An outstanding iteration of Dasha's more intensive wet-yellowing processing.  Providing a mellow, sweet, and ageable rarity that is very difficult to find on the market.

Pristine, naturally-managed, high elevation heirloom tea gardens combined with 100% handmade traditional methods stubbornly adhered to, not only does this tea check all of the right boxes, this type of intentionality and level of purity is rarely found in the tea world.

Having made the pilgrimage to off-the-beaten-path Huoshan to stay with, assist, and learn from rebel purist Dasha twice now—with a bit more trust earned and dues paid—I feel privileged to access Dasha's more full range of teas coupled with a higher fidelity understanding of the magic that goes into them.  Dasha and family exclusively produce tea in micro batches, with a two-three person crew harvesting in the mountains most days of the week in the spring, with hand-processing and intensive yellowing overseen back in their home factory unit in Da Hua Ping township.

A tea worth several slower sessions, sweeter, softer tones only achieved through wet-yellowing lends a nutty spice to the nose and throughout the tea drinking session.  Having tried several vintages of her wet-yellowed teas, I'm looking forward to storing a stash, as I was astonished to taste an almost Yiwu pu'er sweetness developing in her wet-yellowed teas after a few years.

This tea has good endurance, so don't pass on those later session steeps.

Finding Living Traditions in a Buyers Beware Market

Like other yellow teas from the few pockets in China where the tradition still hangs on, Huoshan’s Huang Ya suffers from widespread counterfeiting and corner-cutting. But Huoshan in particular has become notorious, with producers passing off cheap green tea—or teas with only the faintest yellowing—as the real thing under the more lucrative Huoshan Huang Ya label. Fresher, greener, and earlier-to-market spring teas are easier to sell and appeal to a broader audience. As a result, the slower, more complex, and more expensive world of true yellow tea has largely taken a back seat. Traditionally, harvest in Huoshan begins in mid-April or later—around 谷雨 gǔyǔ "grain rain" in the Chinese almanac. Proper yellowing and finishing pushes many of these teas to market by mid-to-late May—long after most buyers have wrapped up their spring tea shopping.

The unfortunate reality is that machine-made, straightened green tea has become the default in Huoshan—and even mediocre Huang Ya still commands high prices. It's no exaggeration to say this has become a “code red” market for buyers, with some estimates suggesting 99% of what’s sold as Huoshan Huang Ya is not the real thing.

Knowing this, I understood that finding the genuine article wouldn't be easy. The original story is told in this video here. I wanted to understand what went into crafting a true yellow tea, so during my most recent visit with Dasha, I documented the full process. After harvest, withering, and pan-frying, the tea is prepared for either gàn mèn 干闷 dry-yellowed or shī mèn 湿闷 wet-yellowed.

This particular Huoshan Yellow is wet-yellowed, which I'll outline below.  For those wanting to learn about dry-yellowing, check out Dasha's other Little Yellow tea, grown at a Tianji gardens, a bit higher in elevation.

Dasha's Wet Yellowing

Yellowing or 闷黄 men huang "covering-yellow" is the critical step that defines yellow tea, without which the tea would be considered green tea as the processes are identical otherwise.  Wet yellowing is the more moisture-rich and riskier form of men huang.  The presence of more moisture creates an environment that can easily lead to spoiled batches.  After harvesting, withering, and pan-frying (rolling/bruising is entirely skipped for her delicate teas not as robust as Big Yellow), the hot and moist leaves are taken off of the wok and immediately covered.

Identical to the process of green tea, during the pan-frying phase enzymes responsible for oxidation are deactivated via exposure to the wok's heat.  The covering of the warm and moist leaves that occurs in the nearly anaerobic environment under linen fabric transforms the leaves by dampening some of the greener catechin (bitter/bright/fragrant) profile of the leaves into a more mellowed, sweeter, less-bitter and yellow-hued tea.  The transformation into such a profile typically would take place through enzymatic browning (the oxidation of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase) akin to what we see in red tea, yet since deactivation of these enzymes has already occurred in this process, yellowing relies on a mild Maillard Reaction (polymerization of sugars and amino acids to produce a caramelization effect) as well as an incomplete polyphenol autoxidation (the non-enzymatic oxidation of catechins into mild theaflavins and thearubigins).

L-Theanine and its corresponding flavor umami is preserved through the yellowing process.  This is notable since L-Theanine and other amino acids are not well preserved through other forms of oxidation.

Dasha's tea leaves are covered during her wet yellowing for about 3-5 days, gradually reducing the moisture content down to about 50% before final charcoal firing.  Throughout this time, the tea is periodically uncovered, de-clumped, turned, and recovered as to evenly allow the yellowing the set in.  Each day the tea is assessed visually and by smell, and brief charcoal heat is applied to ward away any unwanted characteristics.  Each batch is different, and factors such as picking grade (density of tea material), weather, and batch size contribute to the variable time each tea spends yellowing.

Dasha decides whether a batch is to be dry or wet yellowed depending on the characteristics of its tea garden. Gardens producing material with distinctive aromas (as well as tippier grades in general) are usually destined for dry yellowing as to preserve and accent fragrance.  Bolder flavors + mouthfeel and astringency in material are good candidates for wet yellowing.

After yellowing, the final step is a series of charcoal baking/drying called zhuang huo 壮火 "fire strengthening" that stabilizes the yellowing, perks up its aromatics, and dries it for storage-stability.  It's a set of three exposures to charcoal heat of increasing time and temperature ending with a crush test of the leaves; if the leaves can be crushed between the fingers into dust, it's dry enough.

Throughout Dasha's entire handmade process, no electrical outlet is needed.  There's not a single machine used.

Exploring the Gardens

filming in Shiliangzishan

Somewhat larger leafed Quntizhong heirloom bushes that populate the garden known as Shiliangzishan produce Dasha's preferred material ideal for wet yellowing.  These mature, ecologically-managed shengtai bushes rest on a rocky, steep, well-draining, southwest facing slope unshaded and in direct sun.  These conditions create a burlier, catechin-rich, and heavier mouthfeel tea material that tends to transform well through the deeper yellowing process.  Dasha's Shiliangzishan tea gardens are 800 meters elevation, and are considered some of the most ideal in the area.  For reference, neighboring Jinjishan—the most promoted core production area for Huoshan yellow tea—rests at a respectable 700 meters.

Needless to say, documenting the process from start to finish, from garden ecology, harvesting, processing, finishing, to drinking, profoundly deepened my respect for not just for a dying artform—traditional yellow tea—but of Dasha's adherence to clean, integral, handmade tea; as high a caliber as you can find anywhere and which can only be achieved through committing to producing tea in micro-batches.

Not much of this tea exists.  Treat yourself, if only to know what's still possible.