Yellow Teas

Yellow Tea

Yellow tea, or Huang Cha (黄茶), is a unique and scarce artisanal tea. It is rare due of the small market and the complex production process. 

In ancient China, yellow was the color of the emperor. Thus, people associated everything yellow with the emperor. Previously, people often used the term "Huang Cha" to refer to "Tribute Tea." However, it did not necessarily refer to yellow tea with respect to processing methods. Huang Cha could've been any tea that tea artisans dedicated to the emperor and the royal family. So, what does Yellow Tea mean today?

What Is Yellow Tea?

Yellow Tea is lightly oxidized, generally between 5-25%, with oxidation carefully controlled during processing. Technically, Yellow Tea is a post-oxidized tea (non-enzymatic). Unlike Oolong or Black tea, which use active enzymes to change color, Yellow Tea is heated first to inactivate enzymes ( 杀青 – Sha Qing), then undergoes a "sweltering" process (闷黄 – Men Huang) in which warm, damp leaves re-oxidize through thermal and hydrothermal reactions, reducing grassiness and creating its mellow profile.

Since the 1990s, Green tea has become immensely popular in China. Thus, many experienced farmers who produced Yellow tea turned to the more profitable production of Green tea. As a result, tea producers who have mastered the Men Huang processing technique are becoming increasingly rare in today's tea world. Huang Cha has become so rare that today, only a few tea masters still practice the complex production process. Today, Yellow Tea accounts for less than 1% of the Chinese tea market.

The Best Rare Tea — What Makes This Tea Special?

There are hundreds of varieties of Green tea and only a few varieties of yellow tea. The most noticeable ones are Jun Shan Yin Zhen, Meng Ding Huang Ya, and Huo Shan Huang Ya. 

Yellow tea is produced in China's high mountain regions of Anhui, Sichuan, Hunan, and Zhejiang provinces. While Huang Cha (黄茶) was used as a term for imperial tribute tea as far back as the Tang Dynasty, the specific Men Huang (闷黄) processing technique likely evolved during the early Qing Dynasty (17th century) as tea masters refined Green Tea processing methods. This tea is an essential part of China's long-lived tea tradition and is frequently featured among China's 'Ten Famous Teas' list.

What makes the processing of Huang Cha complex is the task of removing the edges of the grassier green teas. Taking oxidation a step further, Yellow Tea becomes less grassy and less astringent. Chinese people believe it also becomes less cooling, making it a more comforting tea. According to the teaching of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Green Tea possesses cooling properties, which may be suitable for consumption during the hot summer months. Still, it may not be as optimal for people who already have an excess of cooling energy in their bodies. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the cooling and heating energies are more balanced in Huang Cha.

Yellow Tea Processing 

Tea masters produce Yellow Tea through the process of micro-oxidizing. This technique involves wok firing – much like Green Tea, but at reduced temperatures for a shorter period. Since the tea leaf is only partially dried, it traps the moisture inside, oxidizing the tea to various degrees – "yellowing" the leaves. 

Yellow Tea differs from Green Tea due to a vital step called "Men Huang" (闷黄 – "Stewing Yellow"). This step eliminates the grassiness of the tea, making it sweet and aromatic.

The process of making Huang Cha includes these crucial steps:

• pan-firing the young spring buds and leaves
• wrapping them, in small batches, in linen and putting them in a hot receptacle, for a few hours or days (Men Huang – 闷黄)
• drying them slowly over charcoal

During the Men Huang process, it is very easy to make a mistake and ruin the whole batch of tea leaves instead of ending up with an exquisite and highly sought-after tea.

Watch this five-minute video to better understand how Yellow Tea is produced.

What Is Men Huang?

Men Huang (闷黄) loosely translates as "stewing yellow." This is the step of Yellow Tea processing in which the tea master places the tea leaves in a controlled hot environment. The tea master must maintain total control over the heat and humidity in this environment. It is a sophisticated process in which tea artisans must accurately gauge moisture to produce the best Huang Cha possible.

"Men Huang" also involves intuition. There are no strict guidelines – it is a manual process. Thus, the masters who already have experience producing quality Huang Cha will use their hunch and senses to gauge the optimal humidity level of the room. 

That's why only one tea master can handle the production of Huang Cha at a time. If one tea master is tired and another master takes over the work, it will result in two different batches of Yellow Tea. It will be evident in terms of the aroma and flavor of the tea. 

Energizing Tea — Yellow Tea Caffeine

Yellow tea, particularly when made from buds, can be higher in both L-theanine and caffeine. Huang Cha will give you smooth and creative energy, void of those coffee jitters.

Are There a Lot of Counterfeit Yellow Teas?

Generally speaking, no. Since this tea type is not popular in the West, it remains a niche Chinese tea. Very few tea producers will process this tea for a relatively small group of tea enthusiasts who know and love it and can immediately distinguish an authentic Huang Cha from a counterfeit. Thus, producing counterfeit ones is uncommon. However, a few vendors have been selling Green tea labeled Yellow, so always purchase from a trusted vendor.

What Is Huang Ya?

Huang Ya (黄芽) is a Yellow Tea that farmers produce from tea buds – "Huang Ya" literally means "Yellow Buds".

Though it is not so straightforward with Huo Shan Huang Ya. The name derives from Huo Mountain in Anhui Province, where this tea grows. Despite its name, Huoshan Huangya can be made solely of buds or from buds and one or two leaves.

Some Other Types of Yellow Tea

• Meng Ding Huang Ya (蒙顶黄芽)— an ancient Huang Ya type Yellow Tea from Mt. Meng in Sichuan province. 

• Mo Gan Huang Ya (莫干黃芽) — a Huang Ya type Huang Cha from Mt. Mo Gan in Zhejiang province.

• Jun Shan Yin Zhen (君山银针) — here, the "yin zhen" is the same as the "yin zhen" in Silver Needle Tea (Bai Hao Yin Zhen), which refers to the soft white fuzz on the tea buds. Thus, the name is Silver Needle Yellow Tea. This famous tea is from Mt. Jun in Hunan Province, and Chinese tea enthusiasts know it as an ancient tribute tea and as the favorite tea of Mao Zedong. 

Today, Huang Cha is produced exclusively in China. There is a Korean tea called "Hwangcha" (황차), which also means Yellow Tea. However, this Korean tea shouldn't be confused with the Chinese one. Although it is called Yellow Tea, the processing methods differ markedly, which wouldn't place it in the Chinese Yellow Tea category as we know it. Korean Hwang Cha is also a lightly oxidized tea, albeit more similar to Oolong or lighter oxidized Black Tea (Hongcha) in its processing and taste.

How To Brew Yellow Tea

Yellow Tea usually floats up and down, beautifully dancing in a tea brewing vessel. Tea enthusiasts refer to this as "dancing tea". For this reason, we recommend brewing it in a glass teapot or gaiwan. Particularly, a glass gaiwan will accentuate the beautiful aromatics of Huang Cha. You can steep it longer, and it won't become bitter and unpleasant like an over-brewed Green Tea. Furthermore, you can enjoy the beautiful tea color of Huang Cha, a comforting and bright yellow. 

What Does Yellow Tea Taste Like?

This tea has a smoother palate than green tea and is gentler on the stomach. 

When drinking, we can sense enticing notes of hay, sweetgrass, cacao, sweet mung beans, chestnuts, and slightly roasted nuts. The tea is comforting, warming, and refreshing altogether.