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WHITE TEAS
White loose leaf teas are the most gently processed of all teas — harvested young when the buds are still covered in fine silver hairs, then simply air-dried to preserve their natural character. The result is a category of exceptional delicacy: light in body, naturally sweet, antioxidant-rich and possessed of a subtlety that rewards slow, attentive drinking.
White Loose Leaf Tea
White Loose Leaf Tea
Yellow loose leaf tea is an increasingly rare and expensive variety, highly prized for its unique spicy sweetness. Our collection features exceptional examples from China — lightly oxidised, with a character quite unlike any other.
White loose leaf tea is the most gently processed of all teas — harvested young when the buds are still covered in fine silver hairs, then simply air-dried to preserve their natural character. The result is exceptional delicacy: light in body, naturally sweet, antioxidant-rich and possessed of a subtlety that rewards slow, attentive drinking.
Born from the First Buds of Spring
Indeed, white loose leaf tea begins with the youngest part of the tea plant. Only the earliest spring buds — and in the finest grades, the buds alone — are harvested when still covered in the fine silver hairs that give the tea its name.
Moreover, after picking, the leaves are spread on bamboo trays and air-dried naturally — a process that can take up to three days, requiring skill and favourable weather in equal measure. There is no rolling, no firing, no oxidation — white loose leaf tea involves the least intervention of any tea category.
Minimal Intervention, Maximum Character
Furthermore, that restraint is precisely the point. Because so little is done to the leaf, what remains in the cup is as close as possible to the fresh tea plant: naturally sweet, antioxidant-rich and possessed of a lightness and clarity that no other category can match.
Our White Loose Leaf Tea Collection
Additionally, our Bai Hao Yin Zhen Silver Needle is one of the finest examples of white loose leaf tea in the world — a top ten superior Chinese tea, made exclusively from unopened spring buds of the Da Bai cultivar, harvested only on dry sunny days in late March and early April in Fuding, Fujian Province.
Indeed, the resulting cup is pale and luminous, with a naturally sweet flavour reminiscent of dried apricots and a faint woodsy fragrance — a tea of extraordinary refinement.
By contrast, our White Earl Grey Organic is a genuinely distinctive white loose leaf tea — Grade 1 Pai Mu Dan, made from one bud and one young leaf, sun-withered and dried, then combined with the finest Calabrian bergamot oil for the aromatic brightness of Earl Grey without the weight of a black tea base. It is lighter, more fragrant and more delicate than any conventional Earl Grey.
Brewing White Loose Leaf Tea
Notably, white tea is best brewed with water cooled from the boil — around 75 to 80°C — and steeped for three to five minutes. Silver Needle in particular benefits from slightly cooler water, as boiling can flatten the finer notes. White Earl Grey can be brewed at a similar temperature for three to four minutes.
In addition, both teas are best enjoyed without milk, where their natural sweetness and fragrance come through most clearly. White tea is also one of the most rewarding teas to cold-brew: steep overnight in cold water in the fridge for a naturally sweet, beautifully clear infusion with a gentleness that works at any time of day.
Born from the First Buds of Spring
White tea begins with the youngest part of the tea plant. Only the earliest spring buds — and in the finest grades, the buds alone — are harvested when they are still covered in the fine silver hairs that give the tea its name. After picking, the leaves are spread on bamboo trays and air-dried naturally, a process that can take up to three days and requires skill and favourable weather in equal measure. There is no rolling, no firing, no oxidation — the least intervention of any tea category. That restraint is precisely the point. Because so little is done to the leaf, what remains in the cup is as close as it is possible to get to the fresh tea plant: naturally sweet, antioxidant-rich and possessed of a lightness and clarity that no other category can match.
Flavour and Character
Two teas show the range within this collection particularly well. Bai Hao Yin Zhen Silver Needle is among the most celebrated and prized teas in the world — one of the top ten superior Chinese teas, made exclusively from unopened spring buds of the Da Bai cultivar, harvested only on dry sunny days in late March and early April in Fuding, Fujian Province. The resulting cup is pale and luminous, with a naturally sweet flavour reminiscent of dried apricots and a faint woodsy, smoky fragrance — a tea of extraordinary refinement. White Earl Grey Organic takes a different direction entirely: Grade 1 Pai Mu Dan (White Peony), made from one bud and one young leaf, sun-withered and dried, then combined with the finest Calabrian bergamot oil to create an organic white tea with the aromatic brightness of Earl Grey and none of the weight of a black tea base. It is a genuinely unusual and appealing cup — lighter, more fragrant and more delicate than any conventional Earl Grey.
Brewing White Tea
White tea is best brewed with water that has cooled from the boil — around 75 to 80°C — and steeped for three to five minutes. The delicacy of Silver Needle means that boiling water can flatten the finer notes, so slightly cooler water is worth the small effort. White Earl Grey can be brewed at a similar temperature for three to four minutes. Both teas are best enjoyed without milk, where the natural sweetness and fragrance come through most clearly.
White tea is also one of the most rewarding teas to cold-brew: steep overnight in cold water in the fridge for a naturally sweet, beautifully clear infusion with a gentleness that works at any time of day.