What is "white tea"? How does it differ from green tea? Is it
true that it "contains more antioxidants than any other type
of tea", as some claim?
Thanks,

Marco

"Marco" > ha scritto nel messaggio
om...
> What is "white tea"? How does it differ from green tea? Is it
> true that it "contains more antioxidants than any other type
> of tea", as some claim?
> Thanks,
>
> Marco


Tea usually produced from varieties with fat and hairy buds, such as Fuding
Babai and Fuding Baihao. The picked branch top is splitted in order to
produce different grades: Baohao Yinzhen (top bud), Baimudan (first leaf)
and Shoumei (third leaf). It is first sun withered then warm temperature
dryed. It differs from green tea because it is not steamed nor pan-fired,
and it undergoes some slight oxidation in the processing. This also means
that it contanis less antioxidants then green tea.
L

"Livio Zanini" > writes:

> "Marco" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> om...
> > What is "white tea"? How does it differ from green tea? Is it
> > true that it "contains more antioxidants than any other type
> > of tea", as some claim?
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Marco
>
>
> Tea usually produced from varieties with fat and hairy buds, such as Fuding
> Babai and Fuding Baihao. The picked branch top is splitted in order to
> produce different grades: Baohao Yinzhen (top bud), [...]

Livio: Are you sure this isn't *Baihao* Yinzhen?

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

"Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
news
> "Livio Zanini" > writes:
>
> > "Marco" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> > om...
> > > What is "white tea"? How does it differ from green tea? Is it
> > > true that it "contains more antioxidants than any other type
> > > of tea", as some claim?
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Marco
> >
> >
> > Tea usually produced from varieties with fat and hairy buds, such as
Fuding
> > Babai and Fuding Baihao. The picked branch top is splitted in order to
> > produce different grades: Baohao Yinzhen (top bud), [...]
>
> Livio: Are you sure this isn't *Baihao* Yinzhen?
>

Thank you Lew. It is Baihao Yinzhen.
Sorry, I found out also another mistake!: it should be Fuding Dabai, not
Babai
L

>This also means that it contanis less antioxidants then green
tea.<

Are you sure about this? I thought white tea would contain more
antioxidants (flavonoids) because it is made from young leaves -
or at least the Baihao Yinzhen and Baimudan types are.

But then again, it still hasn't been proven that the so-called
antioxidants really have that effect in the human body.

Jon


"Livio Zanini" > wrote:
> "Marco" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> om...
> > What is "white tea"? How does it differ from green tea? Is
it
> > true that it "contains more antioxidants than any other type
> > of tea", as some claim?
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Marco
>
>
> Tea usually produced from varieties with fat and hairy buds,
such as Fuding
> Babai and Fuding Baihao. The picked branch top is splitted in
order to
> produce different grades: Baohao Yinzhen (top bud), Baimudan
(first leaf)
> and Shoumei (third leaf). It is first sun withered then warm
temperature
> dryed. It differs from green tea because it is not steamed nor
pan-fired,
> and it undergoes some slight oxidation in the processing. This
also means
> that it contanis less antioxidants then green tea.
> L
>
>

THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT!


Linus Pauling Institute Study on White Tea:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/new/whitetea.html

(ASchamisso) writes:

> THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT!
>
>
> Linus Pauling Institute Study on White Tea:
>
> http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/new/whitetea.html

No, it isn't an ad, but it does claim that white tea is steamed, which
is pretty strange. It also asserts that white tea has a high bud
content, which is true of some but hardly all white (or, for that
matter green) teas.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

"Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
news
> (ASchamisso) writes:
>
> > THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT!
> >
> >
> > Linus Pauling Institute Study on White Tea:
> >
> > http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/new/whitetea.html
>
> No, it isn't an ad, but it does claim that white tea is steamed, which
> is pretty strange. It also asserts that white tea has a high bud
> content, which is true of some but hardly all white (or, for that
> matter green) teas.
>
> /Lew
> ---
> Lew Perin /
> http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

Exactly. White tea is definitely not steamed. The process consist of
withering and low temperature drying. Polyphenolic components undergo a
light oxidation. I am not a chemist, but the author of the essay surely has
never entered in a tea manifacture.
L

Lew: I found out that also Shuixian bud and leaves can by processed in white
tea

By the way:
MARCO, are you from Italy?

