Tea Details
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Tea Details
Harvest: Spring 2025 (Pre-Qingming)
Region: Chenxi Township, Shangyu District, Zhejiang
Elevation: ~500 m above sea level
Cultivar: Heirloom Qun Ti Zhong
Crafting Highlight: Sealed yellowing + pearl-style shaping
Storage Tips: Store in an airtight container away from heat and light
Shelf Life: 12 months at room temperature; 2–3 years refrigerated
Brewing Guide
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Brewing Guide
What Makes Pearl Yellow So Distinctive?
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What Makes Pearl Yellow So Distinctive?
Pearl Yellow brings together two Zhejiang tea traditions: the repeated yellowing method associated with Pingyang Huangtang and the compact pearl shaping found in Zhu-style teas from Shaoxing.
The result is a tea with the freshness of a spring harvest, but without the sharp, grassy character some people associate with green tea. Repeated yellowing gives the cup a mellow texture, gentle sweetness, and a warmer, more developed depth, while the tightly shaped leaves unfold gradually across multiple infusions.
It is an especially good choice for someone who finds green tea too grassy or delicate, but still wants something lighter and more refreshing than black tea. It also offers experienced tea drinkers a rare interpretation of yellow tea that is difficult to find elsewhere.
Rather than a conventional yellow tea or simply a pearl-shaped green tea, it is my father’s own expression of both traditions.
Yellow Tea, Not Green Tea
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Yellow Tea, Not Green Tea
Yellow tea begins much like green tea, with heat applied to stop oxidation and preserve the fresh character of the leaf.
What sets it apart is an additional step called menghuang, or sealed yellowing. During this warm, humid resting stage, the tea gradually loses some of green tea’s sharper grassy edge and develops a softer, rounder character.
Pearl Yellow takes this traditional yellow-tea process further through repeated cycles of yellowing and drying.
Six to Nine Cycles of Yellowing
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Six to Nine Cycles of Yellowing
Pearl Yellow begins with withering and machine-controlled pan-firing, followed by its defining stage: menghuang.
The warm leaves are placed inside food-grade stainless-steel drums in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room. After resting, they are gently dried, then returned to the drums to yellow again.
This cycle is repeated approximately six to nine times, gradually transforming the leaf and building complexity that cannot be achieved in a single resting stage.
Why It Can Only Be Made in Small Batches
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Why It Can Only Be Made in Small Batches
A single batch of Pearl Yellow can take as long as three days to complete.
Although machines provide consistency during pan-firing and drying, each yellowing stage still depends on hands-on judgment. Moisture, aroma, temperature, and leaf condition must be checked before the tea can move into the next cycle.
Because every batch requires repeated handling and constant attention, production is naturally limited. Its distinctive character is slowly developed through time, warmth, moisture, and careful repetition.
Part of Tea from Home
Five teas, one family garden.
This tea is one expression of our Tea from Home collection — five small-batch teas made from the same seed-grown Qunti Zhong leaves in Zhejiang.
By changing the craft, my father reveals a completely different side of the same garden: green, white, black, yellow tea.
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