Huoshan Huang Ya

These needles of silvery buds and leaves have been given a lighter-style treatment sans piling, or Men Huang, an important fermentation stage that distinguishes a yellow tea. While kept green, it is pleasingly mellow and less tannic than most green teas, with notes of sweet corn and artichoke swimming in a clear tea broth. It evokes a chance to try the Huoshan Huang Cha, its yellow'd equivalent, over a side-by-side or sequential tasting.