June 9th, 2021
I only discovered this yellow tea in 2018: it is a Guangdong speciality and supposedly the least yellow of all of China's yellow teas.
This tea was produced in the traditional manner, and the flavor is excellent. The rough edges many green teas have are carefully oxidized away. This year's batch smells like sweet sencha. There are fruity flavors and oolong-like cantaloupe in the finish, and a little Chinese green tea character as well. The 2021 crop is the smoothest yet! I can't wait to see how this year's batch develops over time as this tea was only harvested about three months ago.
This tea was produced near Zhaoqing, Guangdong, in the north of the province. Zhaoqing is only 183 km (117 miles) from Hong Kong! The tea was grown in plantations well above the city in a protected area. While many Hongkongers can trace their ancestry back to Guangdong, very few have probably ever heard of this tea, which is a regional specialty and rarely sold outside the area it is produced.
This tea may look like a green tea at first glance, but the yellow tea processing is immediately evident in the cup. There is a lot of fine pekoe (hairs) from the leaves in the bag, which is lovely to see.
I tested this tea on June 8th, 2021 and was surprised to get a little umami on the palate. The umami is less intense than with sencha, and feels much more balanced. I also noticed light huitian (returning sweetness on the palate). This yellow tea is more complex than most Chinese green teas, but mellower. There is fruitiness in the aftertaste as well, but again, different from last year's batch.
Toward the end of the session, more savory (but mellower) green tea notes became more dominant, but the fruity and cantaloupe flavors lasted a good, long time.
I get very good calming energy from this tea, so this is a tea I'm always happy to drink!
Brewing suggestion: 80 Celsius for three minutes. Use 2-3g for 150ml. Refill at the 50% mark with water at the same temperature. I used a gaiwan for this tea, as I would for green tea, and drank directly from the gaiwan.
Wholesale quantities of this tea are available, but I suggest moving fast as quantities are limited and this tea is best fresh! Please contact me for more information.