The Calm of Clear Weather After Rain.
Harvested one week after Qingming in the tender warmth of early spring, when the air still carries the cool breath of the mountain, Yellow Orchid Tea unfolds its radiance slowly and without announcement. Only the finest buds, one bud with two or three leaves, are chosen under clear skies, their colour shifting between jade and faint purple before processing begins.
Yellow tea occupies one of the most misunderstood positions in Chinese tea culture. Neither green nor white, its defining step, men huang (the sealed yellowing), requires a patient, unhurried hand. The leaves are gently wrapped and left to rest in their own warmth, the chlorophyll slowly mellowing, the raw grassy edge dissolving into something richer and more yielding.
The Tasting Experience
The liquor is luminous gold, soft and warm in the glass. The fragrance is unmistakably floral: orchid and rose first, then a deeper sweetness of honey and ripe pear. Beneath this blooms an unexpected earthiness: charcoal warmth, a whisper of burnt hay, a trace of salt. The finish is smooth, nourishing, and long.
Spiritual Character Cool and neutral. Harmonising and restorative. A tea that settles the mind without dimming it.
Occasions Summer mornings. Slow afternoons. Any moment that calls for something refined and unhurried.
Brewing Guide Tea-to-water ratio: 4g per 200ml Water temperature: 85–90°C Steeps: 6–10
Weight: 50g