Yellow tea is a lightly fermented tea with the characteristics of "yellow leaf yellow soup". The production process is similar to that of green tea, except that it must be stewed during the tea making process. Yellow tea has a long history of manufacturing, and many famous teas belong to this category. Yellow tea, according to the tenderness of fresh leaves and the size of buds, is divided into three categories: yellow tea, yellow tea and yellow bud tea.
Famous varieties of Huangda tea include Anhui Huangda tea, Guangdong large-leaf green tea and so on.
Famous varieties of yellow tea include Beigang Maojian in Yueyang, Hunan, Maojian in Ningxiang, Pingyang Huangtang in Zhejiang, and Yuan'an Luyuan in Hubei.
Famous varieties of yellow bud tea include Junshan Silver Needle in Yueyang, Hunan, Huoshan Yellow Bud in Huoshan Mountain, Anhui Province, Mogan Yellow Bud in Deqing, Zhejiang, and Mengding Yellow Bud in Sichuan Mingshan.
(1) Junshan silver needle
It is produced in Junshan, Yueyang, Hunan. Junshan, also known as Dongting Mountain, is located in the West Dongting Lake. In ancient times, Junshan tea only produced more than one kilogram per year, and the current annual output was only 300 kilograms, which was the highest price of famous tea in China.
Junshan Island is located 15 kilometers west of Yueyang City. The island's soil is fertile, sandy loam, the average annual temperature is 16-17 °C, the average annual precipitation is about 1350 mm, the lake evaporates in spring and summer, the clouds are full of mist, the island is luxuriant, green bamboo, very suitable for growing tea.
Junshan silver needles are picked three or four days before the Qingming Festival every year, picking the buds of spring tea, in order to prevent abrasions of the buds and fur, the tea basket is lined with white cloth, and it takes about 50,000 tea buds to make a kilogram of silver needles. And it is required to achieve nine no picking: no picking on rainy days, no dew picking, purple buds not picking, hollow buds not picking, open buds not picking, frostbite buds not picking, insect wound buds not picking, thin buds not picking, too long, too short buds. The bud head is required to be 25 to 30 mm long and 3 to 4 mm wide, fat and heavy, and one bud head contains three or four bud leaves that have been enlightened but not developed.
The production of Junshan silver needles is very delicate, which is specifically divided into processes such as spreading green, killing green, first wrapping, re-drying, spreading, re-wrapping, foot fire and so on, which lasted 72 hours before and after.
The quality characteristics of Junshan silver needle: the shape of the bud head is fat and straight, uniform, full of fur, golden and glowing color, known as "gold inlaid jade"; After brewing, the aroma is fresh, the taste is sweet, the soup color is light yellow, and the bottom of the leaves is thick and tender yellow.
Brewing Junshan silver needles with a glass has a wonderful scenery. When the water is injected into the cup, the bud head rushes to the surface of the water, and after a few minutes, the tea bud slowly sinks, stands at the bottom of the cup, sinks and falls, and goes back and forth three times, so the Junshan silver needle is called "three up and three down". Finally, the tea buds are erected at the bottom of the cup, like fresh shoots germinating, the buds are light and watery, blended into one, and the tea aroma is overflowing and interesting.