Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yellow
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Tea Description:
Yellow Buds is composed of a single, ripe bud shoots. Usually, yellow teas are made with small leaf or medium leaf varietals from central and eastern China. This is a one of a kind Yellow Tea made with Mannong Manmai’s ancient heirloom broad leaf tea trees.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This isn’t my first sampling of Ancient Yellow Buds from Rishi Tea, I’ve tried this tea and reviewed it previously, however, that was a couple of years ago, and I believe that this is a tea from a more recent harvest … and tea changes fro year to year, harvest to harvest.
I was really excited to receive YELLOW TEA (my precious!) in the Steepster Select box for the month of May. No tea makes me as happy as yellow tea. So, for all the complaining I might have done last month because of a less than exciting box – I take it all back and apologize, because this month’s box more than makes up for last month’s shortcomings! This is the very best box from Steepster Select yet, and it has single handedly (single boxedly?) renewed my faith in the Steepster Select subscription.
And … oh. my. goodness! Is this ever good. Seriously, if you haven’t yet tried a yellow tea, I recommend trying one. Get yourself a really good quality one like this one from Rishi Tea. The leaves are soft and covered with fluffy, downy fuzz and they look a bit like Silver Needle, except that they have a slightly golden/yellowish color to them. The aroma of the dry leaf is like a cross between freshly cut grass and hay – lightly vegetative and very crisp and fresh smelling.
The brewed tea smells very much like the dry leaf, and it is a treat to inhale deeply before taking a sip … this really enhances the overall taste to engage the olfactory nerves in this way. The flavor is sweet and delicious. I have often compared the flavor to tasting a little like the “lovechild” of white and Oolong tea. It has a similar mouthfeel of a good Oolong tea, with a lovely smoothness and a hint of buttery flavor, while also maintaining the delicate, sweet features of a high quality white tea.
But really, it’s even more than that. An experience with yellow tea is just so amazing. Every tea lover should try this yellow tea from Rishi Tea – it’s excellent!
