Page 11 - Something's Brewing - February 2021
P. 11
Page 11 www.beveragestandardsassociation.co.uk
FEBRUARY. 2021 | VOL. 14
Oolong teas are believed to help in weight loss, Unlike green tea, the leaves are then
lower the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart wrapped in a material and stored. This
disease, and prevent bone loss because of its allows for a light and slow oxidation. The
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on the Junshan Yinzhen variety is wrapped in thick
body. paper and stored in a wooden box. The
other two varieties are wrapped in cloth.
Brew the leaves for about 3 minutes in hot water This process of frying and wrapping, then
(194-203 F OR 90-95 C). Greener oolongs, being left to cool and slightly oxidize, is
oxidised to about 20% have a fresh green tea repeated multiple times for up to 3 days.
flavour with floral notes; dark oolongs, oxidised to After that, the leaves are slow roasted. Then
40-50 %, and then roasted over charcoal after they are finally ready.
manufacture, have complex layers of flavour, with
stone fruits, figs and dates in the top notes above This involved process and short time frame
underlying toasty charcoal notes on the bottom. for harvesting combine to make this such a
Go ahead and try this smooth tasting and organic rare tea. Most producers have simply
Tie Guan Yin Tea that you can order from Amazon. stopped using the full traditional methods
and simply process their “yellow tea” as
green tea to save time and effort.
If you ever find a true yellow tea and get a
chance to try it, you’ll see what a difference
all the processing can make. It has an
incredibly complex taste and smell that is
somewhere between green and oolong.
The method of brewing yellow tea is
Yellow basically the same as the method for
Yellow tea is the least known, type of tea. It is very brewing white tea. To prepare white tea,
similar to green tea, the main difference being a brew it in a glass vessel or teapot of boiling
slower drying phase, allowing the leaves to turn water (176°F or 80°C) for about 3-4
yellow while they stay damp. minutes. You can get 3-6 infusions out of
most yellow teas. Increase the steeping time
The infusion also takes on a yellow colour. It has a 30 seconds to one minute for each infusion.
smooth, mellow flavour, without the grassiness of How many infusions you do depends
green tea. Like white tea, yellow tea is very high entirely on your taste.
quality. The best options seem to be two varieties
from Tealyra: a Junshan Yinzhen (designated as This article was produced by Joonas
one of China’s ten famous teas) and a Huang Cha. Jokiniemi who loves surfing, travelling
A Junshan Yinzhen especially, is usually very and spending time with his son. He
expensive. enjoys drinking Yerba Mate and other
herbal teas for health reasons.
Houshan Huangya Yellow Tea
The general process for making yellow tea is the Further information can be found at:
same for all 3 varieties, though there are small http://www.yerbamateculture.com/chinese-
differences. First, the tea leaves are fried, just like a tea-types-healht-benefits
standard Chinese green tea.
