When I found yellow tea I was amused, and when I tried it I was hooked. I have my favorites in the tea world and thought I was set until yellow tea showed its true colors (and flavor). The benefits of yellow tea make it an easy tea to enjoy and benefit from.
Who has heard of yellow tea? Yes, it’s a thing. It’s a beautiful thing. One of my favorites is Mudan Tea from Teatopia STL
Yellow tea has a unique flavor range and its taste is like no other.
It’s a delight and a mixture of green and white tea. It’s mellow in both taste and appearance.
What is Yellow Tea?
Yellow tea is exactly that, it’s like the crayon that sits between the two other colors. The colors of the tea would be green and white. The hue or color of the brew is not always yellow. It gets its name not for the color of the tea but in the process of creating yellow tea.
Yellow tea is mellow, mild, and sometimes a tad bit sweet. It has a flavor that is unique and so enjoyable.
Yellow tea can be considered rare, it can be found but it’s not available everywhere. Thankful for the internet that created a space where we can enjoy things we once were never able to.
Creating a yellow tea takes time and the process is very thoughtful. But once you get that taste in your mouth you’ll want to make sure you have yellow tea available to you in the future.
The process of creating yellow tea (of course from the Camellia Sinensis plant) is called smothering the tea leaves. Yellow tea is the only tea that requires smothering. The tea leaves are oxidized just a little to allow the tea to have its unique flavor. Those that create the yellow tea know the exact point at which to stop that process and in fact “smother” the tea.
Yellow tea is known for its mellow and slightly sweet taste. It’s a gentle tea that is full of health benefits, like most teas. But yellow tea is rare and the process to create such a divine tea is unique only to yellow tea. Its bountiful health benefits and the healing it promotes make every cup a win-win.
A Chinese yellow tea. This tea is loose leaf and grown organically.
The Process to Make Yellow Tea?
If there is an art to make tea (which there is) then the art of creating yellow tea is on a whole other level. Let’s walk through a yellow tea process.
It’s meticulous, skilled, crafty, patient, tender, and unique. The process is also part of the reason yellow tea is a rare and unique find.
The tea leaves are gathered and then smothered. Smothering (or sealing yellowing) is when the tea leaves are heated gently and covered. This process oxidizes the leaves and creates their unique look and taste.
Once the expert processors decide. They know it’s time to continue the process. The tea leaves are removed and hand shaped or rolled into curly strands. These strands are thin, really thin. This hand-shaping process helps the tea to release its essence.
The leaves are then dried to stop the process of Oxidation and preserve and create what we know as yellow tea.
Prized and sometimes sought after by tea connoisseurs like myself. I enjoy a delicious cup of yellow tea and share its0 beauty with those willing to give it a try. It’s an honor, a rare, delicious delightful honor.
Where Does Yellow Tea Come From?
Of course, Yellow tea comes from the one and only Camellia Sinensis plant, just like most of our teas. Just like the differences between black, great, white, and oolong teas. It’s the process that distinguishes the teas.
Yellow tea comes from the Chinese provinces of Hunan, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. It’s the soil and conditions that create the perfect growing situations for yellow tea. But that process, the one we mentioned above, is what sets yellow tea apart from all others.
The perfect altitude, climate, soil, and weather conditions that exist at these Chinese locations produce the best tea.
The pronounced honeysuckle florals of 2023’s harvest of Mogan Huangya overlay complex savory and mineral flavors with notes of dark chocolate, centered on an ethereal sweetness reminiscent of a beeswax candle.
What are the Nutrients in Yellow Tea?
Like all our other teas, it’s not just a great-tasting drink it’s a cup of healthy benefits. What are the benefits of Yellow tea? First, let’s talk about the healthy nutrients in Yellow tea.
Like all teas, yellow teas contain antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight against free radicals and help protect our bodies from the stress that surrounds our lives daily.
The minerals contained in Yellow tea are immune boosting, skin benefiting, age-fighting, and metabolism balancing. That’s a lot.
Yellow tea also includes vitamins C and E, Potassium, and Manganese.
Antioxidants: Yellow tea, is rich in antioxidants such as catechins and flavonoids. These compounds help protect the body against free radicals and oxidative stress.
Vitamins: Yellow tea contains several vitamins, including vitamin C and vitamin E. These vitamins contribute to overall health and support immune function.
Minerals: Yellow tea provides minerals like potassium, manganese, and calcium. These minerals play important roles in maintaining proper bodily functions, such as regulating blood pressure and supporting bone health
Utterly unique, delicate, and complex. Junshan Yinzhen’s flavors invoke fresh sugarcane, wildflowers, and cornsilk.
Health Benefits of Yellow Tea
With the power punch of nutrients contained in Yellow tea. There is a nice list of the health benefits of yellow tea. Want to know the health benefits of yellow tea? Keep reading!
Heart Health – Those antioxidants in yellow tea can contribute to heart health. They may reduce heart disease and help improve your cholesterol.
Digestive health – promote a healthy digestive system with the benefits of yellow tea. Yellow tea is soothing and its anti-inflammatory properties help fight inflammation and calm the digestive system.
Energy – Ooo for the love of caffeine and yellow tea contains some. Remember that the caffeine in tea is a gentle boost and a slow release. Giving you the energy you need and avoiding the anxiety and fast drop that a lot of caffeinated drinks contain.
Focus – With the same as above caffeine, yellow tea can increase your focus.
Relaxation – Yellow tea contains theanine an amino acid that will calm your soul and cause you to relax just a bit. Stress is an everyday thing in most of our lives so yellow tea can absolutely help.
Lower Caffeine – Different teas contain different levels of caffeine. While yellow tea with give you energy and help you with focus it is not one of the teas with the highest levels of caffeine. Yellow tea’s caffeine content would be considered moderate. Definitely lower than that of soda,
Rare and Unique Experience – Drinking a rare tea is special and until you do it you will not understand. Once you do it’s like “ahhhhh”. You will know you had something beautiful and you will want more. Look at the leaves and think of the hand rolling, the tedious yet meticulous art of hand rolling your yellow tea. Do you feel privileged yet? You should.
Side Effects of Yellow Tea
Yellow tea, even with its amazing health benefits can cause some side effects in some people or in certain situations.
Allergic reactions – To top off our list it would have to be an allergic reaction. I once learned that yes, you can become allergic to healthy things. So just be mindful of how. your body reacts to yellow tea and stop drinking it if you experience any bad reactions to it.
Stomach Upset – If you feel you have digestive issues or an upset stomach after your cup(s) of yellow tea try to cut back or just eliminate the use altogether.
Caffeine Sensitive – It can happen when your body just does not do well with caffeine. If that is the case, yellow tea is not the drink for you. Try to avoid all drinks that contain caffeine if you find you are sensitive to them.
A Chinese yellow tea. This tea is loose leaf and grown organically.
Conclusion
It’s a lot to take in. The beauty, the craftsmanship, the honor, the respect, the land and so much more that goes into creating yellow tea.
Did you even know about yellow tea before coming here? At first, I never believed it was such a rare or special tea until I dove into the research to learn about it, find it, and try it.
Now I’ve tried a few different yellow teas and each one is unique. Now more special knowing the process and care given to creating such a tea. Don’t forget those health benefits and just remember:
Everything In Moderation
