Mengding Huangya is one of China's top ten famous teas and a premier yellow bud tea that still preserves the traditional yellowing process. Special-grade Mengding Huangya uses pre-Qingming whole bud tips, requiring 40,000-50,000 buds per 500g of dry tea. The production of Mengding Huangya is meticulous, employing traditional techniques combining frying and yellowing: tender buds are fixed, wrapped in paper to maintain warmth for yellowing, allowing natural fermentation in a humid and hot environment, then shaped, wrapped again for yellowing, and finally baked dry. The taste is fresh, mellow, sweet, and refreshing.
Mengding Mountain is the earliest recorded place in history for artificial tea cultivation. From the world's earliest existing written record of tea in Wang Bao's "Tong Yue" and the legend of Wu Lizhen planting tea trees in Mengshan, it can be proven that Sichuan's Mengding Mountain is the origin of tea tree planting and tea manufacturing. Mengshan is located on the western edge of the Sichuan Basin, a transitional zone from the Tibetan Plateau to the western Sichuan plain, between the so-called "Heaven's Leak" areas of Ya'an and Mingshan. Mengding Mountain features towering peaks, beautiful ridges, stunning waterfalls, and accumulated clouds and fog. Ancient people described it as: "Looking up, the high sky wind is refreshing, all things are rustling; looking down, the Qiang River flows around, surrounded by numerous mountains, tea fields and cedar paths, strange stones and exotic flowers, enough to be called a scenic spot." Historical records state: "After Yu controlled the floods, he performed travel sacrifices here." Mengshan has five peaks: Shangqing, Lingjiao, Piluo, Jingquan, and Ganlu, also called the Five Peaks. Viewed from afar, the five peaks are prominent, shaped like a lotus flower. Mengding Mountain is not only a famous scenic area but also the earliest birthplace of China's famous teas, where famous mountains and famous teas complement each other.
Production Process
The making of Mengding Huangya involves eight steps: killing the green, initial wrapping, second frying, second wrapping, third frying, piling and spreading, fourth frying, and baking. Due to the extreme tenderness of the buds and leaves, the craftsmanship requires fine precision.
Killing the Green: Using a flat wok about 50 cm in diameter, with a smooth surface, heated by electricity or dry firewood. When the wok temperature reaches about 100°C, a small amount of white wax is evenly applied. When the temperature reaches 130°C and the wax smoke dissipates, killing the green can begin. Each wok takes 120-150g of tender buds, for 4-5 minutes. When the leaf color turns dark, tea fragrance appears, and the moisture content of the buds reduces to 55-60%, it can be removed from the wok.
Initial Wrapping: Wrapping for yellowing is the key process forming the quality characteristics of Mengding Huangya. The fixed leaves are quickly wrapped in straw paper, keeping the initial wrapped leaf temperature around 55°C, left for 60-80 minutes, with one opening and turning midway to promote even yellowing. When the leaf temperature drops to about 35°C and the leaf color turns slightly yellowish-green, proceed to the second frying.
Second Frying: Wok temperature 70-80°C. During frying, straighten and flatten the buds and leaves. When the moisture content drops to about 45%, remove from the wok. The outlet leaf temperature is 50-55°C, conducive to further yellowing during the second wrap.
Second Wrapping: After the second fry, to further yellow the leaf color, forming the yellow leaf and yellow soup, follow the initial wrapping method, wrapping the 50°C second-fried leaves for 50-60 minutes until the leaf color turns yellowish-green, then proceed to the third fry.
Third Frying: The method is the same as the second frying, wok temperature around 70°C, frying until the tea strips are basically set, moisture content 30-35%.
Piling and Spreading: The purpose is to promote even distribution of internal moisture and auto-oxidation of polyphenols, achieving the requirement of yellow leaves and yellow soup. Spread the third-fried leaves while hot on a fine bamboo basket, thickness 5-7 cm, cover with straw paper to retain heat, pile for 24-36 hours, then proceed to the fourth fry.
Fourth Frying: Wok temperature 60-70°C, to shape the appearance, dissipate moisture and stuffy air, and enhance fragrance. If after removal from the wok the yellowing is insufficient, continue piling until the color change is adequate, then bake.
Baking: Keep the baking temperature at 40-50°C, slow baking to promote the formation of color, aroma, and taste. Bake until moisture content is about 5%, then remove, spread to cool, and package for storage.
Mengshan tea truly deserves to be called a brilliant pearl among China's famous teas. People praise the quality of Mengshan tea endlessly. The "Mengshan Tujing" says: "Mengding has tea, receiving the full energy of the sun, its tea is fragrant." Successive generations of famous scholars have left many poems praising Mengshan tea. Song Dynasty's Wen Tong's poem "Thanking Someone for Sending New Mengding Tea" says: "Shu's tea is called holy, Mengshan's taste is uniquely precious." Song Dynasty's Wen Yanbo's "Mengding Tea Poem" says: "Old records most praise Mengding's taste, dew buds and cloud liquid surpass refined cream." Qing Dynasty's Zhao Heng's poem "Trying Mengshan Tea" also contains the line "Light color, long-lasting fragrance, the quality itself is immortal." This shows Mengding tea enjoyed a high reputation throughout Chinese history, lasting unceasingly.
The quality characteristics of Mengding Huangya are: flat straight appearance, slightly yellow color, buds fully visible, strong sweet aroma, yellow bright liquor, fresh, mellow, and sweet taste with a lingering sweetness, whole buds in the infused leaves, tender yellow and even. It is the top grade among Mengshan teas.
Quality Characteristics
The quality characteristic of yellow tea is "yellow leaves and yellow soup." This yellow color results from the pile-up yellowing process during tea making. Yellow tea is divided into three categories: yellow bud tea, yellow small tea, and yellow large tea. Yellow bud tea has tender buds and leaves, visible pekoe, and a fresh, mellow fragrance. Due to different varieties, there are considerable differences in leaf selection and processing techniques.
Mengding Huangya has a flat straight shape, even bud strips, tender yellow color, visible buds, strong sweet aroma, yellow bright and clear liquor, fresh and mellow taste with sweetness, and infused leaves of whole tender yellow buds.
Brewing Method
For brewing Mengding Huangya, clear mountain spring water is best. The tea set is best a transparent glass cup with a glass lid. The cup height should be 10-15 cm, cup mouth diameter 4-6 cm. The amount of tea per cup is 3 grams. The specific brewing procedure is as follows:
Preheat the teacup with boiling water, clean the tea set, and dry the cup to prevent the tea buds from absorbing water and not standing upright. Use a tea spoon to gently take about 3 grams of Mengding Huangya from the canister and place it in the cup waiting for brewing. Using a water kettle, pour water at about 70°C into the cup containing the tea, first quickly then slowly, up to half full, allowing the tea buds to soak thoroughly.
After a moment, fill to about 70-80% full. After about 5 minutes, remove the glass lid. After brewing Mengding Huangya, you can see the tea buds gradually stand upright, sinking and floating, with晶莹 bubbles at the bud tips. Just brewed Mengding Huangya lies horizontally on the water's surface. After adding the glass lid, the tea buds absorb water and sink, producing bubbles at the tips, like a sparrow's tongue holding a pearl, or spring bamboo shoots emerging from the soil.
Next, the upright tea buds that sank to the bottom float up again due to the buoyancy of the bubbles. Such sinking and floating is truly wonderful. When opening the glass lid, a wisp of white mist will rise slowly from the cup and then gradually disappear. After appreciating the tea, you can lift the cup to smell the aroma. After smelling the aroma, you can taste it.