White tea 白茶

白茶是指一种采摘后，只经过杀青，不揉捻，再经过晒或文火干燥后加工的茶。属轻微发酵茶，是我国茶类中的特殊珍品。由于人们采摘了细嫩、叶背多白茸毛的芽叶，加工时不炒不揉，晒干或用文火烘干，使白茸毛在茶的外表完整地保留下来，所以白茶的成品茶是白色的。
White tea refers to tea that has only undergone deactivation of its enzymes but is not rolled and twiddled and dried in the sun or with gentle heat. It is slightly fermented tea and the special precious tea of China’s different varieties of tea. Since people pick the tender tea sprouts and leaves with white fluff coated leaf backs and people do not fry or knead the leaves when processing but only dry them in sun or with a gentle heat, the white fluff on the surface of the tea is retained in its entirety. This is the reason for which the end products of white tea are white.
白茶生产已有200年左右的历史，最早是由福鼎县首创的，因此又称为福鼎白茶。白茶为福建特产，主要产区在福鼎、政和、松溪、建阳等地。此外，中国浙江的安吉白茶和贵州正安白茶因自然变异整片茶叶呈白色，不同于带有白色绒毛的一般白茶。
The manufacture of white tea has a history about 200 years and the practice originated in Fuding County, hence the name Fuding White Tea. The white tea is a specialty of Fujian and its major producing areas are Fuding, Zhenghe, Songxi and Jianyang etc. Moreover, the leaves of Anji white tea produced in Zhejiang China and Zheng’an white tea produced in Guizhou China are white all over due to natural variation, accounting for differentiation from common white tea with its white fluff.
白茶的主要品种有银针、白牡丹、贡眉、寿眉等。尤其是白毫银针，全是披满白色茸毛的芽尖，形状挺直如针，在众多的茶叶中，它是外形最优美者之一，令人喜爱。汤色浅黄，鲜醇爽口，饮后令人回味无穷。
The main varieties of white tea include the Silver Needle, White Peony Tea, Gongmei and the Long Brow etc. The Silver Needle Pekoe is notable in particular, as all its tea sprouts are covered in white fluff and its shape is straight and upright like a needle. It is one of the teas with the most graceful appearances amongst a variety of tea leaves, which makes it very attractive. The tea water is light yellow and fresh, and it smells mellow as well as refreshing. What is more, it has a fantastic aftertaste.
白毫银针，简称银针，又叫白毫，因其白毫密被、色白如银、外形似针而得名，其香气清新，汤色淡黄，滋味鲜爽，是白茶中的极品，素有茶中“美女”、“茶王”之美称。由于鲜叶原料全部采自大白茶树的肥芽，其成品茶，长三厘米许，整个茶芽为白毫覆被，银装素裹，熠熠闪光，令人赏心悦目。冲泡后，香气清鲜，滋味醇和，杯中的景观也使人情趣横生。
The Silver Needle Peko, also called Silver Needle or ‘Peko’ for short, is densely covered with white fluff and as white as silver, with the shape of a needle, hence got the name ‘Silver Needle Peko’. It has a pure and fresh fragrance, light yellow tea water and fresh and refreshing flavor, so it is the highest-quality white tea and hailed as “beauty of teas” and the “Tea King”. Since the raw materials of fresh leaves are all large sprouts picked from the big white leaf trees, its product is more than 3cm long and the whole tea sprout is covered with white fluffs like luminescent silver fabric which is most pleasing to the eye. After mixing with water, the tea has pure and fresh fragrance and mellow flavor. The landscape in a cup of the tea is also aesthetically pleasing and interesting.
白牡丹是采自大白茶树或水仙种的短小芽叶新梢的一芽一二叶制成的，是白茶中的上乘佳品。因其绿叶夹银白色毫心，形似花朵，冲泡后绿叶托着嫩芽，宛如蓓蕾初放，所以得此美名。
The White Peony Tea is made of the short and small first growing sprouts and the first and second growing leaves from large white tea tress or one of the narcissus-species. It is the highest in quality of the white teas. There is silvery white fluff in the heart of its green leave which causes it to resemble a flower, which, when immersed in water takes on the appearance of a tender budding sprout in early bloom, hence the beautiful name “White Peony Tea”.