Xinyang Mao Jian (信陽毛尖)

archetype: Stream from the northern slope

A cool stream from a northern slope: a living grassy freshness, thin needle-shaped leaves.

History

Xin Yang Mao Jian is the northernmost of the ten famous Chinese teas, with gardens lying in Henan province on the border between subtropical and temperate climates. The cultivar is known from the Tang era and took its present form in the Qing. The leaf is gathered only before Gu Yu (20 April); it is dried by hand in several passes, keeping the curve of a 'hairy needle'.

An old mountain legend: a wanderer was dying of thirst on the northern slope of Xinyang. He saw a stream, and in the stream a leaf was floating. The wanderer caught the leaf, placed it under his tongue — and the stream became passable for him. The leaf was from a Mao Jian bush. Since then, this tea is drunk when one must cross something difficult and not give up along the way.

Terroir

300–800 m, northern mountain slopes. weathered shale and quartz, a thin clay layer. cold winters, mild springs, humid summers; cool nights. The standard is leaf from the Daiyanshan and Zhenleishan ranges; the 'imperial' Qin Yu cultivar is the highest in cleanness of profile.

Leaf

dry leaf: thin curving needles in dark green, with a clear white down

warmed: the warmed leaf — young grass, asparagus, green bean, cool air

after pour: after the infusion — asparagus, green pea, fresh grass, a thin coolness

taste: young grass, asparagus, green bean, a cool freshness

finish: long, cool, leaving in the throat 'the voice of mountain water'

Properties

TCM: cool, yin; clears heat, brightens the head, nourishes the stomach

Modern: rich in catechins and theanine; gentle stimulation, good for metabolism and overheating

Cha qi: light, rising, cool; felt as a 'cold morning'

Caffeine: moderate (30–45 mg)

Brewing ritual

a glass of 200 ml; 78 °C; 4 g / 200 ml. 40s — the stream wakes: grass, asparagus; 60s — the peak: green bean, a cool freshness; 90s — a long echo of mountain water.

When to drink

day and early evening. spring and summer. after a hot day, in head fatigue, for cool clarity. asparagus, white fish, light salad, white curd, rice porridge. solitary work; conversation with a friend over lunch

Tea meditation

The stream does not need stroking — it flows on its own.
The coolness in your throat is the tea, not the ice.
Stand quietly by the stream.

Questions and answers

How do you brew Xinyang Mao Jian?

a glass of 200 ml; 78 °C; 4 g / 200 ml. 40s — the stream wakes: grass, asparagus; 60s — the peak: green bean, a cool freshness; 90s — a long echo of mountain water.

What does Xinyang Mao Jian taste like?

young grass, asparagus, green bean, a cool freshness

How much caffeine is in Xinyang Mao Jian?

moderate (30–45 mg)

What are the effects of Xinyang Mao Jian?

rich in catechins and theanine; gentle stimulation, good for metabolism and overheating