Yellow Tea 黄茶

Yellow tea occupies a spectral sliver between green and white teas--its elusive nature mirrored in its soft and subtle character. Often mistaken for a green tea at first glance, its distinguishing feature is a gentle, post-fixation "heaping" process called menhuang (闷黄), which piles hot and moist leaves upon each other, encouraging non-enzymatic oxidation and literally yellowing green leaves slightly, mellowing grassy edges and drawing out a soft, penetrating sweetness. It is a category on the verge of disappearance: rarely produced, hardly exported, and criminally under appreciated. For producers, there are no casual yellow teas; making one requires a level of care that borders on devotion. The processing is delicate and done with the senses producing a cup of soft smoothness, subtle fruitiness, a rounded body, and a lingering fragrance like steamed orchid and warm hay. The opportunity cost of making such a difficult yet obscure category means that yellow tea may not survive or thrive as a category in the future.