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Yellow Tea

Wikipedia: Yellow_tea | Teaviews: yellow-tea 
Last Updated: Jul. 24, 2017 

About Yellow Tea

A yellow tea from Hunan province. Photo by Whiteness (Wikimedia Commons), © Whiteness (Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 4.0
Yellow tea, Chinese huangcha(黃茶), is a class of teas usually considered distinct from green, black, white, and oolong teas, although much less well-known in comparison to these types. Sometimes yellow teas are classified as a subcategory of green teas, but we classify them in a category of their own due to the fact that their production process differs somewhat from green teas, and involves a slight oxidation. Sometimes, xue ya or snow buds, which RateTea classifies as a white tea, is classified as a yellow tea.

Cup of yellow tea and loose yellow tea leaf
Jun Shan Silver Needle
from Earthbound Tea
The production process for yellow teas is similar to that of green teas, but for yellow teas, there is an addition step in which the leaves are allowed to sit while damp, turning them yellow. Chemically, this is an oxidation process, like the process that would change tea to black tea, but because the leaves are not bruised and yellowing period is brief, the resulting oxidation is slight. Although yellow teas are an ancient style of tea, some companies, including Rishi Tea, sell newly developed styles of yellow tea.

Many yellow teas are produced only in small batches and tend to be expensive. Most yellow tea is tippy tea, which contributes to its high price and limited supply. Yellow teas are produced almost exclusively in China, although there have been isolated experiments with producing yellow teas in other regions. Goomtee estate in Darjeeling, India produced a yellow tea in 2009, sold through Thunderbolt tea, which to our knowledge was the only yellow tea produced outside China that was widely available. Russia has also produced its own yellow tea, called Krasnodar gold.

Recent Yellow Tea Reviews — RSS rss icon

95 / 100
Picture of China Yellow Dragon Organic

China Yellow Dragon Organic from TeaGschwendner

Style: Yellow Tea – Region: ?????
Feb. 23rd, 2021

The first yellow tea I have ever tried and I am quite impressed. As soon as I got the dosage right (certainly higher than the recommended 11g/liter), I found a very interesting flavor profile (it was not that interesting with a lower dosage). It is somehow reminiscent of some Oolongs or First Flush Darjeelings, but mor...

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72 / 100
Picture of Keke Gul Te (Nr. 765)

Keke Gul Te (Nr. 765) from Carstensens Tehandel

Style: Junshan Yinzhen – Region: China
Mar. 22nd, 2020

Half-litre pot at home, made from inch-long thin handrolled leaves - they look like tiny sticks. Pours clear light straw (against white china) with no sediment. Clear aroma of tea (yellow, to be sure, but the scent is not very different from that of green or white), with a faint touch of peach. Delicate bitter flavour ...

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50 / 100
Picture of Huo Shan Yellow Sprouting

Prep – 4.1 grams in 18 ounces 175° F. water for 4 minutes. Added 2 ounces ice. No sugar. No milk.
Aroma – Slight (2/5)
Flavor – A very flavorful yellow tea (5/5), with a vegetal taste, but not a grassy taste like green teas.
Value – $53 for a 6 ounce bag = $8.83 per ounce – low value, but a rare tea (3...

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45 / 100
Picture of Huang Ya Imperial Yellow Tea

Huang Ya Imperial Yellow Tea from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Huangya – Region: China
May. 19th, 2018

Yellow tea! I was turned on by the possibility of trying a new variety of tea, one that I had not heard of before. But this was nothing groundbreaking - it seemed to fall in between the green and oolong styles, leaning toward oolong. It was all right, but there were no revelations here. Overpriced imo.

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50 / 100
Picture of Huang Da Cha

Huang Da Cha from Unami

Style: Yellow Tea – Region: Anhui, China
Jul. 1st, 2017

I drank this tea in the Unami Maison de Thé in Lille. It was served prepared in a small teapot. This means it was made exactly as it should, though I didn't get to see any leaves.

My first impression was an intensely nutty and earthy aroma. The flavour is nutty too, but not as strong as expensive. It reminds me of ...

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Most-Rated Yellow Tea

Picture of Goomtee FTGFOP1 Yellow Tea  2009

Goomtee FTGFOP1 Yellow Tea 2009

Brand:Thunderbolt Tea
Style:Yellow Tea
Region:Darjeeling, India
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating
No image of this tea

Huo Shan Yellow Sprouting

Brand:Mark T. Wendell
Style:Yellow Tea
Region:Huoshan, Anhui, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating
Picture of Jun Shan Yin Zhen

Jun Shan Yin Zhen

Brand:Camellia Sinensis Tea House
Style:Junshan Yinzhen
Region:Hunan, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating
Picture of Huang Da Cha

Huang Da Cha

Brand:Unami
Style:Yellow Tea
Region:Anhui, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating
No image of this tea

Huang Ya Imperial Yellow Tea

Brand:Upton Tea Imports
Style:Huangya
Region:China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating

Top-Rated Yellow Tea

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