China Tea China Yellow Tea
Yellow tea, also known as huángchá in Chinese, is a lightly fermented tea unique to China. A rare and expensive variety of tea, yellow tea has gained increasing popularity in recent years because of its delicious, silky taste. Compared to other types of teas, yellow tea has been much less studied. However, recent research into yellow tea suggests that it has many remarkable health benefits.
Yellow tea is produced in a similar way to green tea in that they are both withered and fixed, but yellow tea requires an additional step. A unique procedure called “sealed yellowing” is a process by which the tea is encased and steamed. This additional step helps remove the characteristic grassy smell associated with green tea, and allows yellow tea to oxidize at a slower rate producing a lovely, mellow taste and defining color.
Yellow tea is the least known type of the true teas. It is difficult to find outside of China, making it a truly delightful rare tea. Most tea vendors do not offer yellow tea due to its rarity. However, some high quality brands or niche tea providers may offer some varieties.
Yellow tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves from this tea plant are also used to make white tea, green tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea, and black tea. Yellow tea is produced almost exclusively in China.
The production of yellow tea is similar to green tea except that it undergoes an additional step. The young leaves are harvested from the tea plant, withered, rolled, and dried to prevent oxidation. During the drying process, the yellow tea leaves are encased and steamed.
This drying process is slower than the method used for producing green tea. The result is a tea that offers a mellower flavor than that of green tea. The leaves also turn a light yellow color, lending to the name of this tea. This slow drying process also eliminates the grassy taste and smell associated with standard green teas.
Yellow tea ｜ Anhui ｜ Complete fermentation ｜ Summer and Autumn
