Prickly Strawberry

White tea is the most gently processed of all: the leaf is only withered and dried, without rolling and with almost no oxidation.

Ingredients: strawberry. In the cup this reads as a sweet summer berry note. The aromatic and fruit components are laid over the tea base rather than replacing it: the tea character remains dominant in the cup.

White tea contains little caffeine, and its effect is gentle.

Preparation: 12–15 g per litre, 2–3 minutes, water at 80 °C. White tea is the most delicately processed of all; boiling water burns off its floral top note. The optimum is 80 °C and a short steep.

The proportions are a starting point, not a rule: adjust them by up to 20 % to suit your water and your taste.

In retail it is an everyday purchase; in hospitality it is valued because it can be served both in a pot and cold. The one requirement for staff: do not use boiling water.

Storage: in a tightly sealed opaque container, away from light, moisture and strong odours. Tea readily absorbs foreign aromas, so it should not be kept next to spices or coffee.

Packaging: sold loose, the price is given per 100 g. Alveus supplier code — 84273.

The supplier is Alveus (Germany), one of Europe’s largest tea houses. Packing and dispatch from the Verdamare warehouse.