What is White Tea?

White tea is the uncured and unfermented tea leaf. Like green tea, oolong tea and black tea, white tea comes from the camellia sinensis plant. White tea is dried, while green tea is roasted in an oven or pan. Oolong and black teas are fermented before curing.

White tea usually contains buds and young tea leaves, which have been found to contain lower levels of caffeine than older leaves, suggesting that the caffeine content of some white teas may be slightly lower than that of green teas. White teas will usually have a lighter taste to them.

White teas have about 15 mg per cup. Check out our caffeine comparison for common drinks to learn more.

Generally, around 2-2.5 grams of tea per 6 ounces of water should be used. White teas should be prepared with 80°C (180°F) water and steeped for 2 to 3 minutes. Many tea graders, however, choose to brew this tea for much longer, as long as 10 minutes on the first infusion, to allow the delicate aromas to develop. Finer teas expose more flavor and complexity with no bitterness. Lower grade teas do not always work this way and develop bitter flavors. On successive brews, extend the time by several minutes per brew. The third brew may require as long as 15 minutes. Temperature is crucial: if it is too hot, the brew will be bitter and the flavors will not be present.

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