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Although known and valued for several centuries, yellow teas are becoming increasingly scarce. Few remain like Jun Shan Yin Zhen. One province, Hunan, still produces limited quantities, ensuring the survival of this prestigious tea. It is called "yellow" because of an unusual processing property: after drying, the still hot leaves are covered with a damp cloth, which causes slight oxidation through steam cooking, which gives the leaves a yellowish hue.
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HEATING
Heating is finished in pans, and the leaves are stirred with the aid of using hand.
WITHERING
The withering level is finished withinside the equal manner as for inexperienced tea, on cloths or bamboo racks.
PICKING
Only the bud is picked. In order to acquire a first rate yellow tea, the bud is picked earlier than it turns into downy.
Related: Assassin's teapot
STEAM OXIDATION
The process of steam oxidation involves spreading the leaves directly on the ground and leaving them covered with a damp cloth for a period of four to 10 hours, depending on the weaker conditions. Covering the leaves gently warms them, which affects the development of their aroma.
DRYING
The leaves are then dried for 10 to 20 minutes at a temperature of 230 to 250°F (110 to 120°C). At the end of this stage, the leaves should contain no more than 5 percent humidity. The next stage is sorting by means of sieves, if the sorting is done manually.