Mogan Huang Ya holds a special place in my heart. This fantastic yellow tea, which soothes the entire body, is one of my favorite teas. The landscape is spectacular, and the people involved with this unique tea are just as remarkable.
When I visited this garden for the first time in 2009, I had the pleasure of getting to know the 65-year-old tea master Wang Qi Zhen, her family, and friends. Laura, who was the former chairperson of Mogan’s tea administration, is now the mayor and has played a special role in promoting this tea. I have conducted several television interviews with her to support her work.
Each year, only a few kilos of Mogan Huang Ya yellow tea are produced on demand. This special type of tea is very calming for the body, and after about 20 minutes, one feels a sense of well-being and comfort. Yellow tea activates the spleen, which helps the body produce more white blood cells, thereby strengthening the immune system.
This special property is due to the processing method, which exposes the tea to cold oxidation. This process is called Huang Ya in Chinese—“to make yellow”—and is very extensive and time-consuming. Just like green tea, enzyme activity is stopped by roasting and rolling the tea in a wok at 200 degrees until the oils are released. After that, the tea is allowed to rest at 40 degrees in a cloth bag. Every 15 to 20 minutes, the tea must be rolled and cooled until about 6% moisture remains, which can take up to 11 hours. We expect to receive the 2012 Mogan Huang Ya around June.
Mrs. Wang’s son owns a small factory in the town that produces matcha powder from Mogan green tea. The process and machinery have been developed in collaboration with the military. Instead of grinding matcha on a stone or metal mill, the tea is ground using air, which blends the particles into a very fine powder.
If you want to learn more about tea, you can participate in Simply Tea’s tea tasting courses.