White loose leaf tea is produced from the gentle buds and fresher leaves of the tea plant. The parts of the plant used for making white tea go through minimum oxidation. In order to prevent the leaves from oxidizing more than necessary, they are withered under the sun, fact that ensures that the tea flavor and the chemical compounds accountable for the presumable health benefits are not altered. The withered leaves are dried either mechanically, under the sun or by blowing air on them, in order to obtain white tea. Still, the method used most frequently implies steaming the leaves and then drying them immediately. This is done in order to preserve the maximum freshness. As it is not panned, rolled or shaken, the manufacture of white tea is both timesaving and labor saving.

China, and in particular the Fujian province, is almost the single region in which white tea is grown. The name of the tea is a reference to the white-silvery hairs found on the unopened buds of Camellia sinensis.  It is believed that in terms of health benefits white tea is better than green tea. The distinction is explained not only by the different production processes, but also by the greater amount of buds found in white tea. Some of the studies that implied this particular variety of tea suggest that white tea may have some good effects on cancer, obesity and heart disease. In addition, white tea is believed to work as an anti-aging agent. However, these effects should not be taken as granted, because the evidence is still not consistent.

As well as green tea, the white variety should not be brewed with boiling water. The optimal temperature is of 80 degrees Celsius. Achieving this temperature when you do not have a thermometer at hand is done by boiling the water and leaving it for 30 seconds. After this period, you can pour the water on the leaves. The steeping time ranges between 3 and 5 minutes, or even more, if you want the flavor to be even more intense. You should also be aware that white tea does not go well with milk, so adding this to the brew could actually spoil it. The best results are obtained when using loose leaf instead of tea bags that contain crushed leaves of a lower quality.