As you know, yellow is very significant in Chinese culture. Yellow is the designation of the element Earth, which has the properties of fertility, nutrition, yellow is a manifestation of the "original", undergoing changes in the "circle of life transformations."

The uniqueness of yellow tea lies primarily in the fact that it is produced very little, as is known, the production of one kilogram of Junshan Yingzhen "Silver needles from the Junshan mountains" (recognized as the best yellow tea) takes about 25 thousand tea tips, and the production process itself takes about 4 days.

      

Yellow is the imperial color, the very word "emperor" (in Chinese - huangdi) is very consonant with the word yellow (huang). During the Qing dynasty, only members of the imperial family could wear yellow clothes and ... drink yellow tea. All varieties of yellow tea are imperial, that is, the technology of its production was kept in the strictest confidence, and a person who suddenly dared to sell yellow tea to a foreigner was sentenced to quartering, regardless of his social status.

The uniqueness of yellow tea lies primarily in the fact that it is produced very little, as you know, the production of one kilogram of Junshan Yingzhen "Silver needles from the Junshan mountains" (recognized as the best yellow tea) takes about 25 thousand tea tips, and the production process itself takes about 4 days.

It is known for certain that the ceremony of collecting, making and delivering yellow tea to the emperor's court has always been special in China. Yellow tea is grown only on certain plantations, mainly in Fujian province. For its manufacture, raw materials of the highest quality are required, only "fatty" - dense and heavy, undamaged kidneys.

For this tea there is a rule called "9 unbreakable", according to which you cannot pick tea on a rainy day, you cannot pick a bud covered with dew, a purple bud, a hollow bud, at least a little open bud, a bud damaged by insects or frost, a sluggish bud and a kidney that is too long or too short.

The very ceremony of making yellow tea from specially selected buds is a labor-intensive process, produced only by hand, knowledge about which is passed on by Chinese peasants by "inheritance". We will reveal the Chinese secret - the taste-forming stage is "languishing" in parchment, cloth bags or heaps and requires high skill, accuracy, since you need to carefully monitor the temperature regime and the rate of leaf fermentation. That is why real yellow tea is produced in very small quantities, its production on an industrial scale is almost impossible and unprofitable.

The "languor" of tea leaves stimulates the process of oxidation, or fermentation, a complex biochemical process that occurs under the influence of heat, moisture, time and other factors. So, the degree of fermentation of yellow tea is 7-10%, according to this indicator, it is in third place after green and white teas. As you know, fermentation affects the amount of nutrients in tea, there are fewer of them in fermented tea, and the taste.

As a result of a completely unique artificially controlled fermentation of yellow tea, it acquires absolutely special taste properties - the color of the infusion is slightly yellowish, and at the edges of the cup - a pink tint, the aroma is very bright, but at the same time light, velvety, it contains light shades of smoked meats, the taste is slightly sweetish, but not excessive, soft, but at the same time tart, very invigorating and memorable, has an original, incomparable aftertaste.

When brewing, the main thing is water, you need to fill the tea with soft, non-hot water (66-85 degrees, but at the same time it must boil, otherwise it will be "raw") - steep boiling water will kill all odors and nutrients, and this tea will also be bitter ... It is preferable to brew in a glass teapot - when brewing tea buds, they rise and fall vertically several times, so you can appreciate the "dance of tea leaves". One person usually takes 3-5 grams of tea per 200 ml of water; you can brew tea several times, gradually increasing the brewing time.

Correctly brewed tea, in addition to the gastronomic bliss described above, will also enrich you with a large amount of vitamins, trace elements, amino acids and polyphenols, relieve headaches, spasms, and activate the vitality of the body. One of the peculiarities of yellow tea is the fact that it contains more caffeine than green tea, therefore it invigorates and improves mood. It is recommended to use in case of heavy mental stress, it is not recommended before bedtime - you will not fall asleep.

So, if you want to feel like a Chinese emperor, for whose enjoyment thousands of people have worked, then yellow tea is just what you need. Tea that has absorbed the cultural symbolism of the color of the name, the wealth of the earth, the reverence for the people, the suffering of the tea merchants and the care of the tea growers deserves to be drunk.