant and contains polyphenols,a set of phytonutrients that are thought to be responsible for the health effects of tea. [6] [7] Different white teas have different amounts of catechins,a category of polyphenols,and the overall range of concentrations overlaps with that of green tea,meaning that some white teas have the same concentration of polyphenols as some green teas. This may be due to the variety of the tea plant from which the tea was picked,the cultivation technique,and the way in which the tea was processed. [8]
White tea generally contains less caffeine than green or black tea. However,the exact amount can vary depending on several factors such as the type of tea,how it's brewed,and the brand. Here's a general comparison:
White Tea:The caffeine content in white tea can range from 6 to 55 mg per cup (250 mL) [9]
Green Tea:A 250mL cup of green tea contains around 30 mg of caffeine [10]
Black Tea:The caffeine content in black tea is around 50 mg per cup (250 mL) [11]
The base process for manufacturing white tea is as follows:
White tea belongs to the group of tea that does not require panning,rolling or shaking. However,the selection of raw material in white tea manufacture is extremely stringent;only the plucking of young tea leaves with much fine hair can produce good-quality white tea of a high pekoe (grading) value. [12]
Four primary plucking styles exist for Chinese white teas. The first,and highest quality,Baihao Yinzhen,is just the bud of the tea plant. Bai Mudan white tea is typically composed of one bud and two leaves. Gongmei white tea is similar to Bai Mudan,but includes three to four leaves. The lowest grade of white tea,Shoumei,has many leaves and few buds. [13]
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis,an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northern Myanmar. Tea is also made,but rarely,from the leaves of Camellia taliensis. After plain water,tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world. There are many different types of tea;some have a cooling,slightly bitter,and astringent flavour,while others have profiles that include sweet,nutty,floral,or grassy notes. Tea has a stimulating effect in humans,primarily due to its caffeine content.
Green tea is a type of tea made from the leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millennium BC,and since then its production and manufacture has spread to other countries in East Asia.
Lapsang souchong or Zhengshan xiaozhong is a black tea consisting of Camellia sinensis leaves that is smoke-dried over a pinewood fire. This smoking is accomplished either as a cold smoke of the raw leaves as they are processed or as a hot smoke of previously processed leaves. The intensity of the smoke aroma can be varied by locating the leaves closer or farther from the source of heat and smoke or by adjusting the duration of the process. The flavour and aroma of smoked lapsang souchong is described as containing empyreumatic notes,including wood smoke,pine resin,smoked paprika,and dried longan;it may be mixed with milk but is not bitter and usually not sweetened with sugar. The tea originates from the Wuyi Mountains region of Fujian and is considered a Wuyi tea. It is also produced in Taiwan. It has been labelled as smoked tea,smoky souchong,tarry lapsang souchong and lapsang souchong crocodile. While the tea leaf grading system adopted the term souchong to refer to a particular leaf position,lapsang souchong may be made with any leaf of the Camellia sinensis plant,though it is not unusual for the lower leaves,which are larger and less flavourful,to be used as the smoking compensates for the lower flavour profile and the higher leaves are more valuable for use in unflavoured or unblended teas. In addition to its consumption as a tea,lapsang souchong is also used in stock for soups,stews and sauces or otherwise as a spice or seasoning. Beginning in the early 21st century,an unsmoked variety of lapsang souchong was developed in the village of Tong Mu Guan in the Wuyi mountains. The unsmoked variety has become increasingly popular,particularly in the Chinese domestic market.
Pu'er or pu-erh is a variety of fermented tea traditionally produced in Yunnan Province,China. In the context of traditional Chinese tea production terminology,fermentation refers to microbial fermentation,and is typically applied after the tea leaves have been sufficiently dried and rolled. As the tea undergoes controlled microbial fermentation,it also continues to oxidize,which is also controlled,until the desired flavors are reached. This process produces tea known as hēichá (黑茶),literally "black tea",though the term is commonly translated to English as "dark tea" to distinguish it from the English-language black tea,for which it is not.
