Yellow tea

Yellow tea

Yellow tea is by far the rarest, and certainly the least known - at least in Europe - variety of tea. In fact, it is often confused with green or white tea. Wrongly, as it is a completely separate entity. It is produced according to a unique, old recipe, has a delicate, straw color and a contrasting intense, refreshing, with time passing into a slight sweetness taste. It originated in China, where it is called "imperial tea." There is a legend associated with it, by the way. Yellow tea also has numerous health-promoting properties, detoxifies the body, refreshes and helps delay the aging process. It is certainly worth including it in your daily menu.

Taste reserved for the imperial palate

According to sources, yellow tea began to be produced in Anhui province, in the 17th century, during the Qing Dynasty. As legend has it, it was initially reserved, moreover, exclusively for the imperial family, indeed only for the emperor himself. Any person outside the court who dared to try this "imperial delicacy" was allegedly condemned to death. This is because it was believed that the straw brew brought longevity and even immortality. Unfortunately, the original recipe for the production of dried tea and the preparation of the tea itself was lost over time. An attempt was made to recreate it only in the 1980s. And it is in this version that yellow tea is known to us today. It is produced through a process of light fermentation under cover - the harvested tea leaves are heated and then wrapped tightly in special paper or cloth. Under such a cover, the tea turns yellow and acquires unique properties, as well as a specific taste and color. The whole process is repeated many times - even for 2-3 days. The technique is called menhuang.

Properties of yellow tea

An infusion of yellow tea is sometimes difficult to distinguish from one prepared from green or white tea. However, the dried tea produced by the menhuang process is definitely distinguished by at least one feature - it contains almost no caffeine. For this reason, yellow tea does not burden the stomach at all, and therefore its froth is recommended for people with digestive problems. In addition, this infusion is known for its cleansing properties. It binds toxins and helps drain them from the body. Due to its sizable antioxidant content, yellow tea also has anti-aging properties. Numerous flavonoids, in turn, are credited with anti-cancer effects. It is said to be particularly effective in the prevention of stomach, colon and prostate cancer. People struggling with cardiovascular diseases should also reach for an infusion of yellowish tea leaves. This is because the drink thins the blood, lowers cholesterol in the blood, normalizes blood pressure and helps prevent stroke. We should also not forget that yellow tea most simply refreshes pleasantly and restores vitality.

How to brew yellow tea

Yellow tea is not very demanding in terms of brewing. The key factor, of course, is the temperature of the water - it should not be less than 70°C and more than 80°C. A teaspoon of dried tea should be poured over properly cooled water and brewed for a maximum of 3 minutes. Note: it is better not to brew this tea under a lid - because then it can lose some of its flavor and aroma. Importantly, due to its negligible caffeine content, yellow tea is ideal as an evening drink drunk just before bedtime.