Everything I know About White Tea So Far

I have been in the white tea region for one year and in that time my understanding of white tea making and its flavor have developed greatly. While I am still learning and there are still gaps in my knowledge here is the majority of what I know so far.

Geography and history:

The most famous white teas are from Fu Ding. Fu Ding is not only the name of a city but also includes the villages around Fu Ding. These towns and villages include famous names like Pan Xi, Guan Yang and Bai Lin. Where I personally live is Zhe Rong which falls right outside the border of Fu Ding, therefore it is not called Fu DIng tea is referred to often as high mountain tea since Zhe Rong is higher than most places in Fu Ding.




The popularity of white tea is fairly new. Before 2010 it was not so popular and therefore Fu Ding and the surrounding regions made not only white tea but also green and red teas. While the green tea is generally sub par the red tea can be of quiet a nice quality and historically as earned its self recognition. Most famously Bai Lin Gong Fu or as many may know it Bai Lin Congou aka Golden Monkey. Bai Lin was along a famous trade route which helped the popularity of their red tea to grow. The makers who started Qimen red tea learned directly from the red teas of these regions.

Around 2014 the white tea market exploded and many towns that made a variety of teas began focusing on white tea. Zhe Rong in particular use to make Jasmine green tea and grew its own jasmine. But when the popularity of white tea rose the jasmine flowers were replaced with tea bushes. While it is still easy to find jasmine tea, the jasmine flowers now come from other areas.

Its also important to note that before the popularity of white tea some areas, such as Zhe Rong, were quite underdeveloped. The popularity of white tea brought in good income for many. The people who grew up in these regions grew up drinking tea but not doing gong fu style. They grew up drinking tea out of a large clay plot. One tea maker I asked called gong fu cha "luxurious" . 
Varietals:
This is the area I’m newest to and therefore have least understanding of.

The Main varietals can be broken down into three main categories.
Fu Ding Da Bai or Hua Cha Yi Hao  (China tea number one)
Fu Ding Da Hao or Hua Cha Er Hao (China tea number two)
Fu An Da Bai or Hua Cha San Hao (China tea number three) This varietal is less popular in Fu Ding and can be found in Fu An and Zheng He.

Da Bai was first discovered in a village in 1880. It was a local varietal but the popularity of it quickly rose. From there Fu Ding Da Hao was created. (the exact time line of these teas is where I am a little confused and I have seen different histories). In the 1980s the Fu Ding government recognized these teas as high quality for tea making and there populariy grew even more. For this reason its hard to find a Fu Ding Da Hao that was planted before 1980 though they do exist.

Gong Mei:
Gong Mei use to refer to a picking standard but now means any tea that predates Fu Ding Da Bai and basically means heirloom varietals. Before the term Gong Mei was assigned to this tea it was known as Xiao Cai Cha, little veggie tea. Gong Mei, or little veggie tea, does not refer to one single tea but instead a number of teas. Two different Gong Meis from two different vendors are probably going to be two different varietals. While some Gong Meis are very similar to Fu Ding Da Bai, others can be completely different. Old tree Gong Meis are also much older than old tree Da Bais and Da Haos, easily being 100-200 years old. It’s interesting to note that many of these teas were not originally used for white tea but instead red and green.

Making:
This is once again and area that I’m not completely clear on.

When I first came to the white tea area I greatly underestimated the white tea making. I simply thought you dried it for a few days and then you were done. While not completely wrong its a bit of an over simplification.



First of all the drying is much slower and much more controlled than most may think. This year was very sunny and dry, ideal for making white tea, but many makers still did not sun dry. Instead they opted to dry their teas inside where they could control the moisture and air flow of the teas.





When I went to my friends shop I saw teas being dried in a variety of controlled environments. Some were on the roof, others were on drying racks, while some were on a drying bed that blew air to dry the tea. Even on the air bed, the distance between the fans and the tea was controlled. Some teas being right on top, while others stacked higher in order to feel less of the blowing effect. Teas were constantly moved from one environment toanother. From the trays onto the drying bed, from the drying bed into the sun, from the sun onto the wracks. After these steps the tea is piled, a step new to me.

The piling, explained more in this paper, can be in bags or in a pile on the floors. This step helps remove the vegetal flavor and can improve the other flavors of the tea.

Some makers like to add a final bake to the white tea. An electronically baked white tea is brighter, more aromatic but also a little flatter. A charcoal baked white tea is less aromatic but has more body and mouthfeel. From what I hear Charcoal baked teas will maintain their original flavor for longer, while electronically baked teas will change more from year to year.


Flavor:
At the end of the day it all comes down to flavor.

A good white tea should be clean and bright, no matter the age. A clean flavor with out any tannicnes or bitterness is the goal of a white tea maker. If they have done this then they have made a good tea. This may be the reason many white teas are kind of bland, despite their high praise and price. That being said white teas can be quiet flavorful.

The Fu Ding Da Bais and Da Haos at their best have an array of different notes and flavors. Subtle yet complex and confident my personal favorites show notes of cucumbers, honey comb, sun dried cotton and nuts. The Pan Xi Silver Needle is a good example of this. In Zhe Rong the Silver Needles and Bai Mu Dans tend to be creamy with notes of lemon.

The flavor of Gong Mei have a much bigger range since the term includes a large range of varieties. Many Gong Meis are similar to Fu Ding Da Bai and Da Hao showing a bright clean floral flavor. Others can be more vegetal, woodsy or even taste like watermelon.

My recent adventures into Gong Meis have shown me how varietal dominate the white tea world and how this is preventing a diversity of flavors in the market. These days when I go into a new shop I always ask if they have any Gong Mei or teas with a unique taste.


Conclusion:
While the white tea picture is becoming clearer there is still a lot to learn and I look forward to another year.