Yunnan Yellow Tea

Yellow tea is one of China’s six major tea types. Its processing is similar to green tea, but with an extra step called “sealed yellowing(闷黄）”, where the leaves undergo gentle, slow oxidation. This removes the grassy sharpness of green tea, giving a smoother, mellower taste with sweet, nutty, and floral notes, and a distinctive golden liquor. Rarely produced, it is considered a treasured and unique tea.

• Rare: production is small and mostly limited to a few regions in China (e.g., Huoshan in Anhui, Junshan in Hunan, Mengding in Sichuan, parts of Fujian and Yunnan).

• Bridges categories: has the freshness of green tea but the roundness of lightly oxidized teas.

• Historically prized: some yellow teas were once tribute teas for emperors.

Yunnan Yellow Tea (云南黄茶) usually shows the bold, earthy character of Yunnan terroir, softened by the yellowing process:

• Aroma: warm, beany and chestnut-like, sometimes with a roasted soybean fragrance.

• Taste: fuller-bodied than most yellow teas, with nutty sweetness, light malt, and a gentle vegetal undertone.

• Mouthfeel: smooth and round, less astringent than green tea, with a soft lingering finish.

• Liquor: bright golden-yellow, clear and lively.