White Gold

It’s worth seeking out the best-quality white tea, says Mei Leaf’s Don Mei

- Don Mei

All the old tales about white tea being picked by virgins for the emperors of China in ancient times are frilly myths. White tea was created in Fujian, southeastern China, in the late 18th century, making it a baby compared with its venerable siblings like green or Pu'er tea.

Tea type is defined not by the plant variety but by the method of processing leaves. The recipe for making white tea is simple: dry the fresh leaves. But as always with tea, there is a world of complexity within that simplicity.

As soon as the leaf is picked it begins to wilt, releasing compounds that mix with enzymes and air and commence oxidation, transforming the fresh taste of the leaves into stronger and sweeter brews. In white tea, the oxidation is stopped by drying the tea completely. The skill of the producer is to regulate this drying process: slow enough to allow for some warming oxidation but fast enough to maintain the desired freshness.

Traditionally, the leaves are piled on bamboo mats – having taken into account temperature and humidity – and these are moved around over a drying session (20-60 hours) to achieve the optimal taste. At least some of this time should be spent under full-spectrum sunlight, which further enhances flavor. The dried tea should be left for a week to air out its grassy aromas, then baked at low temperatures. Top-end teas are then charcoal-baked for hours to enhance the warming nature and sticky texture of the resulting brews.