Tea: 2021 Aged Huoshan Huangya (霍山黄芽)
Type: Yellow Tea, Orthodox Yellowing, Wet Fermentation
Harvest: Yuhou, Mid-Spring 2021
Region: Dahuaping Town, Huoshan County, China
Producer: Huifeng Company
Tasting Notes: Syrupy & Floral Aroma; Moss, Bark, Dandelion.
This tea is one of the most complex yellow teas that we have tried. It has undergone the traditional "three smother three bake" and has the characteristically dark leaf color that this process creates. It does not however have as much of the sweetness that yellow tea should possess. The tea can be downright astringent and should be treated like raw Puer when brewed. Just like raw Puer, this tea can take multiple infusions and loses its sharper edge over time. The strong body feel and diversity of flavors and aromas that can be enjoyed over an extended session merit this tea some consideration. It's more than worth its price.
Huifeng's Master Li is interested in having consumers compare the 2021 Coin and Loose variants. He has a hunch that loose storage results in better aging, but has heard conflicting information from more experienced producers in Yunnan and Fujian. We won't tell you what we think. Please send us any feedback that we can pass on to Li about your experience and tasting notes. Both the production and storage are still very much experimental. Li and the local government are various curious to know what kind of yellow tea international drinkers will prefer.
The coins are six grams a piece and have been stored unwrapped in a semi-open metal drum from the last two years. They were pressed in Fuding under the direction of a white producer based in Diantou Township. They are supposedly the first instance of yellow bud being commercially pressed into cakes, and are certainly the only caked tea we saw in Huoshan County.
