What varieties of white tea are there? Understanding the main classifications of white tea in one article

White tea is divided into several types: Baihao Yinzhen (Silver Needle), Bai Mudan (White Peony), Quancheng Hong, Quancheng Lü, Gongmei, Shoumei, and New White Tea. The classification standard is mainly based on the different raw materials of fresh leaves. The most notable characteristics of white tea are its white silver pekoe, bright yellow liquor color, fresh and mellow taste, and tender, even leaf base.

1. Baihao Yinzhen (Silver Needle)

The fresh leaf raw material of Baihao Yinzhen is entirely tea buds. After Baihao Yinzhen is made into finished tea, it is shaped like a needle, densely covered with white pekoe, and white as silver, hence the name Baihao Yinzhen (Silver Needle). Its needle-shaped finished tea is about three cm long. The main producing areas are Fuding City in Fujian and Zhenghe County, Songxi County, and Jianyang City in Nanping, Fujian. Tea buds produced in Fuding have thick fuzz, are white and glossy, with a light apricot-yellow liquor color and a clean, fresh, refreshing taste. Those produced in Zhenghe have a mellow liquor taste and a clear, fragrant aroma.

2. Bai Mudan (White Peony)

Bai Mudan gets its beautiful name because its green leaves clasp silver-white pekoe centers, resembling flowers; after brewing, the green leaves support the tender buds, just like buds first opening. Bai Mudan is made from one bud and one or two leaves picked from the short young shoots of the Dabai tea tree or Shuixian cultivar, and is a superior fine product among white teas.

3. Gongmei (Shoumei)

Gongmei is sometimes also called Shoumei. It is the highest-yielding variety of white tea. It is made from the buds and leaves of the Caicha tea tree. This crude tea made from Caicha buds and leaves is called “Xiaobai” to distinguish it from the “Dabai” crude tea made from the buds and leaves of Fuding Dabai tea and Zhenghe Dabai tea trees. “Gongmei” indicates a superior grade; its quality is better than Shoumei, and it is generally only called Gongmei, with no further Shoumei.

4. New Process White Tea

The main producing areas of New Process White Tea are Fuding, Zhenghe, Songxi, Jianyang, and other places. It is made according to the white tea processing technique, with light rolling added after withering. New Process White Tea has leaves that are slightly shrunken and folded into semi-curled strips, with a dark green color tinged with brown, a clear aroma and strong taste, and a liquor color and taste resembling green tea but without its fresh fragrance, and resembling black tea but without a fermented feel; its characteristic is that it is rich, mellow, clear, and sweet. Because the processed tea strips are tighter and more curled than Gongmei, and the liquor taste and color are stronger, it is welcomed by consumers.

The main varieties of white tea are the above four. White tea can relieve drunkenness and sober one up, clear heat and moisten the lungs, calm the liver and benefit the blood, reduce inflammation and detoxify, lower blood pressure and reduce fat, eliminate fatigue, and have other effects. People who often smoke and drink alcohol, or who have excessive liver fire, should drink more white tea.