White Tea

White Tea FAQs

What is white tea?

White tea is a form of tea grown and harvested mainly in the Fujian province of China. White tea goes through the least processing of all the tea types, meaning it has more nutrients than black or green teas, and is also the least oxidised. White tea is made of selected leaves from special varieties of the Camellia sinensis plant and silver buds which are allowed to wither in natural sunlight before being processed, to prevent oxidation and further processing. This preserves the distinctive flavour of white tea. It is because of these silvery-white buds that white tea gets its name.

White tea and health

White tea has a high level of catechins, which have been found to reduce cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, and improve the function of blood vessels, thus meaning white tea may help to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. [1]

Polyphenols are also highly present in white tea, which can help to protect against certain types of cancer and even reduce the size of tumors. [2]

It has also been suggested that the high levels of antioxidants in white tea may help to boost the immune system. [3]

[1] Huff, M. W., Mulvihill, E. E. (2010). "Antiatherogenic properties of flavonoids: implications for cardiovascular health..". Canadian Journal of Cardiology

[2] Serio, K. J., Mao, J. T.; Nie, W. X., Tsu, I. H., Jin Y. S., Rao, J. Y., Lu, Q. Y., Zhang, Z. F., Go, V. L. (2010). "White tea extract induces apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells: the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-{gamma} and 15-lipoxygenases.". Cancer Prevention Research

[3] De la Fuente, M., Baeza, I.; De Castro, N. M., Arranz, L. (2010). "Soybean and green tea polyphenols improve immune function and redox status in very old ovariectomized mice.". Rejuvenation Research