Written by: Jon M. Stout
Is the Plucking Time Important When Choosing White Licorice Tea?
White tea is the rarest tea in the world. Long praised in Asia, it is just beginning to gain popularity in the Western world. People everywhere are clamoring to get their hands on this raretreat. White tea is used in many blends, and none is morerefreshing than White Licorice Tea.
White Licorice tea is a delicious blend of fine white tea and star anise to provide the licorice flavor. The best White Licorice tea should be made from the finest blend of loose white tea combined with high quality whole pieces of star anise. To ensure that you buy only the best quality white licorice tea, it’s important that you understand the important elements in selecting white tea. This includes understanding the most popular cultivars for white tea, the grades of white tea and how and when the tea is harvested.
There is no international standard for grading tea, so beyond understanding this basic information, it’s difficult to tell which tea is best.
First, it’s important to choose the best cultivars of the tea and how white tea is classified. The most popular cultivars for white tea include Da Bai, Xiao Bai, Narcissus and Chaicha bushes. Within these cultivars the teas are classified into different grades, primarily based on whether the plucking consists of only the bud and top two leaves of the tea plant or whether more tea leaves are included. In addition, the stringency with which the tea pluckers ensure that the leaves and buds are not damaged during harvest affects the quality and grade of the tea.
Harvesting white tea properly is very difficult and requires skill and experience. Using skilled and experienced tea pluckers ensures that only the tea buds that are ready are harvested and that the buds are kept intact to prevent the start of oxidation. When choosing White licorice tea, you should choose tea that is labeled Silver Needles or White Peony to ensure that you get the very best white tea. Both of these white teas are produced in China and are considered the highest grades of white tea.
Another important feature in choosing a white licorice tea is to determine the type of flavoring used to infuse the white tea with licorice flavor. White licorice tea flavored with star anise will have a milder and sweeter taste than white licorice tea made using licorice root. One of the most common ways of evaluating the quality of black and green teas is to know when the tea was plucked. First plucked black and green teas are those plucked in the spring, when the tea plants are plucked for the first time during the growingseason. The first plucked, or first flush, black and green teas are considered to be better because the weather is cooler.
Blackand green teas produced from leaves plucked later in the season will not have the same quality because the tea leaves have been exposed to hot weather and lots of sun. So, it’s common for connoisseurs of black and green tea to look for tea that is labeled “first plucking” or “first flush”. However, this standard does not apply to white teas. White teas should have just one plucking each year, because the best tea is plucked during the spring.
This is one of the reasons that white tea is so rare. Therefore, you can’t judge the quality of the white tea based on the plucking the way you can with green and black teas - all white tea is first flush tea. In fact, the very best white teas, Silver Needles and White Peony, are only plucked between March 15 and April 10.
Your best chance of choosing really good white licorice tea is to buy from a reputable tea purveyor and to buy a white licorice tea with a base of white tea that you already enjoy. For example, if your favorite plain white tea is Silver Needles, then you can’t go wrong buying White Licorice tea made from the Silver Needles variety of white tea. But, if you’re looking for a new taste treat, you might want to try something entirely new, like a Ceylon white licorice.
Find a good tea shop, whether local or online and see which white licorice teas they offer. If they’re known for only selling the best in loose white teas, you should be able to trust that their white licorice tea will be tasty and fresh. A good tea vendor is a must when you’re buying tea, particularly white tea. White tea is an investment and you’ll want to ensure that you purchase only the best when you buy. In addition, you want to know that you have access to new flavors and tastes as they’re introduced to the market, but only when they’re available in really good quality teas.
White licorice tea is a great way to wind down at the end of al ong day. White tea is low in caffeine and licorice has long been revered for its ability to aid digestion and soothe the stomach.
In addition, the wonderful aroma of sweetness and licorice can soothe you after even the most stressful of days.
About the author: Jon Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about green tea, oolong tea and chai tea (http://www.goldenmo ontea.com/ Green_Tea_ W318.cfm) (http://www.goldenmo ontea.com/ Oolong_Tea_ W319.cfm) (http://www.goldenmo ontea.com/ Chai_Tea_ W341.cfm) go to goldenmoontea. com
