Peace and perseverance lead to success. I’m Lin Fangzhi. When we come across something new, the common approach is to start from the shallow and simple, and gradually move towards the profound and difficult, getting to know and familiarize ourselves step by step. The same is true for white tea. We need to start with the introductory knowledge, know the classification of white tea, understand its production process, be familiar with its brewing methods, and learn about its storage, exploring the deep charm of white tea step by step. To understand white tea, you can start with these 10 questions about white tea and quickly learn about its “production, brewing, tasting and storage”.
BAICHAQ1 There are so many white teas. How to distinguish different varieties and grades? White tea can be classified into Baihao Yinzhen, Bai Mudan, and Shoumei according to the picking standards. According to different tea tree varieties, Gongmei can also be distinguished, which is also quite familiar to everyone. Baihao Yinzhen: It uses the single buds of Fuding Dabai tea and Dahao tea as raw materials. The buds are plump, needle-shaped, densely covered with white hairs, and as white as silver. There are two grades: special grade and first grade. Bai Mudan: It uses one bud and one or two leaves of Fuding Dabai tea, Dahao tea or Narcissus as raw materials. The green leaves sandwich the silver-white hairy buds, looking like a flower. There are four grades: special grade, first grade, second grade and third grade. Shoumei: It uses one bud and two or three leaves of Fuding Dabai tea and Dahao tea as raw materials. The proportion of leaves is high, with stems and a small amount of buds. There are two grades: first grade and second grade. Gongmei: It uses the tender shoots of the Qunti variety tea trees (Caicha) as raw materials. It is an independent category of white tea. The hairy buds are obvious and numerous, with a bright green color. There are four grades: special grade, first grade, second grade and third grade. Q2 How does the cup of Fuding white tea in our hands come about? This question is about the production process of white tea. Fuding white tea is neither fried nor kneaded. It is sun withered and naturally dried. Among them, withering is the core step in the production process of white tea and the key process to shape the quality of white tea. Withering: The key process to shape the quality of white tea Withering is a process in which, under certain temperature, humidity and ventilation conditions, along with the evaporation of water in the leaves and respiration, the substances contained in the leaves undergo slow hydrolysis and oxidation. Traditional sun withering: After spreading the freshly picked tea leaves, they are placed in the sun for natural withering. Through sunlight and wind, the water in the tea leaves is evenly lost. During the whole process, there is little artificial intervention, relying on nature. Therefore, white tea is one of the representatives of purity and naturalness. The whole withering process takes 72 hours. The more thorough the water movement, the better the quality of white tea. It is full of the taste of sunlight, laying a foundation for subsequent storage and transformation. Drying: The process to stabilize the quality of white tea Drying is the process of baking, allowing excess water to vaporize, destroying the enzyme activity, inhibiting enzymatic oxidation, promoting thermal chemical reactions of the substances contained in the tea leaves, improving the aroma and taste of the tea leaves, and forming the appearance.The latest national standard for white tea requires the moisture content to be within 8.5%. However, to enhance the quality of white tea, Fuding manufacturers generally aim for a moisture content of around 5%. This not only stabilizes the quality of the finished tea but also facilitates its later collection and transformation.
