[Duqi Culture] White tea has its own unique charm—Southeast reveals it to you.

✱ 1

The Origin of White Tea

The serene beauty of white tea adorned in silver hues

White tea is one of the six major categories of tea and belongs to the lightly fermented variety. It gets its name from its finished products—such as Bai Hao Yin Zhen and Bai Mu Dan—which are predominantly made from tender tea buds, densely covered with white down that gives them a silvery, snow-like appearance.

The most distinctive feature of white tea is its silvery-white downy tips, earning it the elegant nickname "silver makeup and plain attire." , with plump, robust buds, a bright apricot-yellow liquor, and a sweet, mellow, and richly flavorful taste. The tea leaves exhibit a tender, uniform appearance when brewed. The recommendation is to use young shoots harvested from varieties like Da Bai tea or Shui Xian tea trees, which are known for their abundant white tips. This selection helps enhance the chlorophyll and amino acid content in both the strips and individual leaves.

✱ 2

The Origin of White Tea

Fuding is the original home of white tea.

The earliest record of the two characters "white tea" associated with Fuding appears in the "Yongjia Tujing" section of Lu Yu's "The Classic of Tea: Chapter Seven on Matters Related to Tea," written during the Tang Dynasty; Yongjia corresponds to today's Wenzhou.

In his "A Comprehensive History of the Tea Industry," tea expert Chen Chuan once mentioned: "Lu Yu's 'The Classic of Tea' references the 'Yongjia Illustrated Records,' which states, 'Three hundred li east of Yongjia County lies White Tea Mountain.' However, 300 li east of Yongjia actually points toward the sea—not south." 300 miles south lies Fuding in Fujian, the original home of white tea.

✱ 3

Nestled by mountains and sea

Subtropical Oceanic Monsoon Climate

Fuding City is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the sea on one side. Shacheng, a natural deep-water port, curves gracefully in an "S" shape as it stretches inland from the southeast.

The subtropical oceanic monsoon climate of central China creates four distinct seasons, with ample sunshine, favorable heat conditions, and abundant rainfall—perfecting an exceptional environment ideal for tea cultivation. Within the region lies the Taibao Mountain Range, which shapes a unique, horseshoe-like topography characterized by higher elevations in the west and lower terrain in the east, further enhancing the area's distinctive climate and microenvironment.

✱ 4

National Superior Varieties

Fuding-native Da Bai and Da Hao tea trees

Fuding white tea varieties typically use Fuding Dabai tea and Fuding Dahao tea. Fuding Dabai Tea, commonly known as "Dabai," originates from Fuding City. In 1985, the National Varieties Approval Committee recognized Fuding Dabai Tea as a national variety, assigning it the code GS13001-1985 (Hua Cha No. 1). The tea leaves of Fuding Dabai Tea feature plump, white buds and boast a fresh aroma with a rich, mellow flavor—making it an exceptional raw material for crafting premium white teas like Bai Hao Yin Zhen and Bai Mu Dan.

Fuding Dahao Tea, commonly known as "Dahao," originates from Fuding City. In 1985, the National Crop Variety Approval Committee recognized Fuding Dahao Tea as a national variety, assigning it the code GS13002-1985 (Hua Cha No. 2). The tea leaves of Fuding Dahao Tea are robust and plump, densely covered with white down, giving them a silvery-white appearance. They boast a fresh, crisp aroma and a mellow, well-balanced flavor—making them the preferred raw material for crafting White Tip Silver Needle, White Peony, and Fujian Snow Sprout teas.

✱ 5

White Tea Craft

Seemingly simple, yet profoundly intricate.

Fuding white tea boasts a unique production process—no frying, no rolling. , through two processes—withering and drying— It maximally preserves the nutritional components in the tea leaves.

The process may seem simple, but in reality, it is infinitely intricate and fascinating. During the withering process, a series of complex chemical changes occur within the tea leaves: under the action of enzymes, components such as proteins and polysaccharides begin to break down through hydrolysis, leading to an increase in soluble sugars, water-soluble pectin, amino acids, and other compounds—and ultimately contributing to the unique fresh, crisp, and sweet flavor characteristic of white tea.

Meanwhile, the drying process of white tea plays a crucial role in solidifying and further enhancing the beneficial compounds formed during the withering stage.

During the drying process, excess moisture is removed from the buds and leaves, ensuring the dried tea reaches the ideal level of dryness. This timely halt to enzymatic oxidation allows the formation of trans-cis-3-hexenyl acetate, which imparts a fresh, fragrant aroma. Meanwhile, amino acids undergo thermal oxidation and deamination under heat, giving rise to aromatic aldehydes that contribute to the tea's complex, inviting fragrance. The complex physicochemical changes occurring during withering and drying give rise to the unique floral aroma and honey-like sweetness characteristic of white tea.

✱ 6

Natural withering

Maximally preserving the nutritional components in tea leaves

During the white tea production process, regardless of the withering method used, the tea leaves are neither pan-fired nor rolled. Instead, they are spread out on bamboo withering trays, withering racks, water sieves, or withering troughs, allowing the buds and leaves to wither naturally.

This unique and natural processing method offers significant advantages over other types of tea: it neither destroys enzyme activity nor accelerates oxidation, while simultaneously enhancing the delicate floral aroma, resulting in a fresh, crisp flavor. Most importantly, it preserves the tea’s nutritional components to the fullest extent, making it one of the most natural and healthiest tea treasures available.