White tea

White tea
White Bai Hao Yinzhen tea leaves
Chinese	白茶
Literal meaning	White tea
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin báichá IPA [pǎɪʈʂʰǎ] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization baahk-chàh Jyutping baak6-caa4 IPA [pak̚˨.tsʰa˩] Southern Min Tâi-lô pe̍eh-têe

White tea may refer to one of several styles of tea which generally feature young or minimally processed leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.^[1]

Currently there is no generally accepted definition of white tea and very little international agreement; some sources use the term to refer to tea that is merely dried with no additional processing,^[2] some to tea made from the buds and immature tea leaves picked shortly before the buds have fully opened and allowed to wither and dry in natural sun,^{[citation needed]} while others include tea buds and very young leaves which have been steamed or fired before drying.^[3] Most definitions agree, however, that white tea is not rolled or oxidized,^{[citation needed]} resulting in a flavor characterized as "lighter" than most green or traditional black teas.

In spite of its name, sweet, brewed white tea is pale yellow. Its name derives from the fine silvery-white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea plant, which give the plant a whitish appearance. The unopened buds are used for some types of white tea.

It is harvested primarily in China, mostly in the Fujian province,^[4] but more recently produced in Taiwan, Eastern Nepal, Thailand, Galle (Southern Sri Lanka) and northeast India.