Mengding Huangya: "Mengding Yellow Buds"

Mengding Huangya (蒙顶黄芽) is a famous yellow tea variety from the region around Mengding Mountain in Ya’an City, Sichuan Province. The name of the tea means “Mengding Yellow Buds”. It is produced similarly to green tea, with some additional steps.

Mengding Huangya: “Mengding Yellow Buds” fact sheet

Geography

As indicated in the first part of the products name, Mengding Yellow Buds gets its name from Mengding Mountain. This most famous mountain, in the world of Chinese tea, is situated on the territory of Ya’an City in Sichuan Province. Together with its neighbouring mountains, it offers some of the best conditions for tea cultivation. Its climate is foggy and rainy, yet not too cold.

History

Because of its ideal climate, tea cultivation and production on Mengding Mountain has a long history. 2000 years ago, tea plants were already cultivated there. It is not easy to date Mengding Huangya’s date of creation. However, it is fair to say that it is one of the oldest yellow tea variety.

Production steps

The process for making Mengding Yellow Buds has similar steps with the making of many green teas. There are, however, added steps. Their role is to allow for a controlled and limited oxidation of the tea leaves. This slight oxidation is what differentiates yellow tea from green tea, both in aspect and in flavour. The pan-roasting, typical for producing green tea, is interrupted multiple times. During these interruptions, the leaves are wrapped into paper to let their temperature drop. These are the main production processes:

Spreading
First pan-roasting
First wrapping
Second pan-roasting
Second wrapping
Third pan-roasting
Pile-spreading
Fourth pan-roasting
Drying

Appearance

Processed dry Mengding Yellow Buds are flat and straight. The buds should be even. When compared to green tea, their colour shows a distinct and unique yellowness.