Q3: What are the differences in taste between charcoal baking and electric baking? The biggest difference between charcoal baking and electric baking lies in the way of heat conduction. There are generally two heating methods: conduction and radiation. During the combustion of charcoal in charcoal baking, far-infrared rays are released for heating. Far-infrared rays have good penetrability, ensuring more uniform heating inside and outside the tea leaves. Advantages and Disadvantages of Charcoal Baking Process Advantages: It has a unique charcoal-baked flavor, with a high and lasting aroma. The floral and fruity scents are prominent. The tea soup is delicate, with a rich sense of layers, and it has a relatively strong subsequent transformation ability. Disadvantages: It requires high technical skills, is time-consuming and laborious. If not well-controlled, there may be a smoky taste. The cost is high, and an experienced tea-making master is needed. Advantages and Disadvantages of Electric Baking Process Advantages: It allows for accurate temperature control, which is beneficial for the temperature during tea baking. It is convenient to operate, highly efficient, conducive to mass production, and has a low cost. Electric baking machines have the advantages of mature development and mass production. Disadvantages: The initial aroma is strong, but the subsequent persistence is lacking. The transformation and aging abilities are slightly unstable. Q4: How to Brew White Tea with a White Porcelain Covered Bowl? To brew a good cup of white tea with a covered bowl, attention should be paid to controlling the amount of tea leaves, water temperature, and brewing time. (1) Amount of Tea Leaves Loose tea (new white tea): Put 5 – 7g of tea leaves to taste the freshness, elegance, and sweetness of white tea. Cake tea (old white tea): Put about 5g of tea leaves to taste the mellow, aged charm, and sweetness of white tea. (2) Water Temperature Regardless of new or old tea, cake or loose tea, the water temperature requirement is 100°C. (3) Pouring Out the Tea Soup Two points need to be grasped when pouring out the tea soup: time and technique. For the first infusion of white tea, it should be ‘poured out quickly’. Generally, after steeping for about 20 seconds, the tea soup can be poured out, and it should be drained completely. After draining, put the covered bowl back in place, and the lid can be slightly opened. This will make the subsequent tea soup taste better. Q5: How to Boil Old White Tea? How Long to Boil? It is recommended to choose old Shoumei or aged Mudan when boiling old white tea to experience the delicacy and peace of the years. When boiling tea, the amount of water should be appropriately reduced. The ratio of tea leaves to water is 1:150. Boil the tea for 15 – 20 minutes, and then pour out the tea soup for drinking. Q6: As Autumn Approaches, How to Steep White Tea? As autumn deepens, steeping tea is recommended to conveniently experience the silkiness and warmth of old tea in autumn. The steps of steeping tea are generally divided into four: preparing tea – rinsing tea – steeping – refilling water. (1) Prepare Tools: Prepare a 1000ml thermos flask and 5g of old white tea stored for more than three years. This will make the tea soup more full-bodied. (2) Rinse Tea: Quickly rinse the dry tea leaves with high-temperature boiling water for about 30 seconds.3) Soaking: The recommended soaking time is 1 hour, which is the ‘optimal sweetness point’ for tea soup. If the time is too short, the aroma will be faint and the tea soup thin; if the time is too long, the aroma will be hidden and the tea soup bitter. Once the time is up, you can pour out the soup for drinking. Through soaking, the tea soup becomes glossy in color, increases in sweetness, and has a more mellow and rich taste, with the fragrance of dates and sweetness becoming prominent, offering a unique flavor.
4) Refilling: When more than half of the tea water in the pot has been poured out, you can start to refill and continue to soak with the lid on, which can extend the flavor of the tea soup and maintain stability. How to Distinguish High-Quality Bai Cha Qi White Peony? The appearance should be plump and straight like a needle, covered with white hairs, and silver-white with luster. The taste of new tea: the soup color is light apricot white, the taste is fresh and sweet, and the hair flavor is sufficient; old tea: the soup color is apricot yellow, smooth, slippery, and soft, with a honey rhyme. The aroma of new tea: the tea fragrance is pure and the hair fragrance is prominent, fresh and pleasing to the nose; old tea: the fragrance of grains, cocoa, and chocolate is charming. How to taste a cup of old white tea that flows with time? Focus on key points, aroma and tea soup. The aroma of old white tea is rich and lasting, with Bai Cha Qi mostly having a hair fragrance, grain fragrance, and cocoa fragrance; Peony mostly has a floral and fruity fragrance, aged fragrance, and plum fragrance; Shou Mei mostly has a date fragrance, aged fragrance, and wood fragrance. The soup of old white tea is soft, full, and smooth, with a lasting sweet aftertaste and a long-lasting charm. High-quality old white tea, after entering the mouth, gives a feeling of openness throughout the chest, making people feel refreshed and invigorated. How to store Bai Cha Qi daily food tea? (1) Dry, ambient temperature, odorless. For daily food tea, after taking out the tea, seal the bag in time and place it in a dry, ambient temperature, and odorless place. (2) Sealed storage with kraft paper bags. For the cake tea or loose tea that has been unpacked, it is recommended to use kraft paper bags for sealed storage. How to store white tea for long-term collection? ① The storage environment should be dry, at ambient temperature, and odorless. It is best to lay a layer of wood on the concrete floor; ② The inner packaging should have two layers, using food-grade plastic bags and aluminum foil bags to package the tea, and the outer packaging with cartons. The cartons should be tightly sealed with tape; ③ During the storage process, do not easily open the packaging unless necessary, as air entering the tea will accelerate its oxidation.
