4 Refreshing Ways To Enjoy White Tea

White tea is a type of tea with low caffeine content and delicate taste and aroma. It’s made of springtime tea leaves originally found in China’s Fujian province. Also, white tea is famously known for its wilted buds and leaves that look a bit fuzzy.

In addition, when brewed, white tea produces a floral fragrance and light golden color. Its flavor may range from earthy to floral to subtle fruity notes, depending on the kind of white tea you have. Also, it’s less bitter and strong compared to black tea when you brew it correctly.

Because of its light, subtle flavor, you’re probably wondering if there are ways to enjoy white tea. Fortunately, there are. In this article, you’ll discover some easy yet refreshing ways to drink loose leaf white tea—perfect for quenching the heat outside. Continue reading below to find out.

1. Turn to Loose Leaf White Tea Into Iced Tea

Jasmine White Tea from Rareteacompany.com

Iced tea is probably the simplest yet most refreshing way to enjoy tea. This is especially true during the summer season when the sun is high. If you want to go the extra mile for a high-quality brew, then opt for loose leaf white tea. This provides a much richer flavor than commercial tea bags and is also better for the environment.

“Jasmine White Tea from Rareteacompany.com”

Here’s a simple recipe for cooling iced white tea you might enjoy:

• Put two tablespoons of white tea leaves or buds in a bag or a small pot designed for white tea—this is called gaiwan or ho-hin in Chinese. It’s an ideal way to avoid bulky British and modern teapots.
• Steep it with eight ounces of slightly hot water—around 180F to 185F—for four to five minutes if you’re using tea leaves and a minute or two if you’re using tea buds.
• Remove the bag or transfer the hot tea from the pot to a clean glass and let it cool in the refrigerator.
• Add flavors once the tea has cooled completely. You may add a tablespoon of honey and lemon juice to level it up and make it more refreshing and delicious.
• Serve it in a glass with ice cubes. For aesthetic purposes, you may add a lemon wedge or a small lemon peel on the side of the glass.

Furthermore, if you want to serve it to a large group of people, just multiply the recipe above by the number of your guests.

2. Make A Thai Iced Tea

Thai iced tea, or Cha Yen, is a popular tea drink in Thailand and is produced using black tea leaves. It’s sweet and incredibly refreshing—a perfect drink at any time of the day, regardless of the season. For this recipe, you’ll need to substitute black tea with white tea leaves or buds, whichever you have in your pantry.

Here’s how to make a Thai iced tea using white tea leaves or buds:

• Steep the white tea leaves or buds using the process above (four to five minutes for leaves and one to two minutes for buds at 180-185F).
• Aside from this steeping process, you may also boil the tea leaves or buds in water with two tablespoons of brown sugar. After a few minutes, remove it from the heat and strain it.
• Add two tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk and two tablespoons of evaporated milk, and mix well to combine.
• Place the tea in the fridge and let it cool down.
• Serve it in a tall glass with ice cubes. You may add extra tablespoons of condensed and evaporated milk to adjust its sweetness and creaminess based on your preference.

3. Make It A Tea Latte

Lattes are a great way to enjoy tea if you prefer it to be on the stronger side. Also, its soothing effect makes it the perfect drink before bedtime—after all, it doesn’t contain high amounts of caffeine compared to coffee.

On top of that, tea lattes are believed to be helpful when coping with health issues. These include reducing menstrual pain, relieving bowel movement, promoting good sleep, and relieving cold symptoms.

If you don’t want your white tea to be subtle and plain, here’s a white tea latte recipe just for you:

• Bring a cup of milk to a simmer using a small saucepan. Make sure only to use low heat to avoid boiling, which can lead to a faster evaporation rate.
• Add two tablespoons of white tea leaves or buds and let it steep for a few minutes (four to five minutes if using leaves and one to two minutes if using buds).
• Transfer the hot tea to a French press and froth it to become a latte.
• Serve it with a cinnamon stick or a dash of cinnamon powder on top.

4. Make An Ice Cream Out Of It

f you’re looking for a great way to make your white tea super refreshing, then you should try making it into delectable ice cream. Here’s how you can do it:

• Heat two cups of heavy cream and a cup of milk in a small sauce pot until it simmers (not boiling)
• Remove the pan from the heat, add six tablespoons of white tea leaves, and let it steep for around 30-35 minutes.
• Strain the tea and discard its leaves and buds.
• Whisk four egg yolks along with three-quarters of a cup of sugar, and set aside.
• Simmer the milk-cream-tea mixture, add a cup to the egg-sugar mixture, and whisk until well-combined. This is called tempering.
• Add the tempered egg mixture to the rest of the milk-cream-tea mixture and stir continuously to prevent the eggs from turning scrambled.
• Place a bowl in the freezer.
• Remove it once frozen and transfer the mixture to this bowl. Put it back in the freezer and let it freeze.
• Churn it using an ice cream maker for around 15-20 minutes. Then, put it back in the freezer for another six to eight hours or until completely frozen.
• Serve it with fruit or a dash of chocolate syrup on top.

You can also turn this ice cream into a smoothie. Mix some fruits and creams, and blend it all until it’s well combined. Make sure not to crush it too fine to preserve the texture of the fruits. You may check out this recipe as a guide—just replace the green tea with a white one.

Final Words

As discussed, there are several ways to transform white tea into a refreshing one. For this purpose, you may refer to the abovementioned recipes. Be sure to follow all the tips and instructions to enjoy your white tea in the best possible way.