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White Tea Guide

The most natural tea type — one year tea, three years aged

White tea is the most minimally processed of all six tea types, undergoing only withering and drying — no rolling, no kill-green. Songdehao white tea comes from Jinggu, Yunnan, using large-leaf varietal leaves with a water extract content of ≥35% (higher than Fujian white tea's 28-30%), resulting in a fuller-bodied cup. The saying goes: "one year tea, three years aged, seven years treasure" — white tea improves with age.

White Tea Categories

By leaf tenderness: Silver Needle (single bud, downy fragrance and honey notes), White Peony / Bai Mudan (one bud with one or two leaves, floral and sweet), Shoumei (one bud with three to four leaves, full-bodied and enduring). Songdehao offers silver needles, dragon pearls, loose leaf, and pressed cakes.

Yunnan vs. Fujian White Tea

Yunnan white tea uses large-leaf varietal, processed by "withering → drying" at 40-60°C (sun-dried or low-temperature oven), with water extract ≥35%. Fujian white tea uses small-leaf varietal, includes a "baking" step at 70-110°C, with water extract 28-30%. Yunnan white tea is fuller-bodied with higher steeping endurance.

Brewing Methods

Hot brewing: 85-90°C water, 3-5g per 110ml gaiwan, first steep 10 seconds, gradually extending. Cold brewing: 3-5g tea with 500ml cold water, refrigerate 4-8 hours. New white tea is refreshing cold-brewed; aged white tea is richer hot-brewed.

Storage and Aging

Store at 15-25°C, 55-70% humidity, away from light, odors, and sealed from air. New white tea (1-2 years) is light and fresh; after 3 years, it develops herbal/date notes; 7+ year aged white tea is mellow and sweet. Properly stored, white tea can age indefinitely.

Articles in This Guide

Songdehao Summer White Tea Lineup: From 5 to 128 Yuan

June 15, 2026

7 Songdehao white tea recommendations, from 5 yuan dragon pearls to 128 yuan aged white tea cake. Choose by budget and occasion.

Complete Guide to Cold Brewing White Tea

June 20, 2026

On hot summer days, cold brewed white tea is the ultimate refreshing drink. But cold brewing isn't just dropping tea in cold water...

The Right Way to Hot Brew White Tea: Finding Ritual in Summer

July 13, 2026

A complete guide to hot brewing white tea: water temperature 85-90°C, gaiwan or glass pot, 3-5g of tea, and gradually extending steep time. Differences between new and aged white tea explained.