--- title: Ay caramba! description: Explore the intricacies of yellow tea and its unique production process, uncovering the art behind its rarity and the world of oolong teas. image: https://satoricha.com/hubfs/ENG%20-%20WEB%20-%20to.png --- [![Imagtipo Satoricha Minuscula](https://satoricha.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imagtipo%20Satoricha%20Minuscula.png?width=200&height=40&name=Imagtipo%20Satoricha%20Minuscula.png "Imagtipo Satoricha Minuscula")](https://satoricha.com/en/) En Search toggle - [Journal](https://satoricha.com/en/journal) - [Library](https://satoricha.com/en/sl) - [About Me](https://satoricha.com/en/about) About Me - [My Purpose](https://satoricha.com/en/purpose) - [Contact Us](https://satoricha.com/en/contact) [Sígueme en Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/_satoricha_/) [Conecta conmigo en LinkedIn](https://satoricha.substack.com/) [Sígueme en Facebook](https://www.tiktok.com/@_satoricha_) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.linkedin.com/company/satoricha/) [![Imagtipo Satoricha Minuscula](https://satoricha.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imagtipo%20Satoricha%20Minuscula.png?width=200&height=40&name=Imagtipo%20Satoricha%20Minuscula.png "Imagtipo Satoricha Minuscula")](https://satoricha.com/en/) - [Journal](https://satoricha.com/en/journal) - [Library](https://satoricha.com/en/sl) - [About Me](https://satoricha.com/en/about) About Me - [My Purpose](https://satoricha.com/en/purpose) - [Contact Us](https://satoricha.com/en/contact) En Search toggle [![Imagtipo Satoricha Minuscula](https://satoricha.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imagtipo%20Satoricha%20Minuscula.png?width=200&height=40&name=Imagtipo%20Satoricha%20Minuscula.png "Imagtipo Satoricha Minuscula")](https://satoricha.com/en/) - [Journal](https://satoricha.com/en/journal) - [Library](https://satoricha.com/en/sl) - [About Me](https://satoricha.com/en/about) About Me - [My Purpose](https://satoricha.com/en/purpose) - [Contact Us](https://satoricha.com/en/contact) [Sígueme en Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/_satoricha_/) [Conecta conmigo en LinkedIn](https://satoricha.substack.com/) [Sígueme en Facebook](https://www.tiktok.com/@_satoricha_) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.linkedin.com/company/satoricha/) - [English](https://satoricha.com/en/journal/caramba) - [Español](https://satoricha.com/diario/caramba) En Search toggle ES / EN Buscador Search # Ay caramba! 12 Oct 2026 ![Picture of Satoricha](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/5f1a79b9ed67b71500fb7fb84107b814) [Satoricha](https://satoricha.com/en/journal/author/satoricha) ![Ay caramba!](https://satoricha.com/hubfs/ENG%20-%20WEB%20-%20to.png) Despite taking things slowly and carefully (or at least trying to keep my handwriting legible), I feel like we're moving a little too fast. But, like any good cat, you've got to carry yourself with style, and if you fall, land on your feet. And if, for whatever reason, you don't quite manage that, just pretend nothing happened. If shāqīng already sounds like a word for the big ones, get ready for men huang, or yellowing. But, as Jack the Ripper would say, let's take things one step at a time. ![Simbologia procesos](https://satoricha.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Simbologia%20procesos.png?width=425&height=425&name=Simbologia%20procesos.png) ![Proceso te amarillo](https://satoricha.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Proceso%20te%20amarillo.png?width=1400&height=400&name=Proceso%20te%20amarillo.png) ## Yellow, Like Our Anniversary? I'm not trying to auto-promote the website here, but for our second anniversary, I gave away a yellow tea sampler. In fact, it was a very yellow anniversary. But why give tea as a gift on such a special occasion? First reason: good tea always makes a wonderful gift. Second reason: the type of tea I chose. ## Yellow. Some websites, authors, and articles treat yellow tea as if it were as easy to find as walking into a shop, asking for it, and taking it home. