Origins and Early Historical Mentions of White Tea

Legendary Beginnings

According to Fujian folklore, the story of white tea begins in the mist‑covered slopes of Mount Taimu in Fuding during the early Tang dynasty. A hermit monk, seeking a beverage that would preserve his clarity of mind without the heaviness of fully oxidized teas, noticed that the young buds of the local Camellia sinensis var. sinensis retained a silvery‑white down when plucked before dawn. He spread the buds on bamboo mats under the gentle morning sun, allowing them to wither slowly. The resulting infusion was pale, sweet, and remarkably refreshing, earning the name “White Hair Tea” (白毛茶). While this tale is more myth than verifiable history, it captures the essence of white tea’s defining characteristic: minimal processing that preserves the natural trichomes (hairs) on the leaf surface.

Early Textual References

The earliest written allusion to a tea resembling modern white tea appears in Lu Yu’s The Classic of Tea (茶经, circa 760 CE). In Chapter 4, Lu Yu describes a “light‑colored tea” harvested from the tender buds of southern trees, noting its pale liquor and delicate aroma. Though he does not use the term “white tea,” scholars such as tea historian Wang Yuhua argue that this passage refers to the early form of baihao (white down) tea produced in Fujian.

More explicit references emerge during the Song dynasty. Cai Xiang’s Tea Record (茶录, 1049 CE) lists “white bud tea” (白芽茶) among the tribute teas sent to the imperial court from the Fujian circuits. The text emphasizes that the tea must be plucked before the Qingming festival, when the buds are still covered in fine white hairs, and that it should be dried gently over low heat to avoid destroying its subtle fragrance. These criteria closely match the modern definition of white tea as a slightly fermented (5‑10 %) tea whose processing relies primarily on withering.

By the Ming dynasty, the Tea Treatise (茶经, 1595) by Xu Cishu devotes a whole section to “Fuding White Tea,” describing the traditional sun‑withering method on bamboo screens and noting that the best leaves are those with a “silvery‑white down that glistens like frost.” Xu also mentions that the tea was highly prized by scholars for its ability to “clear the mind