If you purchase this product you will earn 2026 Spring First Flush Batch
Anji Huang Jin Ya [Golden Bud] Green Tea
What is Golden Bud Tea?
Golden Bud Tea (Huangjin Ya, 黄金芽) is a rare and beautiful green tea originating from Anji County, Zhejiang, China. It is a natural mutant albino tea variety characterized by bright yellow tender buds and leaves.
This Year’s Selection
We have reserved the first flush batch of Golden Bud from the high mountain region in Anji. The same tea farmer of growing Anji Bai Cha we have partnered with for years is committed to cultivating without any agricultural chemicals to hasten the sprouting process. As a result, their first flush is typically harvested a bit later, around early to mid-April.
Tasting Profile
Huang Jin Ya is notable for its high amino acid content, which is even greater than that of Anji Bai Cha. This high amino acid level significantly reduces bitterness and creates a sweet, umami mouthfeel. The tea is smooth, layered, and buttery. It is one of the most refreshing and sweetest green teas with no astringency at all, making it a perfect choice for green tea lovers who enjoy sweet green tea with low astringency and high sweetness.
- Aroma: Roasted chestnut, creamy butter, subtle floral sweetness.
- Flavor: The infusion is incredibly fresh, sweet, and umami-rich, reminiscent of a delicate chicken broth—smooth, mellow, and deeply satisfying.
- Mouthfeel: Thick and silky in the mouth.
- Aftertaste: Sustained umami, and never bitter, with long infusions.
Variety and the Secret of Its Golden Color
Golden Bud Tea belongs to a special group of tea cultivars called Bai Ye No.1 “White Leaf No.1”. Unlike typical green teas, its brilliant yellow color is not a result of fermentation or special processing, but a natural genetic trait enhanced by strong light during growth. High levels of carotenoids (like carotene and lutein) give the fresh leaves, dry tea, brewed liquor, and infused leaf a rich, golden-yellow appearance.
What is Albino tea plant:
Tea mutants have off-white or yellowish tea shoots due to the deficiency of chlorophyll under certain climatic or environmental conditions, which have been defined as albino tea plants. Albino tea mutants can be divided into temperature- and light- sensitive types according to the difference in albino mechanism. Anji Bai Cha and Huang Jin Ya from Anji are both Albino tea plant, and Huang Jin Ya (Golden Bud) is a kind of light sensitive tea plant, the color intensity depends on light exposure, not temperature.
Comparisons: Anji Bai Cha vs. Anji Huang Jin Ya
| Â | Golden Bud (Huangjin Ya) | Anji Bai Cha |
| Leaf Color | Gold/Yellow-Green | Milky Whitish Green |
| Variety | Bai Ye No.1 | Bai Ye No.1 |
| Harvest Date | Late March–early May; sprouts 1 week later than Anji Bai Cha | Mid-late March |
| Sensitivity | Light Sensitive | Temperature Sensitive |
Harvest Date: 15 April 2026
Weight per pack: 50g/ 75g
Tea Farm Location: Anji, Zhejiang Province, China
Varietal: Bai Ye Yi Hao/ White Leaf No. 1
Tasting Notes: smooth, layered, creamy and buttery, flowery, umami, sweet with no astringency.
Dry Leaves Appearance: pine needle, yellowish green
Tea Liquor Colour: bright and clear light yellow-green
Brewing Method (adjust with your own taste):
Gaiwan Style: 3-5g Tea| 150-200ml water (80-85°c) | 1-3 infusion : 10-15’s, After : Add 5’s each
Glass Style: prepare a tall glass, pre-warm the glass by rinsing it, fill your glass with 80-85°c water, add tea leaves (3g), let it rest for 1 minute, enjoy (Don’t drink the whole glass, left 1/3 of Tea liquor in the glass for re-steeping, add 30’s each time)
