The History of White Tea

A Chinese Legend

According to Chinese legend, about 5,000 years ago, Emperor Shen Nung was traveling through the countryside. The water was dirty and not suitable for drinking, so it was ordered to boil. Suddenly the wind blew a sheet of tea in a cup of hot water. The Curious Emperor leaf, steep then drank the brew. Then, the tea was born.

This beverage became admired during China's Song Dynasty (960-1279). It was the choice of the royal court and was given as a tribute to the emperor. The leaves and buds of white tea were ground into a silvery powder, which was then carried in containers during the Song tea ceremony. This was the inspiration for the famous Japanese tea ceremony.

Song emperor was known for his love of white tea. Hui Zong (1101-1125) became so obsessed with finding the perfect tea lost much of its empire.

The Ultimate Luxury

White tea is commonly like green tea, Oolong or black, it grows from the Camellia Sinensis plant, but in this case the leaves are picked by hand before they are fully open. They are still covered with fine white hair and white tea is called because of its careful elaboration, natural drying, the leaves retain their antioxidant content.

This tea contains most of the same organic and natural compounds found in the more mature green leaf tea, but some studies have shown that the antioxidant concentration is three times higher than in green tea leaves. Low in caffeine, but it has light and sweet flavor.

White tea is grown commercially in many countries around the world, not just in China. For example, India is also produces a large amount of tea every year, includes white tea, like Japan and Sri Lanka. However, white tea is still a specialty of the Fujian province in China. White tea is grown in many varieties and types, and can sometimes be difficult to distinguish. The poetic names that have traditionally given to the different qualities are certainly interesting, and give an air of mystery and exclusivity

During the following centuries, white tea powder and tea ceremony song were abandoned by loose leaf tea. In 1885, selected varieties of tea plant were developed for white tea.

For centuries, White tea was the ultimate luxury, reserved only for the Emperor of China. It remains rare, and unchanged until the nineteenth century, when they begin to cultivate different varieties and be exported to neighboring Asian countries, where the tradition of tea was very strong. Export to the West is a recent development in the history of white tea, and has only increased its demand in últimad decades, mainly due to the antioxidant benefits to health. However, strict rules about when and how white tea is collected and treated, delicate tea made from a rare, expensive and exclusive product, a concoction made for the emperors.