How to Brew White Tea

There are few things better on a hot day than a delicate, refreshing glass of white tea — but you'll see soon enough.

Brewing white tea is extremely similar to the process of brewing green tea, with one exception — white tea often requires an even more brief steep time to prevent burning its young, tender tea leaves and buds.

White tea is one of the more delicate versions out there, meaning it requires a far shorter steep time and water that's far below boiling. This is both a blessing and a curse; on one hand, you get can your tea in the span of a minute. On the other hand you get your tea within a minute, meaning you likely can't afford to dip away for a moment while it steeps.

We begin (as usual) by bringing eight ounces of water to roughly 170 °F for every serving we want to make. While you wait for the water to heat, measure two teaspoons of loose tea into a teapot, tea bag, or infuser, and set it aside (or in your mug). Once the water has heated, pour it over your tea and allow the leaves to steep for between one and two minutes, adjusting to taste.

As mentioned above, take care with your steep times. We highly recommend starting with a short (roughly one minute) steep, giving it a taste, and letting it steep in increments of 20-30 seconds until it's to your liking.

Once your tea is finished, discard the used leaves, add any sweeteners you'd like, and enjoy!

Pro Tip: A hint of local honey goes perfectly with just about every white tea we make; it highlights the floral, herbal notes of the tea and helps bring the tea's own natural sweetness to the forefront.