Yellow tea
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| Other names: | engl. Yellow tea, Chinese 黄 茶 huáng chá ( Huang Ya ) |
| Origin: | China |
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| Temperature: | 75 ° C |
| Time: | 1-3 min. |
Yellow tea ( yellow tea ) is a type of tea which , in terms of its degree of fermentation (max. 20%), can be classified between white tea and oolong tea . Its variety is very limited and the quantities available are small. The tea is rich in vitamins , antioxidants and caffeine . Like other weakly fermented teas, it promotes gastric juice production and therefore has a digestive effect.
history
The same imperial tea Junshan Yinzhen (silver needles from the Kaiserberg, 君山 银针) has been produced on one of the numerous islands called Junshan since the time of the Ming Dynasty (14th – 17th centuries) . The special manufacturing process has been kept secret for centuries. The high-quality imperial yellow tea was only produced in small quantities and delivered exclusively to the imperial court. Until recently, it was only made within the boundaries of its home on Dongting Lake (洞庭湖) in Hunan Province . Since prehistoric times these territories have been settled by fishermen and hermits who, among other things, were engaged in tea cultivation. This lake district is characterized by a mild, subtropical climate (mean annual temperature + 16 ° С, rainfall 1340 mm) and rich, sandy-muddy soil that is ideal for tea bushes: three quarters of the year there is fog over the lake.
production
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Classic processing takes 72 hours (sometimes even more) and eight coordinated steps. After processing one kilogram of fresh buds, 200 g of yellow tea are made.
- Fixation (fēn shā qīng, 分 杀青)
- Cooling down (Tān liáng, 摊 凉)
- First drying (Chū hōng, 初 烘)
- First moist heating (Chū bāo, 初 包)
- Second drying level (Fù hōng, 复 烘)
- Cooling down (Tān liáng, 摊 凉)
- Repeated moist heating (Fù bāo, 复 包)
- Roasting (Zú huǒ, 足 火)
preparation
The recommendations for the infusion are almost the same as for green and white tea, so a Yixing jug or gaiwan is traditionally used for all of these teas . The water temperature should not be more than 90 degrees and the first three infusions should steep for about 10 to 30 seconds. The brewing time must be adjusted to the amount of tea and water. Compared to green tea, yellow tea does not become bitter even when steeped for a long time; however, the first five infusions should not last longer than a minute each.
We recommend using a white porcelain cup or bowl to bring out the full color of the tea. For Junshan Yinzhen , the infusion in tall glass dishes (50–60 ml of water per gram of tea) is recommended. Here the well-known "three upswings - three traps" can be admired. This means: First the buds turn their tips upwards and are virtually perpendicular to the surface of the water. They then sink downwards and then rise in reverse - three times. At the end of the almost acrobatic feat, the buds lie vertically on the ground.
Well-known varieties
Two yellow teas were chosen among the ten most famous Chinese teas in 1957. The selected teas are:
- Junshan Yinzhen君山 銀針 - although this tea is called Yinzhen (Chinese: yin "silver", zhen "needle"), it is a yellow tea. Yinzhen only refers to the shape of a tea, not the category of production methods for Chinese tea. Origin: Hunan, Dongting Lake, Junshan Island.
- Mengding Huangya蒙 頂 黃芽 - the so-called Xiancha ("god tea "). Origin: Sichuan , Mengshan Mountains.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Yellow tea: past and present as of March 16, 2015