Huangpian: The Old Leaves That Get Picked Out

Before maocha is pressed into cakes, it goes through careful sorting, and the big yellow-green old leaves that won't roll up are picked out and set aside. These leaves are called "huangpian" (黃片, yellow flakes). In the past they were often regarded as factory scraps; in recent years, they've gained fans of their own.

What Is Huangpian?

Huangpian are the older, coarser leaves in sun-dried maocha. When picking, the fourth or fifth leaf below a bud with two or three leaves often comes along, or some fully mature big leaves get mixed in; these leaves are fibrous and stiff, don't roll into tight strips during kill-green and rolling, and after sun-drying are flat and flaky, yellower than tender leaves, hence the name huangpian.

In pu'er refining, picking out huangpian is an important step in sorting. The main reason is appearance: huangpian are bulky and loose, and pressed into a cake they make the surface uneven and prone to crumbling, and they spoil the look of the face of the cake. The full refining process is covered in Sieving, Sorting, and Picking Out Huangpian.

Can You Drink Huangpian?

Of course. Huangpian come from the same trees and the same processing as the rest of the batch; the leaves are simply older. Huangpian from ancient-tree tea is ancient-tree tea too. It isn't defective, just separated out by refining standards that prioritize appearance and leaf shape.

Why Is Huangpian Sweeter?

Tea drinkers generally find huangpian "sweet, smooth, and not bitter," roughly because:

• Fewer bitter and astringent compounds: Tender buds have higher concentrations of tea polyphenols and caffeine; old leaves have relatively less, so the bitterness and astringency are lighter.
• A higher share of sugars: Mature leaves accumulate more sugars and pectin, giving a sweet, smooth, slightly viscous liquor.
• A different release: Huangpian are loose and flaky and open up quickly when brewed, so sweetness comes out fast.

So the general impression is: huangpian's aroma isn't as lifting as bud tea's and its texture is thinner, but it's noticeably sweet and gentle in the mouth.

Why Is Huangpian Cheap?

• Plentiful: Every batch of maocha yields a certain proportion of huangpian.
• Unappealing appearance: Large, loose flakes of mixed color, not suited to making attractive cakes.
• Lighter taste: Less aroma and body than tea with intact, well-rolled leaves.

Because it's cheap, huangpian from a given mountain is often an affordable way to get to know that mountain. Huangpian from famous-mountain ancient trees, though far cheaper than the main tea, still isn't cheap.

How to Brew Huangpian

Huangpian is easy to brew and rarely turns bitter, which makes it great for every day:

1. Gaiwan: Huangpian is bulky, so the same weight fills a gaiwan. 4–5 grams in a 100 ml gaiwan is enough, with water at 95–100°C and the first few infusions at about 10 seconds.
2. By the mug: 3–4 grams in a 500 ml mug or infuser cup, steeped in boiling water for 1–2 minutes, then poured off; it can be re-steeped several times.
3. Boiled: Huangpian's most popular preparation. 5–8 grams in 800–1,000 ml of water, simmered on low heat for 3–5 minutes after it boils, gives a golden liquor full of sweetness.
4. Cold brew: About 8 grams of huangpian in 500 ml of cold boiled water, refrigerated for 6–8 hours, is clean, sweet, and easy to drink.

Details on boiling tea are in Boiling Pu'er: A Warm Pot for Winter.

Forms and Storage of Huangpian

Huangpian is mostly sold loose, though some press it into bricks or cakes; because the flakes are large and don't bind well, the result is usually rather loose. Storage principles are the same as for raw tea: clean, ventilated, away from light, and free of odors. Being loose, huangpian transforms faster in storage than compressed tea and its aroma dissipates more easily, so it's best finished within 1–2 years, or pressed into a brick before storing.

Is There Huangpian in Ripe Tea Too?

Raw material for ripe tea is likewise sieved and sorted before and after pile fermentation, and coarse old leaves go into lower grades or into brick teas and other products using coarse material; but on the market, the name "huangpian" mostly refers to old leaves picked out of raw maocha.

What a Flake of Huangpian Says About Picking

Huangpian is in fact a record left by how the tea was picked. The more precise the hand-picking, the fewer huangpian; the rougher the picking, or the more old leaves included to add weight, the more huangpian. So the proportion of huangpian in a batch of maocha reflects, to some extent, how carefully it was picked. When tea drinkers say "this batch has a lot of huangpian," they mean the material is coarser and needs more work to sort. Picking standards are introduced in Plucking Standards: Single Bud, One Bud One Leaf, One Bud Two or Three Leaves.

FAQ

What is huangpian? The older, coarser yellow leaves that won't roll into strips, picked out when maocha is refined.

Can you drink huangpian? Yes. It comes from the same trees and processing as the rest of the maocha; the leaves are simply older.

Why is huangpian sweeter? Old leaves have fewer bitter and astringent compounds and a higher share of sugars, so they brew sweet and smooth with little bitterness or astringency.

What's the best way to drink huangpian? Boiling is most popular, and mug brewing and cold brewing work well too; in a gaiwan, 4–5 grams is enough.