ABSTRACT
There is much recent awareness about white tea in the United States and Europe. White tea is considered a new tea having a wide range of health benets, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer effects. However, white tea was rst discovered during the Tang Dynasty, about the sixth century, and soon became the choice of the royal courts. White tea has undergone much change since 1885, when specic varieties of tea bushes were selected to make Silver Needle and other specialty white teas. Modern white tea appeared after that. Chinese export of these ne white teas began in 1891.1
White tea is named from its unique characteristics, covered with white hair. The unique quality is obtained as a result of a special processing procedure of “no frying and no crushing.” The annual production of white tea is relatively small, just
3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Manufacturing of White Tea ......................................................................... 18
3.2.1 Silver Needle with White Hair ......................................................... 19 3.2.2 White Peony ...................................................................................... 19
3.3 Main Constituents of White Tea ...................................................................20 3.3.1 Water .................................................................................................20 3.3.2 Enzymes ............................................................................................20 3.3.3 Polyphenols ....................................................................................... 21 3.3.4 Amino Acids .....................................................................................22 3.3.5 Carbohydrates ...................................................................................22 3.3.6 Other Chemicals ...............................................................................23 3.3.7 Chemicals in White Hair ..................................................................23
