According to different variety of tea plant and plucking
standard,Chinese white tea were ever divide into three types:
- (1) Big white: the white tea made from fresh tea leaves plucked
from "Big White Tea" variety.
- (2)Narcissus White: white tea made from fresh tea leaves plucked
from "narcissus white" variety.
- (3)vegetable white:white tea made from fresh tea leaves plucked
from "vegetable white" variety.
Silver tip white tea (or silver needle pekoe) made from single
buds plucked from "Big White Tea" variety. White peony
tea made from one bud with two/three leaves plucked from "Big
White Tea" variety or Narcissus White.
The history of white tea manufacturing is shorter than other tea
types. As recorded, white tea was firstly created in Fuding county
in 1796. In that time, the farmers plucked the fresh tea leaves
from "vegetable white" variety to make silver tip white
tea. And, the "Big White Tea" variety was found in Fuding
about in 1857. Since 1885, the farmers began to pluck fresh tea
leaves from "Big White Tea" variety to make silver tip
white tea, which called Big white in that time. And, the silver
tip white tea from "vegetable white" variety then so called
"unrefined neelde" or "small white".
The "Big white" variety was also found in Zhenghe in
1880. The tea farmes began to produce silver tip white tea in 1889.
Till 1922, white peony tea was then produced there. White peony
tea was firstly created in Shuijie( Jianyang county nowadays). While,
it's not sured when white peony tea was created.
The white tea production began from Fuding, then spread to ShuiJie,
then Zhenghe. As to white tea products, silver tip white tea was
firstly creasted, then white poeny tea, then longevity eyebrow.
The export business for silver tip white tea began from 1891.
Since 1910, Chinese white tea tend to be popular in Europe and America
like Chinese congou black tea. |
