Anyone with a basic knowledge of white tea has surely heard the common expression:

"White tea is tea for one year, medicine for three years, and treasure for seven years."

I think this slogan is still very attractive and seductive.

Is this slogan created for marketing purposes or is there something else behind it? About six or seven years ago, Mr. Ye, a national-level white tea heir in Fuding, was asked by Qingniu about the problem. Mr. Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Who is interested in marketing? Fujian is a remote region in southeast China. In Fuding, we have many mountains and villages are scattered. In the past, there might not be a doctor for miles away. When the elderly and children fell ill at night, with no way to reach a doctor by crossing mountains and hills, they had no choice but to boil water with old, unsellable tea leaves and drink it. After drinking the infusion, they would sweat profusely and the disease would improve in most cases. Later, the careful people in the mountains concluded that the older the white tea, the more effective it is. Thus, this phrase has been passed down from generation to generation."

It is not known exactly when this phrase emerged in Fuding, but it is well known that old white tea has beneficial effects.

Fuding Tea Mountains

So, what is the definition of "old white tea" in terms of years? There is currently no single opinion on this matter. Most opinions on the Internet believe that Shoumei (Gongmei) tea that is at least three years old can be considered old white tea. Mr. Ye, however, believes that three years is still a bit immature in terms of the processing of "big and sturdy" Shoumei tea leaves. His standard is at least five years.

Qingniu completely agrees with this statement ， he has always believed

that the experience passed down from generation to generation is the most important part of the

treasure of Chinese medicine. Qingniu believes that there are many seemingly baseless but magical claims, but we simply have not found a way to prove or disprove them yet! In fact, we have many scientific research institutions in our country that are conducting scientific studies.

During 2010-2013, the team from the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Agricultural Academy conducted numerous experiments on white tea samples of different years and varieties, analyzing withering times, temperature and humidity, roasting times, etc., from multiple angles.

In 2017, the team further deepened their research based on the seven-year-old study, and found that old white tea cakes (several-year-old white tea) contain a characteristic substance called "white tea ketone"! "White tea ketone" is recognized by the scientific community as a substance that has significant effects such as antioxidant, lowering blood pressure, improving blood circulation, reducing inflammation, etc.! The discovery of "white tea ketone" to a certain extent explains the saying of "seven-year-old treasure" spread in Fuding.

Of course, white tea is a drink, not a medicine, and this is important to emphasize!

So, what are the benefits of old white tea? Is the "seven-year treasure" true?