Over the last two years, I’ve “adopted” a portion of a tea farm at Renegade Tea Estate located in Georgia (Europe). The tea farm is known for experimenting and last year they developed a new yellow tea!
Description: “It’s roasty and smokey but at the same time also sweet and smooth.”
Instructions: 90°C/194°F | 3 g per 250 ml | Steep 4 min
Review: Yellow tea is something that I am still trying to pin down its taste profile as each one I tried has been unique. Yellow tea is uncommon as the leaves undergo a step where the moist leaves are wrapped up to maintain the warmth and humidity. Yellow teas are often compared to green tea. The dry black wiry leaves had a few deep orange-red tips. At first sniff, the dry leaves reminded me of hojicha, a Japanese roasted green tea, and had notes of charcoal, cocoa, roasted vegetables, and tree bark.
After 3 minutes, the liquor had a golden orange hue with a roasted smell. There was an initial burnt caramel taste which became roasted and charcoal. Once the charcoal dissipated, there was a sweetness that swelled up in the middle of the sip. The taste gradually shifted to a vegetal quality back to a roasted one with a bit of bitterness at the end of the sip. The steamed vegetable note lingered on the tongue. When cooled, the liquor had more of a vegetal/spinach taste and was somewhat drying on the back of the throat.
The wet dark seaweed coloured leaves held its needle-like shape as it did not fully unfurl and smelled of charcoal.
I was curious to see how the yellow tea tasted compared to hojicha as the Renegade Tea Estate website noted that it reminded others of hojicha as well! I found the yellow tea was more sweet/burnt caramel and vegetal and was less roasted than hojicha I tasted. Also, depending on the brew, I found the yellow tea sometimes tasted more vegetal or roasted in quality. Overall, this yellow tea was a fun treat, especially if you enjoy hojicha. It had a nice mixture of sweetness, roasted, and vegetal notes (3.5/5 rating).
- Type: Yellow tea
- Origin: Georgia
- Caffeine: Unknown
- Ingredients: Yellow tea
- Company: Renegade Tea Estate
Liked this Renegade Tea Estate’s Yellow Dragon? Pin it!
