Coffee Joe recently tried a cup of organic White tea. At first, it seemed very mild, but the aroma was quite delicate, as was the taste. CJ says to really enjoy this beverage, you must first ignore all the distractions from the day, inhale deeply, and let it soothe the mind.
History says traditional White Tea is the oldest type of tea and was produced for consumption by the Chinese Royalty during the seventh and eighth centuries. This was the Tang Era when it reached the height of sophistication but was unknown outside of China.
CJ looked into the subject of White tea, finding out that the beverage and style of tea preparation then was nothing like our process today. Tea leaves were made into compressed cakes, called brick tea, then ground in a stone mortar. Hot water was added to the teacake, then boiled in earthenware kettles. After the twelfth century, young tea leaves which resembled silver needles were steamed, dried and ground into a powder which was then used to make the tea.
Further research showed him that in the mid thirteenth century, the Chinese learned to process tea differently. Tea leaves were roasted rather than steamed, paving the way for loose tea and the custom of brewing. Today’s White tea can be traced to the late 1700s, and by 1885, specific types of tea bushes were being used to create various types of White teas, including organic. In 1891, the Chinese began to export White tea.
Coffee Joe thinks its history is fascinating, marveling that White tea has survived so long for everyone to enjoy. He will continue his journey into the world of organic tea over the next few weeks.
