Zhonghuang No.1

Classification and Origin

Zhonghuang No.1 (中黄一号, Zhōnghuáng Yīhào) — a light-coloured golden-yellow cultivar.

Tiantai County (天台县, Tiāntái Xiàn), Taizhou prefecture-level city (台州, Tāizhōu), Zhejiang Province (浙江, Zhèjiāng).

bud-and-leaf type; the product listing indicates a broken format — "duan ya ye" (断芽叶, duàn yá yè), meaning crushed buds with leaf.

Tiantai Yellow Tea (天台黄茶, Tiāntái Huángchá).

Type: yellow tea (黄茶, huángchá), one of the six classic categories of Chinese tea.

Facts

"中黄一号" literally "Chinese Yellow No.1" — "中" refers to the involvement of specialised scientific institutes, "黄" indicates the yellow leaf, "一号" is the cultivar's serial number.

there exists Zhonghuang No.2 (中黄二号, Zhōnghuáng Èrhào), which is firmly associated with Jinyun County (缙云县, Jìnyún Xiàn) in Zhejiang and the brand "Jinyun Yellow Tea" (缙云黄茶, Jìnyún Huángchá).

a rare case where the "yellow" colour of the tea is largely ensured by the bush's genetics, not just by yellowing.

the same leaf is often processed into green tea, making it easy to confuse green and yellow versions on the market.

a modern cultivar arose in a locality that tradition links to the early spread of tea to Japan through monks who studied on Mount Tiantai.

History and Culture

selection from a natural yellow-leaf mutation discovered in the Tiantai Mountains.

the cultivar was isolated and stabilised during breeding work in the 2000s–2010s and registered as an improved cultivar; the prefix "中" indicates the involvement of specialised scientific institutions.

Mount Tiantai (天台山, Tiāntái Shān), Guoqing Temple (国清寺, Guóqīngsì), the Tiantai school of Buddhism (天台宗, Tiāntái Zōng).

Botany and Raw Material

Camellia sinensis var. sinensis — bush type, small- to medium-leaf.

belongs to light-coloured (yellow-leaf) cultivars; the golden colouration is linked to reduced chlorophyll content and is usually enhanced under sufficient light (a type close to light-sensitive — 光照敏感型, guāngzhào mǐngǎn xíng).

naturally yellow-golden, brighter on young flushes.

high proportion of amino acids and moderate polyphenol content.

crushed buds with leaf (断芽叶, duàn yá yè).

Terroir

Climate: subtropical monsoon — warm, humid summers, mild winters, frequent fog.

Soil: acidic, well-drained, loamy and gravelly.

Tiantai County, as well as a number of other areas in Zhejiang where the cultivar is actively planted.

around 29° N, 121° E.

foothills and slopes; tea gardens are usually located in a range of roughly 200 to 800 m.

the Huading massif (华顶, Huádǐng), the main peak of the Tiantai Mountains (around 1100 m), long known for the green tea "Huading Yunwu" (华顶云雾, Huádǐng Yúnwù, "clouds and mist of Huading").

Production

yellow tea technology with the key step of "yellowing" (闷黄, mènhuáng).

tender buds and buds with one or two leaves; for this product, crushed bud-and-leaf raw material is used.

the raw material is spread in a thin layer, reducing moisture content and "calming" the leaf.

heating to inactivate enzymes, halting oxidation.

shaping the leaf and partially disrupting cells; at this stage, bud-and-leaf raw material is often crushed as well.

the key and defining stage for yellow tea — the warm and moist leaf is piled and covered, where non-enzymatic transformations occur under the influence of heat and residual moisture. This softens polyphenols, removes "green" sharpness, and makes the taste more rounded and sweetish.

bringing to a dry state and setting the aroma.

Organoleptic Profile

crushed buds with leaf of a golden-yellow tone, often with interspersed lighter tips.

transparent, from light yellow to golden.

fresh, with notes of boiled corn, fresh herbs, and a light "warm" tone imparted by yellowing.

tender, evenly coloured golden-yellow fragments.

Taste: fresh and sweetish, with pronounced "umami" fullness, low bitterness and astringency; a returning sweetness (回甘, huígān) is felt.

Chemical Composition

Amino Acids: very high; according to available data, total content can exceed 6%, and in spring flushes reach noticeably higher values — several times higher than in ordinary green-tea cultivars (around 3–4%).

low, which is directly linked to the fresh, non-aggressive taste.

usually in the range of roughly 2–4%.

forms part of the amino acid pool and contributes to the softness and "umami".

Polyphenols: moderate, tentatively in the range of about 13–20%.

Health Notes

polyphenols and catechins possess antioxidant activity.

promotes a state of calm alertness, softening the effect of caffeine.

thanks to yellowing, yellow tea is often tolerated more comfortably than fresh green tea.

moderate caffeine content provides a light invigorating effect.

Brewing

about 3–4 g per 150 ml; for "simple" drinking from a glass, 2–3 g is sufficient.

soft, temperature around 80–90 °C.

first infusion short (10–20 s), then gradually increase the time; sustains approximately 3–5 infusions.

Teaware: gaiwan (盖碗), glass cup or teapot (allows one to admire the golden leaf), porcelain.

Storage

Shelf Life: as a tea close in spirit to green tea, it best unfolds within approximately 12–18 months.

cool, dark, dry place, airtight packaging free of foreign odours.

permissible with secure sealing; after removal, let the package warm to room temperature before opening to avoid condensation.

Price and Authenticity

the broken bud-and-leaf format (断芽叶) is one of the most accessible versions of Zhonghuang No.1 and lies in the lower and middle price range.

whole spring buds and neat bud-and-leaf picking of the same cultivar cost noticeably more.

tea from the same bush but without the yellowing step is sold under the guise of yellow tea — the taste betrays a "green" herbaceousness and an absence of soft roundness.

other golden cultivars, such as Huangjinya (黄金芽, Huángjīnyá), are used instead of Zhonghuang No.1.

addition of ordinary green raw material, more rarely artificial colouring.

attributing Tiantai origin to the tea without basis.