While white tea is a relative new comer to the Western tea scene, it's actually one of the oldest forms of tea in existence. White tea was originally served exclusively to the emperors of China. The tea gets its name from the very fine, silvery white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea plant. (On many varieties of our teas these buds are still visible on the finished leaf.) Like Super Tuscan red wines or les Grand Crus de Burgoyne, these are teas to appreciate and savor.