Yellow Tea (Slightly Fermented)
Yellow teas are slightly fermented and get their name form the colour of the brew they make. Yellow teas emit a very pure and fresh fragrance and can leave your mouth feeling cleansed and refreshed. Jun Shan Silver Needle is considered the best and the most valuable of all Chinese yellow teas.
Yellow teas are made by a special tea process similar to green tea, except with an additional step that results in the finished tea leaves having a natural light yellow colour. The yellowing process involves dissolving the chlorophyll of the tea leaves thus removing the green colour and resulting in the retention of the natural light yellow colour. This special yellow colour yielded yellow tea to be well valued during the imperial period of China.
Yellow tea is generally brewed at 95°C and the colour of brewed tea is a shimmering yellow. It is delicate with a clean mellow sweetness. The taste and smell of yellow tea can also be drawn between white and green teas.