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yellow tea is an art that is slowly at risk of being lost. Why? Well, for starters, as is often the case, other tea styles are easier and more profitable to produce, and their demand is already well established. On top of that, making yellow tea can be particularly labor-intensive and requires specialized knowledge. If you ask me, yellow tea is also a little too special to be ordinary. I'm not saying other teas lack nuance or depth, but yellow tea has its own something. You might even dismiss it as overrated, not necessarily because it is, but because perhaps you haven't yet had enough experience with it to understand it, or, better yet, to put into words what you find in the cup. But don't take my word for it. Everyone has to experience it for themselves until they discover what it means to them. There's one little detail, though: first, make sure you're buying genuine yellow tea. Did you think counterfeits were exclusive to the fashion world? Ha! In the world of tea, you also need your dealer, your broker, your trusted contact, or your person, whatever you prefer to call them. Because buying something marketed as yellow tea is one thing. Knowing what you actually have in your hands is another. But anyway, to keep moving forward and understand what makes this tea yellow in the first place, we first need to understand men huang. ## Men Huang \[Pl: 2\] I'm a firm believer in letting people stick to what they know best, so let's leave this one to Shirley C., who can explain what lies behind men huang.      Chen & Brew & Blossom (2026) invites us to imagine that we're making green tea. First, we apply heat to the leaves through shāqīng, a process that considerably reduces the activity of the enzymes responsible for oxidation. So far, so good. But what would happen if, instead of cooling and drying the leaves quickly, we kept them warm and moist for a controlled period? That is when men huang, or yellowing, starts. During this characteristic stage of yellow tea production, the leaves retain some moisture and heat for a controlled period. This encourages various chemical and physical transformations that alter their color, aroma, and flavor. So, what's special about it? It doesn't work in the same way as the enzymatic oxidation associated with black tea or oolong production. Because shāqīng has already significantly reduced the activity of certain enzymes, heat- and moisture-driven transformations become especially important during yellowing.   Truth be told, Shirley goes much deeper into yellow tea. So, if what you've just read has caught your attention, [take a look at the cited article](https://brewblossomtea.com/blogs/brew-blossom-journal/how-yellow-tea-is-made-men-huang-science).  There's little point in trying to squeeze into a few paragraphs what deserves a space of its own.   ## Oxidation by the numbers \[PTO: 1\] Let's step away from yellow for a moment and venture into oolong territory. ![Proceso te oolong](https://satoricha.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Proceso%20te%20oolong.png?width=1400&height=400&name=Proceso%20te%20oolong.png) As with yellow tea, I'd like to add a brief explanatory note about oolong. While what I'm about to suggest isn't a theory endorsed by the "international tea community" as a universal standard, I think it's a useful card to have up your sleeve. ## Interpretations Calling oolong a partially oxidized tea is a simple way to define it. The tricky part comes later, when you realize that this definition barely scratches the surface.      As [Sean H.](https://satoricha.com/en/journal/oolongalchemist) (2024) pointed out, oolong can be approached from different production perspectives. On one hand, Asian interpretation, particularly in China and Taiwan, have accumulated knowledge, cultivar diversity, and experimentation that have given rise to an enormous variety of styles. On the other hand, regions such as India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal have tea-making traditions shaped by different historical and technical influences. So, why do I think this distinction is a useful card to have up your sleeve? Well, depending on the country, region, cultivar, and production style, you can encounter oolongs with very different aromatic profiles: some floral and delicate, others more roasted, intense, or astringent. One profile doesn't make the other any less worthy. Knowing the terrain you're navigating helps you establish certain expectations, recognize patterns, and better understand what's in your cup. The point isn't to put every tea into a box, but to have a few reference points that help you interpret what you're experiencing. The world of oolongs is truly vast. It's no wonder that many tea enthusiasts feel a certain degree of respect (or, let's be honest, vertigo) when they try to dive headfirst into it. But... ## Let's get back to oxidation In very simple terms, oxidation is a chemical process in which certain compounds in the leaf react with oxygen, triggering transformations that shape a tea's