Although small and low-key, yellow tea is the real “tea nobility”

Today, let’s open a popular topic, let’s talk about the yellow tea that few people care about.

Yellow tea has the lowest market share among the six major tea categories, but its unique “stuffy yellow” process makes it one of the six major teas Among the categories, it can be described as a low-key and noble “hidden gentleman” among the six major tea categories.

01. History of Yellow Tea

Yellow tea has a long history. According to records, the technology of “stuffing yellow” appeared in the Ming Dynasty. Huoshan Huangya and Mengding Huangya have records at this time.

After the Republic of China, the production of yellow tea gradually decreased, and many technologies were lost.

In modern times, yellow tea has begun to re-emerge, but because of its high production technology requirements, there is no popular price advantage, although the output is increasing, But it is still a little-known category among the six major tea categories.

02. What are the yellow teas?

Yellow tea has the characteristics of yellow soup and yellow leaves, and the leaves are sweet and mellow. It is a lightly fermented tea. The most important feature is the production of The process of “stuffy yellow” in the process.

Yellow tea is classified according to the maturity of the raw materials, and is divided into three categories: yellow bud tea, yellow small tea, and yellow big tea.

【Yellow Bud Tea】

Ingredients Delicate, picked single bud or processed from one bud and one leaf. Including Junshan Yinzhen in Dongting Lake in Yueyang, Hunan, Mengding Huangya in Ya’an, Sichuan, Huoshan Huangya in Anhui, and Mogan Huangya in Zhejiang.

【Yellow Tea】

< span>It is processed by picking the delicate buds and leaves. Including Beigang Maojian in Yueyang, Hunan, Maojian in Weishan in Ningxiang, Hunan, Yuanan Luyuan in Hubei, and Pingyang Huangtang in Wenzhou and Pingyang, Zhejiang.

【Yellow Tea】

< span>It is made by picking one bud, two or three leaves, or even one bud, four or five leaves. Including Huoshan Huangda Tea from Anhui and Guangdong Dayeqing from Shaoguan, Zhaoqing, Zhanjiang and other places in Guangdong.

03. How did the “yellow” of yellow tea come from?

The processing method of yellow tea is similar to green tea.

Melting yellow is the characteristic of the manufacturing process of yellow tea, and it is the key process to form the quality characteristics of “yellow soup and yellow leaves” of yellow tea.

In the process of sultry yellowing, the green leaves are piled up while hot, so that the WIP undergoes thermochemical changes under humid and hot conditions, and finally makes the leaves uniform. The essence of yellowing is that under high temperature and high water content, the chlorophyll in the product is degraded, and the polyphenolic compounds undergo non-enzymatic oxidation to produce a yellow substance, which makes the dried tea, tea soup and leaf bottom of the product show yellow or yellowish-brown color. characteristics, as well as the taste quality of the glycol.

The yellowing process of yellow tea is complicated, some only need to be stuffed once, and some need to be stuffed twice or three times. The methods and processes are also different. , For example, Mengding Huangya needs three frying and three frying, and Junshan Yinzhen needs two baking and two frying.

Stuffy yellowing is also the most difficult part to control. The slightest difference may result in “yellow tea is not yellow”, which affects technology, temperature and humidity. requirements are very high. This is also the reason why the real yellow tea production in the market is low and the price is high.

04. Why is the presence of yellow tea so low?

yellow tea inIt is rare in daily tea, and many people don’t even know that there is yellow tea. Why is the existence of yellow tea so low?

The main varieties of yellow tea are historical famous teas with profound heritage, and many of them used to be tribute teas. However, in modern times, due to the extremely strict yellowing process, the yield of yellow tea is lower than that of other teas. Many yellow tea producing areas have changed from yellow to green, and the output of good yellow tea has become increasingly rare. The low market share has even made some categories of yellow tea really disappear, such as Guangdong Dayeqing.

Complex process, low output, high price and low market penetration rate, these factors make yellow tea small and low-key among the six major tea categories. However, rare is the most expensive. In the high-end tea market, yellow tea, especially yellow bud tea, has become a real “noble” because of its uniqueness and rarity.

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