Huang Cha

Huang Cha

Huang Cha (黄茶)

Also known as Yellow Tea and 黄茶.

Huang Cha is a category of tea that has undergone the Men Huang (闷黄) process.

Name

  • (pronounced Huang in Mandarin): means yellow.
  • (pronounced Cha in Mandarin): means tea.

Flavor

Huang Cha has a somewhat elusive taste, difficult to pin down precisely with language, but existing somewhere between sweet corn, wet flowers, and butter. The unique flavor of Huang Cha is the result of the Men Huang (闷黄) process, which is unique to this category of teas.

Production

Producers make Huang Cha according to varying individual recipes, but the basic steps are as follows:

  1. Xian Ye (鲜叶): We start with fresh leaves. Gathered from the plant, they look like another other fresh-plucked leaf at this stage.
  2. Wei Diao (萎凋): Producers spread out the leaves and allow them to wither, reducing the amount of water in the leaves and making more pliable.
  3. Sha Qing (杀青): Also known as "Kill Green", this step involved adding heat to the leaves, which stops the oxidation process. Sha Qing for Huang Cha tends to be lower heat than other kinds.
  4. Rou Nian (揉捻): Producers roll the leaves, breaking cell walls and releasing flavor compounds. This step also reduces the moisture content, which prepares the leaves for the final step.
  5. Men Huang (闷黄): Warm and wet from the previous step, producers put the leaves in a sealed bag, where the tea experiences non-enzymatic oxidation. This step can last anywhere between 30 minutes and 8 hours, and can be repeated more than once.
  6. Gan Zao (干燥): Drying. A final blast of heat dries up any remaining moisture, making it shelf stable and ready to be sent to drinkers.

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