The Emperor's Tea

“White like the clouds, green like a dream, pure like snow, and as aromatic as an orchid.

This is how ancient Chinese poets described white tea during the Imperial Dynasty.  Throughout this time period tea drinking was its own culture; a significant part of this culture was Chinese citizens paying a yearly tribute to the emperor known as the imperial tea.
 
White tea gets its name from the little white hairs still on the young tea leaves that are harvested before they have fully opened.  Theses young leaves are then dried quickly to keep oxidation at a minimum, which results in delicate, fresh, tea.  White tea tends to be more expensive than other teas and has a delicate, floral or fruity, aroma.  It is also lower in caffeine than green and black teas.

The most popular varieties of white tea are:

• Silver Needle: Comes from the Fujian province, the original white tea plant, and has less caffeine than other varieties
• White Peony: A new variety, from China and other countries, and can be cultivated from any variety of white tea plant
• Monkey Picked: Is legend to be picked by monkeys trained by Buddhist monks, it comes from wild tea tree tops in mountainous regions of China, and has the highest quality of white tea
• Darjeeling: From the Darjeeling region of India, its flavor profile is different than Chinese white teas

Check out our tea catalog to learn more about the white teas we carry or stop by the shop to drink the tea of the ancient Chinese emperors!