Yellow Tea

Yellow tea is one of China's rarest tea categories because its production process — including a unique sealed yellowing step called men huang — is slow, technically demanding and produced in very small quantities. The result is smoother and more mellow than green tea, with none of the grassy edge that some guests find off-putting.

Specialty cafes, fine dining restaurants and tea bars that want a distinctive premium product should consider yellow tea. It works best as a menu talking point — a tea that few guests have tried, which creates curiosity and conversation. For venues building a serious tea programme, it signals genuine expertise and sourcing depth.

Yellow tea is usually less grassy and less sharp than green tea. It has a smoother, rounder character with mellow sweetness — the result of its unusual production process, which removes the vegetal edge. For guests who have tried green tea and found it too sharp, yellow tea is often the better choice.