character. Several factors influence this process, including enzymatic activity, the condition of the leaf tissues, and the conditions under which the tea is made. Remember how, in the previous article, I mentioned that the leaf begins to change the moment it's harvested, and that shaking damages its tissues, encouraging certain compounds to be released and come into contact with one another? This speeds oxidation and lets the producer influence its development. Here's something interesting: both men huang and oxidation rely heavily on human intervention, although in different ways. During men huang, the producer controls heat and moisture to encourage the transformations characteristic of yellowing. During oxidation, the producer manages reactions that help define the tea's final profile. You can try oolongs from the same country, the same region, and even the same cultivar, and there's still a good chance they won't be identical. Much of this comes down to differences in processing decisions, including how oxidation is managed. ## 15%, 44%, or 80% oxidation? Be careful when you come across an oolong advertised as 15%, 44%, or 80% oxidized. References often place oolong oxidation somewhere between 10% and 80%, using these percentages to describe low-, medium-, or high-oxidation styles. However, don't interpret them as exact, comparable, standardized measurements across all producers. An oolong labeled as 44% oxidized doesn't automatically mean someone has measured a chemical process with precision and arrived at that exact figure. In many contexts, these percentages serve as descriptive reference points that communicate, in relatively simple terms, the degree of oxidation attributed to a tea. And this is where the producer's experience comes into play. Process consistency, leaf observation, knowledge of the raw material, and sensory evaluation all help determine how oxidation develops and when to stop it. That doesn't mean everything depends on leaf inspection and gut feeling; instrumental and analytical methods can also be used. The key thing to understand is that the advertised percentage doesn't always match a direct chemical measurement you can compare across teas. So, the next time you come across an oolong with a very specific oxidation percentage, there's no need to run for the hills. Just remember that the number can be a useful reference, but not necessarily an absolute truth.   Because, in the end, between what happens inside the leaf, what the producer decides, and what we perceive in the cup, there's a whole lot more going on than a percentage.     Satoricha ~ Ay caramba!... when did I decide to venture into the world of tea?   References  Chen, S., & Brew & Blossom. (2026, Septiembre 07). *How Yellow Tea Is Made: The Science of Yellowing (Men Huang)*. Brew & Blossom. https://brewblossomtea.com/blogs/brew-blossom-journal/how-yellow-tea-is-made-men-huang-science   Sean H. (2024). Sean \[Entrevista realizada a Sean H. CeEO de Trilliant Tea Industry\]. In *Entrevista Sean* \[Zoom\]. 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[Satoriocha@gmail.com](mailto:Satoriocha@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://satoricha.com/en/journal/www.satoricha.com) [Follow me on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Satoriocha/) [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/satoricha/) ## Comments ## Related posts Search [It all depends](https://satoricha.com/en/journal/depende) Made with love by [Stuff & Matters, Inc.](https://www.stuff-n-matters.com) in the United States.     SATORICHA  [Terms & Conditons - Giveaway](https://satoricha.com/términos-y-condiciones-aea) [Sígueme en Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/_satoricha_/) [Sígueme en Facebook](https://satoricha.substack.com/) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.tiktok.com/@_satoricha_) [Conecta conmigo en LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/satoricha/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Satoricha", "url" : "https://satoricha.com/en/journal/author/satoricha" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-12T08:08:52.361Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-12T08:07:52.000Z", "headline" : "Ay caramba!", "image" : [ "https://satoricha.com/hubfs/ENG%20-%20WEB%20-%20to.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://satoricha.com/en/journal/caramba", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://satoricha.com/hubfs/Inicios%20Satoricha/Satoricha%20(desfasado)/Satoricha%20-%20Transparente%20-%2010.png" }, "name" : "Satoricha" } } ```