[Tianfang Chako] Sanshia Yellow Tea

While Chinese teas like Junshan Yinzhen are well-known, Taiwan produces only a very limited amount of yellow tea for Chinese tea enthusiasts. The tea used is the "Qingxin Ganzi," a native variety from the Sanxia region. It has an aroma reminiscent of citrus leaves, retaining the mung bean and buttery notes characteristic of Bi Luo Chun, while also featuring a honey-like aroma from leafhopper bites, and a sweetness reminiscent of passion fruit and roasted sweet potato that comes from fermentation.

 Qingxin Kanzi grows very quickly, producing new shoots within 10 days to 2 weeks after the first harvest. However, it doesn't produce as many buds as improved varieties like Jin Xuan, so most of it is hand-picked. Because of its rapid growth, if pesticides are used, they remain in the tea leaves and take a long time to metabolize, so the pesticides won't be completely gone by the next harvest (within 2 weeks), causing the tea to fail inspection.
 As a result, pesticides cannot be used, and cultivation has naturally become pesticide-free. The combination of the characteristics of the land and the variety has fostered an environmentally friendly tea plantation, which is quite不思議 (mysterious) and fascinating. However, only about 10 kilograms can be produced in one batch, making it a truly rare tea.

 The production method for yellow tea is similar to that of green tea, but it includes a process called "menghuang," where roasted tea leaves are piled up and steeped. This process gives the tea leaves a yellowish tint and a richer aroma. However, this process is very delicate and time-consuming, so production is limited, and it is difficult to find even in Taiwan.

 In Taiwan, the import of tea leaves from China is prohibited, except for compressed teas such as Pu-erh, so I myself have actually not drunk much Chinese yellow tea.

 Since only a very small number of people make yellow tea in Taiwan, I honestly don't know if this Sanxia yellow tea belongs to the same lineage as Chinese yellow tea or if it represents the typical taste of Taiwanese yellow tea.
 However, upon actually tasting it, while the mung bean flavor characteristic of Bi Luo Chun remained, the wilting and ambering processes added fruity notes reminiscent of passion fruit and roasted sweet potato. Furthermore, since this particular batch was organically grown in the spring, I could even detect a honey-like aroma similar to Oriental Beauty tea from the tea leaves that had been bitten by leafhoppers.

 Unlike lightly fermented, fragrant oolong teas (such as Wenshan Baozhong or high-mountain teas), this tea is not "stirred," so it doesn't have a floral aroma. However, this allows the fruitiness and sweetness to stand out, leaving a pleasant aftertaste.

 Variety <br>Seishinkanzai

 Production period <br>Spring to Summer

 Roasting degree
 0%

 degree of fermentation
 10%

 Aroma : Butter, sweet potato, passion fruit, honey

 Tea leaves: water
 3g: 150ml

 Hot water temperature
 90 degrees

 Infusion time (H)
 First brew/50 seconds
 Second brew/50 seconds
 Third roast/50 seconds

 Cold brew (C)
 Put 600ml of water and tea leaves in a jar and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.