The processing technique of Anhui West Yellow Tea originated from a mistake

Xu Cishu's *Tea Treatise* from the Ming Dynasty records: "The tea is roasted and fried in a large fire in a wok, and before it even leaves the pot, it is already scorched and withered... It is stored while still hot. Even if there are green branches and purple shoots, they will quickly turn yellow and become only fit for consumption." This passage describes the prototype of Anhui West Huangda tea-at that time, tea farmers were not skilled in processing, and packing the tea leaves into baskets while they were still hot after roasting caused the leaves to turn yellow, inadvertently creating the "yellowing" process. Traditional Huangda tea emphasizes "stems large enough to carry boats, and leaves large enough to wrap salt," with coarse branches and large leaves, but a sweet and mellow taste and a unique crispy rice aroma.