Proper Brewing of White Tea

For many people, drinking white tea is an experience in itself. For many others, however, the entire process; from picking the freshest tea leaves to washing their favorite tea cup when they are finished is a ritual. Because white tea is the most delicate type of tea, it is very important that it is handled with care throughout the entire process. The most important part, however, is to ensure that white tea is brewed properly to help ensure it retains all the healthy antioxidants and flavor.

Store Your Tea

Brewing white tea is only one step in the process of making the perfect cup. If tea is not stored properly, it will lose many of the nutrients and antioxidants. You should keep white tea, and all other types of tea, in an air tight container, away from light, moisture and heat. Without proper storage, your tea may not taste as good as it should.

Brewing White Tea

There are a number of steps when brewing white tea that will help ensure you get the best tasting cup every time. Rushing through any one of these steps may cause your cup of white tea to lose flavor and healthy antioxidants.

Step 1: The Water - Hard water and extremely hot water are the enemies of any cup of tea, especially the delicate white tea leaves. In order to ensure a great cup of tea every time, you should find out if the water from your tap is hard, or full of minerals. If you have hard water, you should invest in a water filter for you tap or purchase spring water from the store.

It is also vital when brewing white tea that the water is not too hot. Bring the water to a boil and then let it cool for about a minute. If the water is too hot, you will lose many of the beneficial antioxidants found in white tea.

Step 2: The Tea - The amount of tea you use is more of a personal preference. To get the best result when brewing white tea you should use whole tea leaves to get the best result. Whether you are using loose leaves or a tea bag, it is important to remember that the more you use, the stronger the taste will be.

Step 3: Steeping - When brewing white tea, steeping is the process of placing the tea leaves or tea bag into the water to release the flavor and nutrients into the water. White tea should be steeped for about a minute to get what many people consider to be an ideal flavor. The longer you steep your tea, however, the stronger the taste of the cup will be.

After steeping you should not throw the leaves away right away. Most white tea can be steeped several times before they should be discarded; with each cup having its own special flavor.