Lewis 11/26/03

> (ASchamisso) writes:
>
>> THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT!
>>
>>
>> Linus Pauling Institute Study on White Tea:
>>
>> http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/new/whitetea.html
>
> No, it isn't an ad, but it does claim that white tea is steamed, which
> is pretty strange. It also asserts that white tea has a high bud
> content, which is true of some but hardly all white (or, for that
> matter green) teas.

It's most likely true in the case of silver needles, certain not for
baimudan. Whatever.

The article appears to support the conclusion that white tea, not to mention
the homocentric race, is harmful to rats, mice, and trout. Since I have
befriended variouis mice and rats over the years, with whom I have taken tea
daily, I fear that the moral implications of the article might be lost in
the mire of the pseudo-science. Linus, not withstanding.

Best,
Michael

Michael Plant wrote:
>
> The article appears to support the conclusion that white tea, not to mention
> the homocentric race, is harmful to rats, mice, and trout. Since I have
> befriended variouis mice and rats over the years, with whom I have taken tea
> daily, [...]

I have friend rats too. One has a real liking for licking a finger that
has been dipped in green tea. I figure one drop is about a cup in rat
scale.

--crymad

"Livio Zanini" > writes:

> "Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> news
> >
> > [...misconceptions in white tea article...]
>
> Lew: I found out that also Shuixian bud and leaves can by processed in white
> tea

Well, why not? With all the interest in white tea these days, I would
imagine we'll be seeing white teas made from all sorts of cultivars
before long. There's been white tea from Darjeeling for a year or
two, for example.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

Lewis 11/28/03

> "Livio Zanini" > writes:
>
>> "Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
>> news
>>>
>>> [...misconceptions in white tea article...]
>>
>> Lew: I found out that also Shuixian bud and leaves can by processed in white
>> tea
>
> Well, why not? With all the interest in white tea these days, I would
> imagine we'll be seeing white teas made from all sorts of cultivars
> before long. There's been white tea from Darjeeling for a year or
> two, for example.


I was under the impression that, production techniques not withstanding,
"white tea" was something of a cultivar in and of itself.

Michael

"Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
news
> "Livio Zanini" > writes:
>
> > "Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> > news
> > >
> > > [...misconceptions in white tea article...]
> >
> > Lew: I found out that also Shuixian bud and leaves can by processed in
white
> > tea
>
> Well, why not? With all the interest in white tea these days, I would
> imagine we'll be seeing white teas made from all sorts of cultivars
> before long. There's been white tea from Darjeeling for a year or
> two, for example.

I think that not all cultivars are suitable to make baihao yinzhen, since
you can you use only those with very fleshy and hairy buds.
L

Livio /1/03


> "Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> news
>> "Livio Zanini" > writes:
>>
>>> "Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
>>> news >>>>
>>>> [...misconceptions in white tea article...]
>>>
>>> Lew: I found out that also Shuixian bud and leaves can by processed in
> white
>>> tea
>>
>> Well, why not? With all the interest in white tea these days, I would
>> imagine we'll be seeing white teas made from all sorts of cultivars
>> before long. There's been white tea from Darjeeling for a year or
>> two, for example.
>
> I think that not all cultivars are suitable to make baihao yinzhen, since
> you can you use only those with very fleshy and hairy buds.
> L
>
>

Livio,

I realize that mine are superficial observations, hardly botanically sound,
but I have drunk a "white" silver needle pu-erh which looked to be from a
leaf of a yinzhen type. Likewise, I've drunk a "white" Ceylon tea that
looked nearly the same. I've heard that tea garden men in Darjeeling are
using the Chinese "white tea" cultivar to produce their white teas -- most
of them, I think are in the bai mudan class. I've drunk one of those also
and it looked to be just like classsical bai mudans. So, based on this
"evidence" -- I put the word in quotes -- I got the feeling that there might
be a "white cultivar".

