Drying process steps of white tea

White tea processing steps

The white tea is picked according to the temperature. When the color is turn white and the buds are beginning to show fresh leaves, the white tea could be picked. The buds and leaves are formed into flowers, the size is uniform, the handle should be short. You should pick the white tea lightly and use bamboo basket for storage and transportation. Tea picking in spring accounts for about 50%, tea picking in summer accounts for about 25%, and tea picking in autumn accounts for 25%. the spring tea taste best, and the taste of autumn tea is between spring tea and summer tea.

White tea drying process

White tea is withered after being picked. The fresh tea leaves should be evenly placed on the drying tray, and then pushed into the drying room for withering. The whole withering process takes about 30 hours, and the temperature in the drying room should not exceed 35 degrees. It is divided into three different stages.

The first stage is the first 10 hours, and the temperature should be set at 20 ° C – 25 ° C. The second stage should raise the temperature to 27- 28°C after slow heating for10 hours. After 10 hours of withering and heating process, the temperature will be raised to 35°C. You should ensure that the drying room is evenly ventilated during the whole drying process. Stack the withered white tea together, cover them with sackcloth, and let the white tea ferment slightly for 3-5 days.

When the accumulation and fermentation process of white tea is completed, it should be dried at high temperature, and the temperature of the drying & dehumidification machine should be set at 60-75 degrees, and should not exceed 75 degrees. It should be dried for about 10 hours. The moisture content of white tea is controlled below 5% after this drying process.