Yellow Tea

The yellow tea is a slightly-fermented tea featuring yellow leaves, yellow tea soup, clear and pleasant aroma, and strong and brisk taste. It is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Sichuan, Anhui, Hunan, Guangdong, and Hubei.

The yellow tea is produced in the similar process for producing green tea. The difference is the step of yellow simmering before or after rolling or before or after the first drying. Yellow simmering is the unique step in yellow tea processing. It is a key process to achieve yellow leaves and yellow soup of the yellow tea.

Based on the tenderness and size of the raw material fresh leaves, the yellow tea can be divided into three types: Huangya (Yellow Bud) Tea, Huangxiao (Yellow Small) Tea, and Huangda (Yellow Big) Tea. The Huangya Tea is made with single bud or the freshly opening one bud and one leaf as the raw material. Its features include straight separate buds, whose tips point upwards after brewing, and vertical suspension of tea leaves in tea soup.

Main varieties of this tea include Junshan Yinzhen (Silver Tip), Mengding Huangya, and Mogan Huangya. Also known as Bud Tea, the Huangxiao Tea is made with fine, tender, and freshly opening one bud and one leaf or one bud and two leaves. Its features include fine, tight, and tippy strips. The tea soup is clear and apricot yellow. It tastes mellow and brisk. The brewed tea leaves are tenderly yellow and bright. Main varieties of this tea include Weishan Maojian (Hairy Tip), Beigang Maojian, Yuan‘an Luyuan, and Wenzhou Huangtang (Yellow Soup). Also known as Leaf Tea, the Huangda Tea is made with one bud and two or three leaves to four or five leaves. Its features include fat leaves, thick stems, connected stem and leaf, and golden color. It has a slight smell of rice crust. The tea has a strong flavor and lasts long in brewing. It is mainly produced in Huoshan, Jinzhai, Liu‘an, Yuexi, and Mt. Huangshan of AnhuiProvince. Its main varieties include Huoshan Huangdaya (Yellow Big Bud) and Guangdong Dayeqing (Big-leaved Green).