Basic Introduction to Yueyang Yellow Tea
Yellow tea is a specialty of China. It is divided into three categories based on the age and size of its fresh leaves: yellow bud tea, lesser yellow tea, and greater yellow tea. Examples of yellow bud teas include Junshan Silver Needle, Mengding Yellow Bud, and Huoshan Yellow Bud, as well as Yu'an Yellow Tea. Teas such as Weishan Fuzz Tip, Pingyang Yellow Soup, and Ya'an Yellow Tea fall under the category of lesser yellow teas. After the Three Gorges Reservoir was filled, the Zigui mountains were often shrouded in mist, creating a unique Zigui Yellow Tea, which also belongs to the category of lesser yellow teas.
Yueyang Yellow Tea is a specialty of Yueyang City, Hunan Province, and is a Chinese national geographic indication product.
Yueyang has a long history of tea production and a rich tea culture. It is not only an important tea-producing area in Hunan but also a representative birthplace of yellow tea in China. In particular, Junshan Silver Needle and Beigang Fuzz Tip are considered among the finest yellow teas in China. Yueyang is also the largest concentrated industrial zone for the production, processing, and trade of yellow tea in China.
Production Environment
1. Yueyang City is located in northeastern Hunan. To its east lies Mount Mufu, while to its west is Lake Dongting. To the north, it borders the Yangtze River, and to the south, it connects with the Xiang, Zi, Yuan, and Li rivers. The city enjoys a humid continental monsoon climate. Cold periods are short, and there is a long frost-free period. Spring temperatures can be variable, and autumn frosts tend to come early. There is a clear rainy season. During the growing season, light, heat, and water are abundant, providing excellent agricultural climatic conditions that make it a natural habitat for yellow tea growth.
2. Yueyang City has abundant water resources, with large water areas and well-developed water systems. It receives ample rainfall and has a large volume of passing water. The abundant, pollution-free water resources provide favorable conditions for the construction of yellow tea gardens and the growth of tea plants.
3. The soils in Yueyang City are mainly red soil, yellow soil, and yellow-brown soil, all of which are slightly acidic. Tea plants grown in these soils have developed root systems, lush branches and leaves, thick leaves and buds, and their finished products are rich in substances like theanine and zinc, giving them characteristics such as high fragrance, rich flavor, and good appearance.
Nutritional Value
1. Yellow tea is a type of tea that undergoes a process known as “wet-heap fermentation,” during which a large amount of digestive enzymes are produced. This makes it especially beneficial for the spleen and stomach. It can help with indigestion, loss of appetite, laziness, obesity, and other issues by promoting digestion.
2. Nanometer yellow tea can better harness the functions of original yellow tea. Nanometer yellow tea can penetrate fat cells more effectively, enabling fat cells to resume metabolic functions under the action of digestive enzymes, thereby eliminating fat.
3. Using yellow tea roots to massage the “Ershandamen” acupoints (the base of the ring finger) allows trace elements to permeate the acupoints, enhancing the magnetic field at the acupoint and producing a regulatory effect, increasing fat metabolism.
4. Yellow tea is rich in substances such as tea polyphenols, amino acids, soluble sugars, vitamins, and others, which are effective in preventing esophageal cancer.
5. In addition, over 85% of the natural substances in fresh yellow tea leaves are retained, and these substances have special effects in preventing and treating cancer, killing bacteria, and reducing inflammation, making yellow tea unique among other types of tea.
Product Characteristics
Yueyang Yellow Tea embodies the middle path of tea, combining the processing techniques of the other five major tea categories: green tea's fixation, black tea's fermentation, dark tea's pile-fermentation, white tea's withering, and oolong tea's baking. It has a pleasant aroma and a thick, refreshing taste that is rich and fragrant. Yueyang Yellow Tea combines the freshness of green tea, the pleasantness of white tea, the charm of oolong tea, the refreshment of black tea, and the depth of dark tea. It is rich, sweet, harmonious, and intensely fragrant.
The uniqueness of Yueyang Yellow Tea cannot be separated from its distinctive “yellow tea process.” The “double-steam yellowing” process, pioneered in China, is the culmination of the expertise of Yueyang Yellow Tea masters. The double steam-yellowing fermentation process results in a yellow tea product with a mellow taste, lasting fragrance, and bright infusion color. Unique yellow tea varieties, combined with a distinctive brewing technique, produce a pure, aromatic infusion when brewed with carefully selected spring water. The complex process and meticulous craftsmanship are a product of nature, geography, and human skill, making it incredibly precious.
Yueyang Yellow Tea belongs to the category of semi-fermented teas and has the characteristic “yellow liquor, yellow leaf” quality. Its shape consists of plump, uniform buds and leaves with a brownish-yellow color. Internally, it has a fresh, tender aroma, a bright apricot-yellow liquor, a sweet and mellow taste, and a tender, yellowish bottom. Yellow tea typically exhibits a roasted chestnut or bean-like aroma; its taste is smooth with minimal bitterness.
The pinnacle of Yueyang Yellow Tea is Junshan Silver Needle, entirely made from unopened, plump buds, produced on Junshan Island in Lake Dongting, west of Yueyang City. The buds are sturdy, straight, and have a bright golden hue, known as “gold inlaid jade.” They are covered with fine white down, and when brewed, the buds rise to the surface, stand upright, then slowly sink to the bottom of the cup. The aroma is sweet and ripe, the taste is sweet and smooth, and the leaves at the bottom of the cup are plump and apricot-colored.
History and Folklore
According to folklore, when Emperor Li Siyuan of the Later Tang Dynasty first attended court, a servant poured him a cup of tea. As soon as the boiling water was poured into the cup, a cloud of white mist rose up, and gradually a white crane appeared. The crane bowed three times to Emperor Mingzong before flying gracefully into the blue sky. Looking back into the cup, the emperor saw that the tea leaves were all neatly standing upright, like young bamboo shoots emerging from the ground. After a while, they slowly sank, resembling falling snowflakes. Surprised, Emperor Mingzong asked his attendant why this happened. The attendant explained, “This is due to the use of White Crane Spring water (also known as the Well of Liu Yi) to brew the Huanglingmao tea.” Delighted, Emperor Mingzong immediately decreed that White Crane tea should be designated as a tribute tea. Ming dynasty scholar Zhang Qiande, who continued Lu Yu's “Tea Classic,” mentioned “Huanglingmao tea from Yuezhou” in his supplement. This marks the beginning of Junshan Silver Needle tea.
Tianhu Hangan was a famous tea in the Tang Dynasty, with Tianhu referring to today's South Lake in Yueyang City. Tianhu tribute tea was the predecessor of Yueyang Yellow Tea's Beigang Fuzz Tip. According to “The Tang National History Supplement” by Li Zhao of the Tang Dynasty (circa 758 AD), “Customs highly value tea, and the names of tea varieties are becoming increasingly diverse… In Hunan, there is Heng Mountain, and in Yuezhou, there is Tianhu's Hangan.” It is also said that Princess Wencheng brought Tianhu tea with her when she married into Tibet during the Tang Dynasty. In a poem by the Tang dynasty monk poet Qi Yi, he wrote, “Tianhu is only offered as tribute, how can it be given as a common gift?”
In the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, Ma Yin encouraged agriculture and sericulture, promoted the development of tea, and established trade with Central China. Linxiang County, originally part of Balin, was established independently due to its tea industry, indicating the prosperity of the local tea industry at the time. Additionally, Lu Yu's “Tea Classic” mentions Yuezhou's tea bowls, placing Yuezhou porcelain alongside those from Yuezhou, Dingzhou, Wuzhou, Shouzhou, and Hongzhou. These regions were all important producers of famous teas during the Tang