Category: Yellow Tea

I did not know how to answer this question when someone told me a British tea company published on their web site about yellow tea that the production know-how was lost for hundreds of year and only recovered in 1970.

I hope the follow information is able to establish some clarifications:

• Yellow tea is a very unique tea from China, basically the production method is very similar as green tea, except there is an additional ‘staking fermentation’ process. Therefore, yellow tea is a mild oxidized tea.

• In different historical period in China history, there are different kind of yellow tea:

• The yellow tea that we know today has unique characters from specific tea tree cultivars that the fresh young bud and leaves appear in more yellowish color
• Teas presented to the Emperor in Tang dynasty, i.e. yellow tea from Shoushan, Anhui and Mengding, Sichuan, were known as yellow tea because of the color from dried tea leaves appeared in yellowish color.
• Basically there are three types of yellow tea based on the tenderness of fresh tea buds:
  • Yellow Buds (or yellow tips) : such as Junshan Yinzhen (Hunan), Mengding Huangya (Sichuan) and Huoshan huangya (An Hui)
  • Small-leafed yellow tea : such as Weishan Maojian,
  • Large-leafed yellow tea can be found in Anhui, Hubei and Canton
• The most easy visualized character from Yellow tea is the color of tea liquor is in more yellowish.
• Yueyang in Hunan is known as capital of yellow tea
• Even many Chinese can easily confused by yellow tea from green tea or vice versa, how can we expect foreign tea lovers have to go through language interpretation?

However, yellow tea can be an interesting choice for those who would like to drink green tea but have problem with stomach.

We proudly announce the launching of new type of Yellow Tea in EU – Huang Guan Yin Honey Yellow

Tea Research Institutes in China and Taiwan are constantly trying to create new and better tea tree cultivars, and launching a new tea tree cultivar takes many years of research and experiments.  Fujian Agricultural Sciences Tea Research Institute launched the new development by crossbreeding from Tie Guan Yin (F) and Huang Yen (M) in 1977 to 1997.  It registered as a tea tree cultivar, Huang Guan Yin (Camellia sinensis cv. Huangguanyin) in Fujian in 1998 and won the 2^nd award prize from the science and technology assessment.  It was official introduced in 2002, so we can consider as a pretty new member to the Camellia sinensis va sinensis family.  The plantation areas of Huang Guan Yin has expanded from Fujian Province to other provinces in China.

Huang Guan Yin is a small size bush-type tea tree of mid-size leaves, the color young buds is in yellowish green color. The youngest buds available for picking at end of March to early April for quality picking of 1 bud with 2 leaves. Based on the quality of 1 bud with 2 leaves, it contains 31.9% Polyphenols, 3.5% Amino acids, 3.5% Caffeine, 42.8% dissolvable water extracts; It combines the unique flavor and taste from both Tie Guan Yin and Huang Yen, suitable to produce excellent quality green tea, Tie Guan Yin oolong to black tea.

Huang Guan Yin Honey Yellow is an unique higher fermented yellow tea made from Huang Guan Yin tea tree cultivated in Hunan.  Using the premium quality of 1 bud with two young leaves and was processed through an unique innovative process that combines the unique shake green process in Oolong Tea, the fermentation process in Black Tea with the traditional piling fermentation process in Yellow Tea and then going through the rolling process.

Criteria	Dried Leaf	Tea Liquor
Color	Dark, almost like black tea with a mixture of golden tips	Due to the increase of fermentation , so the color of tea liquor is in mild yellowish brown color
Shape	Half ball shape as oolong	1 golden tip bud with 2 leaves
Flavour	Refreshing with flora and caramel aroma	With delightful caramel sweetness, almost like honey, with the blending of flora aroma
Taste	Mild and gentle
Final sensation	The mouth is full with gentle flavor and taste, the taste of astringent comes in very gentle slow path that stimulates the fluid from both sides in the mouth

Even though it is classified as Yellow Tea, but the heavy fermentation process allows its to flourish with high temperature of water.  We recommend to brew it according to the Oolong brewing.

Leaves vs. water	3g : 150ml (1g : 50ml)
Water temperature	95°C
Brewing	1st infusion: 30-45 seconds, 2nd/3rd: 20-30 seconds, afterwards can increase the infusion time to your taste.
Suggested tea ware	Porcelain gaiwan or small teapot

There are lots of different famous green tea, but there are only few in Yellow Tea.  The braised yellowing process is the most unique techniques to diminish the bitterness and green note in green tea.  For those who would like to drink green tea but have problem with sensitive stomach, white and yellow tea are interesting alternatives.

Yue Yang is an ancient city in Hunan that was built in 505 C.E. Besides the most well-known yellow tea, JunShan Yin Zhen,  there are also many fine quality of yellow tea in the region of Dong Ting Hu, so how to increase the market recognition, particular to attract the population, domestic and international, young and old who tend to choose tea based on flora and/or fruity aroma with sweet taste, is one of important mission for tea research institute in Hunan.

After almost two years research, finally the Lemon Yellow Tea is officially launched in 2016.

• Lemon Yellow Tea use the 1 bud with two leaves as base
• In the production, it assimilates the unique processes in White Tea (solar withering), Black Tea (almost heavy fermentation) and traditional Yellow Tea (Braised yellowing process).
• Take advantage of super characters of tea leaves to absorb the natural fruity notes from pineapple, tangerine, lemon and lichee.
• Syncrhonized flavour and taste from multiple infusions.
• The natural scented process was so well managed that allowed the flavor and taste last in multiple infusions.
  

  The color is very dark due to heavy fermentation

Brewing suggestions:

• 3g : 150ml
• Water temperature: 95 Celsius
• Multiple infusions: 1 min – 45 sec – 1 min (gradually increase the infusion time according to your taste preference)
• Matching tea ware: Porcelain gaiwan