Darjeeling white tea
White tea made in Darjeeling from bud-only plucking of the same clonal bushes that produce its black tea. It is a modern product rather than a tradition, developed as estates diversified, and it tastes noticeably more floral than Fujian white tea.
Character
More floral and more grape-like than Fujian white tea, because the cultivar is a Darjeeling one rather than a Da Bai.
- Flavour
- Floral, Fruity, Sweet
- Aroma
- Honeyed, Stone fruit
- Mouthfeel
- Light, Silky
- Complexity
- Moderate
- Notes
- muscat, hay, honeysuckle
- Aftertaste
- Light and floral with a grape edge.
Delicate intensity: light in the mouth with little grip. forgiving of a long steep.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- India
- Region
- Darjeeling
- Cultivar
- AV2
- Oxidation
- Minimally oxidised
- Harvest
- First flush
- Processing
- Withering → Drying
Brewing
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 80–90 °C · 1 authored infusion
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
4–6 g/100 ml · 90–100 °C · 5 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Nepali white tea
Neighbouring Himalayan estates growing the same Darjeeling-derived cultivars, with Nepal usually the cheaper of the two.
- Ceylon silver tips
Two South Asian white teas made on estates better known for black tea. Both are recent diversifications rather than traditions.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle)
Shares 6 descriptors with Darjeeling white tea: sweet, floral, fruity, light, silky and honeyed.
- Bi Luo Chun
Shares 6 descriptors with Darjeeling white tea: floral, fruity, sweet, light, silky and stone fruit.
- Fuding Silver Needle
Shares 6 descriptors with Darjeeling white tea: sweet, fruity, floral, light, silky and honeyed.
- Jiu Qu Hong Mei
Shares 6 descriptors with Darjeeling white tea: fruity, floral, sweet, light, silky and honeyed.
- Mi Xiang oolong
Shares 6 descriptors with Darjeeling white tea: sweet, fruity, floral, silky, honeyed and stone fruit.
- Oriental Beauty
Shares 6 descriptors with Darjeeling white tea: fruity, sweet, floral, silky, honeyed and stone fruit.