Tips on Chinese Yellow Tea
Chinese yellow tea takes its name from its straw colored liquor. The production process is similar to green tea, but with a unique additional step called men huan, or “sealing yellow.”
After very early spring buds or tips are pan-fired, they are wrapped in special cloth, a step that is repeated several times over a period of up to three days, gently oxidizing the leaves before the final slow charcoal drying. This smothering process pulls the aromas back into the buds and creates a more aromatic and mature tea, free of the “grassy” taste and astringency found in many green teas.
TIPS
Huangxiaocha:Refers to the yellow tea processed with single buds having 1 or 2 leaves,such as Weishan Maojian,Beigang Maojian of Hunan and Luyuan tea of Yuan'an,Hubei.
Huangdacha:Refers to the yellow tea processed with single buds having 3 to 5 leaves,such as Wanxi Huangdacha of Anhui,Dayeqing of Guangdong.The production is higher but the quality inferior to Huangxiaocha and Huangyacha.
Yellow tea is hardly found in the market and finding an authentic one is even rarer.Due to various reasons,most yellow tea are made through the green tea process. Some yellow tea have totally disappeared from the tea world.