Theaceae,the tea family,is a family of flowering plants comprising shrubs and trees,including the economically important tea plant,and the ornamental camellias. It can be described as having from seven to 40 genera,depending on the source and the method of circumscription used. The family Ternstroemiaceae has been included within Theaceae;however,the APG III system of 2009 places it instead in Pentaphylacaceae. Most but not all species are native to China and East Asia.
In the tea industry,tea leaf grading is the process of evaluating products based on the quality and condition of the tea leaves themselves.
Camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves,leaf buds,and stems can be used to produce tea. Common names include tea plant,tea shrub,and tea tree.
Decaffeination is the removal of caffeine from coffee beans,cocoa,tea leaves,and other caffeine-containing materials. Decaffeinated products are commonly termed by the abbreviation decaf. Decaffeinated drinks contain typically 1–2% of the original caffeine content,but sometimes as much as 20%.
Assam tea is a black tea named after Assam,India,the region of its production. It is manufactured specifically from the plant Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Masters). Assam's people tried to plant the Chinese varieties in Assam soil but did not succeed. Assam tea is now mostly grown at or near sea level and is known for its body,briskness,malty flavour,and strong,bright colour. Assam teas,or blends containing Assam tea,are often sold as "breakfast" teas. For instance,Irish breakfast tea,a maltier and stronger breakfast tea,consists of small-sized Assam tea leaves.
Bai Mudan is a type of white tea made from plucks each with one leaf shoot and two immediate young leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Bai Mudan is sometimes preferred by white tea drinkers for its fuller flavor and greater potency than the other major type of white tea,Bai Hao Yinzhen. The latter is made purely with leaf shoots,and so it is comparatively softer and more subtle. The typical taste of Bai Mudan is a result of both the processing and the tea plant cultivars employed in the production.
Baihao Yinzhen,also known as White Hair Silver Needle,is a white tea produced in Fujian Province in China. Amongst white teas,this is the most expensive variety and the most prized,as only top buds of the Camellia sinensis plant are used to produce the tea. Genuine Silver Needles are made from cultivars of the Da Bai tea tree family. There are other productions that look similar with downy leaf shoots but most are green teas,and as green teas,they taste differently and have a different biochemical potency than the genuine white tea Silver Needle. It is commonly included among China's famous teas.
Theanine,commonly known as L-theanine and sometimes L-gamma-glutamylethylamide or N5-ethyl-L-glutamine,is an amino acid analogue of the proteinogenic amino acids L-glutamate and L-glutamine. It is produced by certain plants such as Camellia sinensis,and by some fungi. It was discovered in 1949 as a constituent of green tea and isolated from gyokuro leaves in 1950,thus rendering it a natural product. It constitutes about 1–2% of the dry weight of green tea leaves.
Darjeeling tea is a tea made from Camellia sinensis var. sinensis that is grown and processed in Darjeeling district or Kalimpong district in West Bengal,India. Since 2004,the term Darjeeling tea has been a registered geographical indication referring to products produced on certain estates within Darjeeling and Kalimpong. The tea leaves are processed as black tea,though some estates have expanded their product offerings to include leaves suitable for making green,white,and oolong teas.
Tea processing is the method in which the leaves from the tea plant Camellia sinensis are transformed into the dried leaves for brewing tea.
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG),also known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate,is the ester of epigallocatechin and gallic acid,and is a type of catechin.
The phenolic content in tea refers to the phenols and polyphenols,natural plant compounds which are found in tea. These chemical compounds affect the flavor and mouthfeel of tea. Polyphenols in tea include catechins,theaflavins,tannins,and flavonoids.
Black tea is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong,yellow,white,and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from leaves of the shrub Camellia sinensis, though Camellia taliensis is also rarely used.
Camellia taliensis is a small species of evergreen shrub whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea.
Bai Mudan or Baimudan or White Peony may refer to: