Mogan Yellow Bud is a precious type of yellow tea produced in Deqing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, grown among the bamboo forests in the Moganshan area. Located to the northwest of Deqing County, Moganshan is a renowned summer resort in China and is said to be where the legendary swordsmiths Gan Jiang and Mo Ye crafted their swords. The bamboo forests in Moganshan are vast, and the natural environment is exceptional. Monks have been known to reside on Moganshan and grow tea since the Jin Dynasty, with this practice gradually fading away by the end of the Qing Dynasty.
According to the “Moganshan Gazetteer,” “The tea from Moganshan is meticulously picked and processed. The bud tea harvested around the Qingming Festival has a slightly yellowish hue due to its young buds. During the baking process, tea farmers capitalize on this characteristic by covering the leaves slightly, using low temperatures for a longer duration, resulting in a unique aroma and flavor, hence it is called Mogan Yellow Bud.”
In the spring of 1956, Professor Zhuang Wanfang from Zhejiang Agricultural College, who was staying at Moganshan for rest and recuperation, accidentally discovered a tea with an excellent aroma in the local market. He believed it could rival other famous teas and wrote a poem: “Try brewing the yellow buds with spring water; their reputation for great fragrance and taste is well-deserved. Where is the ancient tea from Tashan now? The sellers do not know its true origin.”
In 1979, under the leadership of relevant departments in Deqing County, Professors Zhang Tangheng and Zhuang Wanfang from the Tea Department of Zhejiang Agricultural University revived the production techniques of Mogan Yellow Bud. Later, Mogan Yellow Bud was listed alongside West Lake Longjing as one of the first batch of “Provincial Famous Teas” in Zhejiang Province.
Mogan Yellow Bud uses fresh leaves picked between the Qingming and Guyu periods, specifically one bud with one leaf or one bud with two leaves just beginning to unfurl, as raw material. It goes through processes such as withering, fixation, rolling, yellowing, initial drying, pan-frying to shape, and final drying.
The dry tea has a curled appearance, dark brown in color with some yellow showing.
When brewed, it produces a tender, bright yellow liquor with a sweet, mellow taste and a subtle corn-like aroma. It is gentle and non-irritating, helping to regulate digestion, soothe nerves, and relieve stress.
On December 22, 2017, the Ministry of Agriculture officially approved the implementation of geographical indication protection for “Mogan Yellow Bud.” As yellow tea remains a niche product even today, and those unfamiliar with it may mistake it for aged green tea, affecting sales, some local tea farmers and tea companies in the 1980s and 1990s began processing it using green tea production methods and selling it as green tea. This phenomenon exists to varying degrees in many yellow tea-producing areas, so extra caution should be exercised when purchasing yellow tea.