Best,
Michael

"Livio Zanini" > writes:

> "Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> news
> > "Livio Zanini" > writes:
> >
> > > "Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> > > news > > > >
> > > > [...misconceptions in white tea article...]
> > >
> > > Lew: I found out that also Shuixian bud and leaves can by
> > > processed in white tea
> >
> > Well, why not? With all the interest in white tea these days, I would
> > imagine we'll be seeing white teas made from all sorts of cultivars
> > before long. There's been white tea from Darjeeling for a year or
> > two, for example.
>
> I think that not all cultivars are suitable to make baihao yinzhen, since
> you can you use only those with very fleshy and hairy buds.

When I said "all sorts of cultivars" I was speaking loosely. To be
more precise, I would imagine that some number of cultivars will be
used for white tea just as e.g. a number of cultivars are successfully
used for oolong. (Not the same ones, of course!)

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

"Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
news
> "Livio Zanini" > writes:
>
> > "Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> > news
> > > "Livio Zanini" > writes:
> > >
> > > > "Lewis Perin" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> > > > news > > > > >
> > > > > [...misconceptions in white tea article...]
> > > >
> > > > Lew: I found out that also Shuixian bud and leaves can by
> > > > processed in white tea
> > >
> > > Well, why not? With all the interest in white tea these days, I would
> > > imagine we'll be seeing white teas made from all sorts of cultivars
> > > before long. There's been white tea from Darjeeling for a year or
> > > two, for example.
> >
> > I think that not all cultivars are suitable to make baihao yinzhen,
since
> > you can you use only those with very fleshy and hairy buds.
>
> When I said "all sorts of cultivars" I was speaking loosely. To be
> more precise, I would imagine that some number of cultivars will be
> used for white tea just as e.g. a number of cultivars are successfully
> used for oolong. (Not the same ones, of course!)
>
> /Lew
> ---
> Lew Perin /
> http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html


Lewis and Michael,
I think you are both right. I think we can put it in this way: there are
some cultivars, such as Fuding Baihao and Fuding Dabai, which are used (for
what I know) only for the production of white tea, and can be indeed called
"white cultivars"; others, such as Shuixian and some other kinds, might be
used for the production of white tea as well oolong or maybe other types (I
must admit that I haven't ever tryed anything but Chinese Fujian and
Zhejiang whites). Apart this, I can hardly imagine the thiny and tender buds
of cultivars such as Longjing 43, or Japanese Asahi or Midori, used for
making white tea.
Regard to silver needle Pu'er and Darjeeling white, I don't have any direct
experience nor available literature on them. Can you tell me something about
these teas?
L

Livio 2/1/03


snip snip snip

>
> Lewis and Michael,
> I think you are both right. I think we can put it in this way: there are
> some cultivars, such as Fuding Baihao and Fuding Dabai, which are used (for
> what I know) only for the production of white tea, and can be indeed called
> "white cultivars"; others, such as Shuixian and some other kinds, might be
> used for the production of white tea as well oolong or maybe other types (I
> must admit that I haven't ever tryed anything but Chinese Fujian and
> Zhejiang whites). Apart this, I can hardly imagine the thiny and tender buds
> of cultivars such as Longjing 43, or Japanese Asahi or Midori, used for
> making white tea.
> Regard to silver needle Pu'er and Darjeeling white, I don't have any direct
> experience nor available literature on them. Can you tell me something about
> these teas?
> L

Livio,

Here is the web page for the Darjeeling white, which is in the style of a
Bai Mudan. The tea is acceptable, actually quite pleasant. It is in no way
spectacular. The leaf is very Bai Mudan-like. I usually buy my Darjeelings
from Kevin at Kyela Teas.

<http://www.kyelateas.com/index.php?c...9e69789f40b6ba
e630af94c1339>


Here is a web page for the Ceylon Silver Tips, another white tea, which is
in the style of a yinzhin. I drank it some time ago. It was nearly tasteless
-- sorry, guys -- but absolutely beautiful in a glass. I got this from IPOT.

<http://store.yahoo.com/teastores/cesiti.html>


Here is a web page for the the Silver Needle Beencha, produced in a "green
pu-erh" style from "white" tea leaf. This is a remarkably beautiful and
complex tea. Another one I get from IPOT, and this one I highly recommend..

<http://store.yahoo.com/teastores/silneedpuerh.html>


I have no other information, and my observations of the leaf are pretty
superficial, as I've said. I know enough about biology, systematics,
taxonomy, and evolution to realize that casual similarities do not a
relationship make.

Michael