The signature process that evokes yellow tea’s scent, menghuang, is not exclusive to Anhui. As a matter of fact, Ms. Shu and her team in Sichuan embrace the challenge of heaping and covering freshly cooked tea leaves, allowing them to stew in their own juices and moisture. This Yellow Bud is picked only from tender buds before the Qingming holiday. The non-enzymatic oxidation induced by menghuang inspires chestnut and toasty tones, while dimming tannic astringency. Labor intensive, with relatively little demand, Ms. Shu is dedicated to this heritage style. Perhaps a tonal shift for a Qingmian production, this Yellow Bud is sessionable and soothing nonetheless.
