Mo Gan Yellow Sprout莫干黄芽

Mo Gan Yellow Sprout is a bud yellow tea from Mo Gan Mountain, Deqing County, Zhejiang, China. Brew it at 85°C with 4g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 6 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. No rinse needed.

Tasting notes

Mo Gan Huang Ya is the modern one — invented in the 1970s rather than inherited from some Ming dynasty tribute list — and it drinks like a deliberately refined idea rather than a regional accident. The reference point is the green teas of the same Zhejiang mountains, bamboo-forest territory, and Mo Gan shares their clean character but strips out the grassy sharpness entirely. What's left is light but not thin: a sweet-grain note, chestnut underneath, a faint bamboo freshness on the nose. 80–85°C water, and watch the small buds carefully — they exhaust sooner than they look like they should, so extend the later steeps aggressively or the third cup will run pale. Five or six infusions is honest. Any more and you're drinking hot water with a memory of tea. A tall glass suits it. The buds float and slowly sink, and the whole cup is meant to be watched as much as tasted. Don't rush it.

Flavor profile

Light and refreshing with a smooth, clean character. The slow charcoal men-huang process gives it a gentle sweetness with chestnut undertones, entirely free of the grassiness found in green teas from the same region. The body is light but not thin, with a pleasant lingering sweetness. A modern creation (1970s) that earned provincial recognition by 1982.

Terroir

550-700m elevation near Hangzhou, humid subtropical, bamboo forests

Cultivar: Local Zhejiang cultivar, developed in the late 1970s by Zhuang Wanfang and Professor Zhang Tangheng

Brewing

1. Steep 1: 20 seconds
2. Steep 2: 25 seconds
3. Steep 3: 30 seconds
4. Steep 4: 40 seconds
5. Steep 5: 55 seconds
6. Steep 6: 70 seconds

Use 80-85°C water. A glass gaiwan or tall glass showcases the buds floating and dancing — yellow teas are traditionally enjoyed visually as well. Increase steep times gradually as the small buds exhaust relatively quickly.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• de-enzymed
• shaped
• men-huang (cloth-wrapped, charcoal-rotated, ~10 hours)
• dried

Sources

• https://sevencups.com/shop/mo-gan-huang-ya-mo-gan-yellow-buds/
• https://the-chinese-tea-company.com/products/mo-gan-mountain-yellow-tea-2025
• https://sipscollection.com/products/2023-mogan-huangya
• https://sipjojo.com/products/mo-gan-huang-ya
• https://teadelight.net/yellow-tea-types/
• https://dragonteahouse.biz/supreme-mo-gan-huang-ya-mogan-yellow-buds-chinese-yellow-tea/