Yancha has probably around a hundred different varietals today. Its hard to tell sometimes what is a true separate varietal, and what is just given a new name by a farmer who wants to market it as new. In 2006, Wuyi city made a sort of official record of all the varietals. They published a book with 71 different bushes photographed and described. There is a list in the back of the book which lists about 280 historical varietals compiled in 1943. I have had one varietal not listed in the modern list, but which had a very similar name to one of the historical varietals. The point is, there are lots of different bushes. Many of them are probably pretty similar.taitea wrote:About the 4 different types of yancha (and the others), are they all just different varietals that are processed in the same way? Or are they the same varietals but processed in different ways? Or both?
The processing of Yancha is pretty much the same. All Yancha goes through the same steps, and it all comes out in slightly twisted strips. The processing is slightly different depending both on the varietal, and on what sort of result you want from your finished tea. In general oolong tea is first set out in the sun (shaiqing 晒青） or dried indoors on flat rattan baskets （晾青 liangqing） The timing for this process can be different, because different varietal loose moisture at different rates.
Often the same varietal is processed differently to produce different results. Oxidization times are changed to make qingxiang 清香 and 浓香 nongxiang teas. If the oxidization is lighter, the tea will in general be more fragrant and aromatic, usually more 'floral'. If the oxidization is heavier, the tea will have a fuller taste, more 'fruity'. It is very easy to see the oxidization in the leaves. the light 'qingxiang' teas will have red edges, but be mostly green. Some teas are completely red.
The other process that affects the outcome of the tea is roasting. Qinghuo 轻火 means light fire and zuhuo足火 means ample fire. Qinghuo is usually better for qingxiang, or lightly oxidized teas. A heavier fire would ruin the delicate aroma. light fire teas often do not last very long, or at least not as long as high fire ones.
Often highly roasted teas are not very good when they are new. Many producers let their tea rest at least 20 days to a month after roasting. Some retailers store their teas for a year before selling them to allow the roast to recede(tuihuo 退火） a bit, and let the tea mature. It is very hard to describe how heavier roast affects the taste. Done badly, it will ruin a tea. If all the moisture content of the tea is roasted away, the flavours and aroma will disappear, and you are left with just the roast. Done well, a roast can allow a tea to be stored for years. It will also complement the fruity flavours of a highly oxidized Yancha. Lastly, a highly roasted yancha will not be bitter or astrigent. Gongfucha can be infused for over a minute without becoming bitter.
I guess I went a bit overboard in my explanation. In conclusion, processing of different varietals can be different or the same. Also many factories process the same leaf two different ways to produce 2 different teas. Some varietals esp. Rougui, 105, Qilan, etc are better for making qingxiang or more aromatic teas, others are better for more oxidized, roasted teas. Probably the most different tea is the Baijiguan (white Cockscomb 白鸡冠）
