The Tea Detective
Uncovering and Exploring the Facts About Tea
Uncovering and Exploring the Facts About Tea
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| China's Yellow Tea The Most Misunderstood Type of Tea |
| China's yellow teas are probably the most misunderstood of all the main tea types, and even though they share many attributes of green teas, they don't seem to fit neatly into any one category. |
| Many people haven't even heard of yellow tea, thinking it's a new addition to China's teas, but it actually goes back as far as the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and it's reported to have been a tribute tea (a sort of yearly tax payment made to each emperor with teas chosen by them from among favorites. Many tea sellers outside of China don't understand what yellow teas are exactly and in some instances may be mistakenly labelling and selling green teas as yellow. That's really too bad, because yellow teas are delicious, sweet fresh teas in their own right. Similar in many ways to green teas, yellow teas receive an extra step during manufacture that |
| makes them more costly to produce. Add to that the fact that they are often made from tips or buds, the most select plucking, and it's clear why they are the most rare and hardest to find among the six main tea types. From four or five pounds of plucked tea a day comes just eight ounces of tiny buds. And coupled together with the extra step taken during manufacture, and it's clear why yellow teas are so expensive and rare. The Chinese believe that some of the best teas are grown high on the mountaintop, and this definitely rings true of yellow tea, starting with Mengding Mountain Huang Ya or Mengding Mountain Snow Buds, a sweet, refreshingly lively yellow tea from Ya' an County in central Sichuan Province. This flavorful tea is a long-leaf mao feng tea. Mao feng refers to the choice picking of two leafs and a bud. Located several hours drive north of Ya'an lies Mingshan County, the historical location where tea was first cultivated in China. Legend tells of a young man named Wu LiZhen, who planted seven tea trees from cuttings on Mengding Mountain around 53 B.C., during the Han Dynasty. The legend goes on to tell how later, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Emperor Xiaozong gave Wu LiZhen the title of Master of Sweet Dew, choosing Mengding Mountain Huang Ya as a tribute tea. Grown in the higher elevations, Mengding Mountain Huang Ya is made from early spring buds which are plucked as soon as they are covered with soft white down, then made into this sweet, refreshing yellow tea the Chinese call gan lu or "sweet dew" in honor of Wu LiZhen. From Mount Emei, one of China's most sacred Buddhist mountains, also located in Sichuan Province comes Bamboo Tips or Zhu Ye Qing, another sweet and refreshing yellow tea made from many small compact buds. Both Bamboo Tips and Mengding Mountain Huang Ya are short and slender, and this style of pluck is often called Sparrow's Tongue because of its fine, thin crescent shape. From northern Fujian Province comes Jun Shan Yin Zhen, or Jun Mountains Silver Needle. An early spring flush tea, Jun Mountains silver needle contains only the very young silvery-green, soft down covered buds that closely resemble those of white tea but are a more gold or tan, khaki color. The white bunches of Silver Needle are domesticated from wild tea trees and the plump, down-covered silvery green leaves have been prized for their medicinal properties for over a thousand years. Some other China yellow teas to look for are Snow Shoot Tea from Qing Cheng Mountain, plucked during the earliest part of the spring flush tea harvest. Also Meng Ding Yellow Sprouts, a spring flush tea likely picked later in the season as the tips are a little less fluffy. And from Huang Mountain in Anhui Province comes Huang Shan Mao Feng (also called Yellow Mountain Hair Peak) where the tea bushes grow among beautifully scented wild peach trees. Lastly, also from Anhui Province there is Huo Shan Huang Ya (or Huo Shan Yellow Sprouts), an ancient tea said to be from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Lost until the 1970's, this spicy, gingery, floral tea was again discovered and is being produced. As with all the other yellow teas, it's both labor intensive and difficult to make, but definitely worth the effort. Enjoy. |
| For more information and to learn more about tea, visit our other pages: Blooming teas - a delightful feast for the senses. Watch as these special hand-wrapped teas transform into beautiful shapes right before your eyes, and then enjoy drinking the freshly brewed tea, (a charming after dinner treat for your guests). Which teas are from China? Learn which types of tea come from China and take a close-up look at individual teas, their qualities, growing season, and which are available as exports. Which green teas are found in China? Take an in-depth look at green teas specific to China, the styles, growing season, climate, and description of some popular green teas you could expect to find in and outside of the U.S.. China's black teas - a labor of love. China's black tea production is much smaller than their green teas, but their black teas are a labor of love. Learn which black teas are made in China, the styles, climate, and growing season, and which teas are exported and found online and in specialty tea stores in and outside of the U.S.. Why are China's oolong or wulong teas so healthy? Learn why China's oolong teas are among the most prized, and why Wuyi Shan rock or cliff oolongs are believed to be some of the healthiest teas in the world. For a special treat try Silver Leaf Tea's Ti Kwan Yin Oolong #3 Tea, and Ti Kwan Yin Oolong Flowery #1 Tea. From China's Fujian Province, these are traditional oolongs, with medium body and floral, fruity aroma. What is Fair Trade and how does it work? The origins of the early Fair Trade program and the organisations that helped to develop it and are considered to be the founding fathers of Fair Trade. How is sheng pu-erh made? Learn how sheng pu-erh tea is manufactured and the difference between the two styles of pu-erh tea. Learn how shou pu-erh, the faster aging pu-erh, is made? How faster aging shou pu-erh is made, and the difference between shou pu-erh and its long aging counterpart, sheng pu-erh. Learn the story behind the creation of this smoke infused black tea. Learn how a frightened village under siege, deep in the Wuyi Shan mountains of China, accidentally created a new tea that's now enjoyed by millions worldwide. Producing Lapsang Souchong tea-a closely guarded secret for centuries. For over 300 years the Chinese government kept the production method and location in China's northern Fujian Province, deep in the Wuyi Shan mountain forests a closely guarded secret. Specialty and gourmet teas - a treat for the taste buds. If you want to give your taste buds a unique treat, try one of the many specialty or gourmet teas available. With a range of flavors from smoky to sweet, and everything in-between, you'll never be bored by your beverage. |
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