Xinyang Maojian
信阳毛尖
Green
Su Dongpo settled it in a single line. Of the Huainan teas, Xinyang comes first.
The gardens he meant sit among the five cloud mountains of southern Henan, where tea has been grown since the Tang court first took it as tribute. It is the northernmost of China's classic greens and it has never lost the ranking.
The leaf earns its name in the wok. It is rolled with a bamboo brush until it comes out fine, round, smooth and straight, four qualities the makers still name in that order. It drinks the way it looks. Taut, fresh, with chestnut underneath.
- chestnut
- brisk
- umami
- Origin
- Xinyang, Henan
- Water
- 80°C / 176°F
- Ratio
- 3.5 g / 100 ml
- Caffeine
- Medium
- Rinse
- Not needed
China Top Ten Famous Teas 1959; Panama Pacific gold 1915
How much leaf
Gong fu brewing is leaf-heavy and short. Set your gaiwan or pot size and this is what to weigh out.
Vessel volume
100 ml
Recommended dose
Use ~3.5g of tea
The session
4 infusions, about 2m 15s of total contact time.
- Steep 115sPine and grass, still folded.
- Steep 225sChestnut warms up from below.
- Steep 340sUmami thickens the middle.
- Steep 455sClean water with a green memory.
Also sold as
Xinyang Mao Jian, Mao Jian, Xin Yang Mao Jian
Steaper times this session for you
A countdown per infusion, a gong when each one is up, and the whole library in your pocket. Coming to iPhone.
Get notified at launchThese numbers are a median of independent gong fu sources, not a law. Leaf age, vessel and water all move them. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.