Tinderet Kenya White
White tea almost always comes from China, so a single-estate, loose-leaf white from Kenya is a rare and lovely thing. This one is grown at the Tinderet estate in the west of the country, in a spot known locally as the Lightning Farm, for the dramatic storms that roll through. It is one of my favourite surprises to recommend to people: a white tea from an unexpected place, and all the better for it.
White tea is the least processed tea there is. The leaves are simply plucked and dried in the sun, which gently concentrates their natural sugars, then packed; there is no rolling and only spontaneous oxidation, which is what keeps a white tea so delicate. This one is an open-leaf style, meaning it is made from the leaves as well as the buds, rather than buds alone. That is the same style as the famous Chinese Bai Mu Dan, or White Peony, and it gives the tea more body and a fuller, fruitier flavour than a pure-bud white like a Silver Needle.
And the flavour is the joy of it: soft, sweet and properly fruity, with notes of ripe apricot, pear and lychee, and a rich, almost velvety texture that is unusual for something so delicate. It is lovely first thing in the morning, and quite unlike anything else on the shelf.
A few things worth knowing. Yes, it does contain caffeine; white tea often surprises people on that front, but it is a real tea and has its share. Drink it without milk, which would only flatten all that delicate fruit. The leaves are generous, so you can brew them three or four times over, each cup a little different. And it makes a wonderful cold brew: put four teaspoons in a jug of cold water and leave it in the fridge for six to twelve hours for the most refreshing iced tea you are likely to taste.
Brew at 80°C for 4 minutes, using a generous two teaspoons per cup.
Ingredients || White Tea
Warning, packed in an environment that contains nuts
Caffeine || Yes
Tasting Notes || Soft and sweet, with ripe apricot, pear and lychee
Brewing Notes || 2 teaspoon per cup, 80ºC, brew for 4 minutes (also lovely cold-brewed).