Whether you are a long time tea lover or someone newly exploring the beverage, you may find yourself with questions about tea. Today’s article will hopefully give you a bit more of an understanding of these fantastic teas, the difference between white tea and green tea, and some tips to help you enjoy them!

Many people first experience black tea as their entry point into tea drinking. It is available world-wide and popular particularly in Europe and North America. However, in other areas of the world you may be more likely to find other types of tea such as green and white teas championed. In China, green and white tea have been among the most popular blends for thousands of years.

Green tea in particular has been studied and is known to have a number of health benefits; it has been used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine for years. It has only relatively recently been gaining popularity in the USA. White tea, while perhaps less well known, has similar benefits and taste profile to green tea. Both green and white teas are delicate and light to taste.

What Is the Difference Between White Tea and Green Tea?
All tea, besides herbal or fruit tea, comes from the plant Camellia sinensis. The production processes involved in drying the plant are how we end up with various tea blends. It is not the raw product that changes, but rather the methods used to dry the tea that change the blend we end up with.

Both white and green teas are more lightly processed than black tea. Green tea is often dried in the shade after cultivation, then lightly pan fried or steamed.

White tea, in contrast, is first dried in direct sun and then placed indoors for further withering. The indoor humidity, temperature, and tea fermentation must be closely monitored. White tea gets its name from the downy white hairs that remain on the leaves, which are picked from the plant when they are still small buds, a time intensive process. Retaining the downy hair is vital for white tea to keep its color. Green tea and other blends change in color as a result of the more intensive processing they undergo in comparison to white tea.