Yellow Tea Basics
Yellow tea - origin of the name: People discovered from pan-fried green tea that if drying was insufficient or untimely after fixation and rolling, the leaf color would turn yellow, thus giving rise to this new category - yellow tea.
Yellow tea processing shares similarities with green tea, but differs by including an additional yellowing process. This yellowing procedure is the main characteristic of yellow tea production and the fundamental distinction from green tea. Green tea is non-fermented, while yellow tea belongs to the fermented tea category. This process is sometimes called "men huang" (yellowing), "men dui" (piling), or referred to as "initial wrapping," "re-wrapping," or "wo dui" (pile fermentation).
Yellow tea is divided into three categories based on leaf tenderness and bud size: yellow bud tea, yellow small tea, and yellow large tea. Yellow bud tea mainly includes Junshan Yinzhen, Mengding Yellow Bud, and Huoshan Yellow Bud; yellow small tea mainly includes Beigang Maojian, Weishan Maojian, Yuan'an Luyuan Tea, Western Anhui Yellow Small Tea, Zhejiang Pingyang Yellow Soup, etc.; yellow large tea includes varieties from Anhui's Huoshan, Jinzhai, Lu'an, Yuexi and Hubei's Yingshan, as well as Guangdong Dayeqing.
The highest grade of yellow bud tea is Hunan's Dongting Junshan Yinzhen. The finished tea features straight, sturdy buds, substantial and even with silvery fuzz exposed, golden buds with bright luster, possessing a fresh, delicate aroma, apricot-yellow clear liquor, and a sweet, mellow, fresh taste. It has long enjoyed high reputation in both international and domestic markets, commanding premium prices (current retail price in Beijing markets exceeds a thousand yuan per jin).
Anhui's Huoshan Yellow Bud is also a treasure among yellow bud teas. Huoshan tea has a long production history, dating back to the Tang Dynasty, and was presented as tribute to the imperial court during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Huoshan Yellow Large Tea, particularly the variety from Jingangtai at Jinji Mountain in Huoshan's Dahuaping, is the most precious, featuring natural golden dry leaves with high aroma, rich taste, and good infusibility.