Chinese Yellow Tea

A Little Extra – Why is it so rare? / The tradition of making yellow tea arose in the 17th century in a few provinces in central China, developing out of techniques used in making green tea, and remained a local treasure. As the tea market transformed and modernised to meet the demands of today’s mass market and mass production, consumers were enchanted by the vibrant colours of other teas, and many producers of labour-intensive yellow tea turned to other products to keep up with the market. Many skills and techniques, transmitted from master to apprentice, were lost, and the production of yellow tea, recently rediscovered by tea lovers, is only slowly picking up.

A rare treasure that is little known beyond China, yellow tea is produced through a unique and complex traditional method that imbues it with both the savoury notes of green tea and the mellow substance of dark tea.