Huo Shan Huang Ya Loose Leaf Yellow Tea

🍵 The Leaf — Slender spring buds from Huo Shan County in Anhui, hand-plucked in early April and slowly transformed through the ancient men huang yellowing process

🍵 The Liquor — A clear, luminous golden-green infusion with a gentle floral fragrance that rises cleanly from the first pour

🍵 The Character — Smooth and unhurried, with warm notes of chestnut and honey, a whisper of spring blossom, and a complete absence of bitterness or astringency

🍵 The Occasion — Quiet, reflective mid-morning or afternoon drinking for those who appreciate something genuinely rare in the cup

Huo Shan Huang Ya is one of the rarest loose leaf teas in existence — a Chinese yellow tea of genuine historical distinction from the mountains of Huo Shan County in Anhui Province, eastern China. The name translates as Mount Huo Yellow Bud, and it has graced imperial cups since the Ming Dynasty, when it was recorded as a tribute tea of such value that a single jin of bud tea commanded a full tael of silver.

Yellow tea occupies a singular position in the world of Chinese tea. Made from Camellia sinensis like green, oolong, and black teas, it undergoes a uniquely labour-intensive additional stage known as men huang — sealing yellow. After an initial pan-firing to halt oxidation, the tender early-spring buds are wrapped in cloth while still warm and allowed to rest and slowly transform. Heat and moisture work together to draw out a gentle change, softening the natural grassiness of green tea into something altogether more mellow, sweet, and rounded. This wrapping and resting process may be repeated several times over a number of days, each stage developing the character further. A final pass over charcoal fixes the flavour and deepens the warm, nutty fragrance.

In the cup, the result is a tea of exceptional refinement. The liquor glows golden-green, clear and luminous. The aroma rises softly — warm chestnut and fresh spring blossom — and the first sip confirms exactly what the nose suggests. Smooth, naturally sweet, and entirely without the sharpness some find off-putting in green teas, it leaves a clean and gently lingering finish. It is the kind of tea that earns a second cup without a moment's deliberation.

Since 2008, High Teas London has been one of the country's leading independent tea specialists, with over 350 teas and infusions — one of the largest collections in the country. Teas of this rarity and pedigree are precisely what we have always sought out, and Huo Shan Huang Ya represents one of the finest examples in our range.

Ingredients: Yellow tea (Camellia sinensis)

Brewing Note: Huo Shan Huang Ya calls for a little care with temperature. Use water that has cooled to around 75 to 80°C — water that is too hot will flatten the delicate sweetness and introduce an unwelcome edge. Allow around 3 to 4 grams of leaf per 250ml, and steep for 2 to 3 minutes for the first infusion. The leaves will comfortably yield three or four further brews; increase the steeping time slightly with each one and watch the character evolve gently between infusions. A glass vessel is particularly rewarding with this tea — the slow unfurling of the slender, pale buds as they descend through the water is one of the small pleasures of loose leaf drinking.