Introduction to Xinyang Maojian
Xinyang Maojian, also known as “Yu Maofeng,” is a type of green tea. It is one of China's top ten famous teas and a renowned specialty of Henan Province. The main producing areas are in Xinyang City and Xin County, along with Shangcheng County and the Dabie Mountain region. Xinyang Maojian is characterized by its “slender, round, glossy, straight shape, abundant white down, high fragrance, rich taste, and green liquor color.” It offers various benefits such as quenching thirst, clearing the mind, refreshing the eyes, invigorating the spirit, removing greasy flavors from food, and aiding digestion.
Based on the growth seasons of Xinyang Maojian, locals typically classify it into spring tea, summer tea, and autumn tea (Bailu tea).
Spring Tea: Generally refers to tea harvested before the end of May. After resting for the winter, the new shoots of spring tea are robust, with tender leaves and abundant down. They contain rich effective substances, making this the best period for quality throughout the year. Locals typically categorize spring tea according to the growing season as Mingqian tea, Yushuqian tea, and late spring tea.
Mingqian Tea: Tea harvested before the Qingming Festival (around April 5) in spring. It is made from the tenderest buds that emerge in early spring. During this period, the tea is delicate and has a faint aroma. Due to the slow growth, it consists almost entirely of young buds, which is the highest-grade Xinyang Maojian. Mingqian tea harvested from the mountains is considered the pinnacle of Xinyang Maojian.
Yushuqian Tea: Tea harvested before the Grain Rain (around April 20). In spring, the temperature is moderate, and rainfall is abundant. The tea plants are in full bloom, and the bud set is officially formed. While the shape of the infused leaves is slightly inferior to that of Mingqian tea, the flavor is slightly stronger. This tea combines the grade of Xinyang Maojian's appearance with its taste (each accounting for 50%). It is mainly suitable for consumers with higher-end tastes.
Late Spring Tea: Tea harvested before the end of spring (around the end of May). Compared to Mingqian tea and Yushuqian tea, the shape is slightly inferior, but it is more resistant to brewing and more affordable. The ordinary tea consumed by locals is mostly late spring tea.
Summer Tea: Refers to tea harvested between June and the end of July. As temperatures rise, the tea grows rapidly. The content of soluble substances in the leaves decreases, while caffeine, anthocyanins, catechins, and other bitter and astringent substances increase. Therefore, summer tea has a slightly bitter and astringent taste and less fragrance than spring tea. The infused leaves are larger and wider. However, summer tea is more resistant to brewing and cheaper.
Autumn Tea: Tea harvested after August is called autumn tea or Bailu tea. After two seasons of picking in spring and summer, the new leaves grown in autumn contain fewer substances. The leaves are yellowish, uneven in size, and have a mild taste and fragrance. Bailu tea is neither as fresh and delicate as spring tea nor as dry and bitter as summer tea; instead, it has a unique sweet and clear aroma.
The soil in the mountainous areas of Xinyang is predominantly yellow and black sandy loam, deep and loose, with a high content of humus and good fertility, with a pH value ranging from 4 to 6.5. Historically, tea farmers preferred to plant tea at altitudes of 300 to 800 meters. Here, the terrain undulates, forests are dense, vegetation is abundant, rainfall is plentiful, and fog is frequent, keeping the air moist (relative humidity above 75%). The sun rises late and sets early, and the light is not strong. There is a significant difference in temperature between day and night. The growth of tea buds is slow, they remain tender for longer, and have thick, downy leaves with a high accumulation of effective substances. Particularly, Xinyang is located in a high latitude area of the northern latitude, with a lower average annual temperature, which is very conducive to the synthesis and accumulation of amino acids, caffeine, and other nitrogen-containing compounds.
Nutritional Value
Xinyang Maojian has multiple benefits, including quenching thirst, clearing the mind, refreshing the eyes, invigorating the spirit, removing greasy flavors from food, and aiding digestion.
Product Characteristics
Xinyang Maojian has unique characteristics in terms of color, aroma, taste, and shape. Its color is fresh and clean without impurities, its aroma is elegant and fresh, and its taste is fresh, fragrant, and sweet. From an appearance standpoint, it is uniform, bright green with a lustrous sheen and prominent white down. When brewed, it has a lasting high fragrance, a rich and mellow taste, a sweet aftertaste, and a bright and clear liquor color. High-quality Xinyang Maojian has a tender, bright green or yellow-green liquor color and a clear, fragrant aroma. In contrast, low-quality Xinyang Maojian has a dark green or yellow liquor color that is dull and dark, is not resistant to brewing, and lacks a tea fragrance.
The quality of Xinyang Maojian tea is divided into the following grade standards:
Premium: More than 85% are single buds, the rest being initial one-bud-one-leaf shoots, harvested in spring. The shape is tight, slender, and straight, with abundant white down, uniform, and the liquor is bright, tender green. The aroma is fresh and lasts, the taste is fresh and refreshing, and the infused leaves are bright green, tender, and uniform.
Special Grade: More than 85% are initial one-bud-one-leaf shoots, the rest being one-bud-one-leaf shoots, harvested in spring. The shape is fine, round, and relatively straight, with visible white down, uniform, and the liquor is bright, tender green. The aroma is fresh and long-lasting, the taste is fresh and refreshing, and the infused leaves are bright green, uniform, and clear.
Grade 1: More than 70% are one-bud-one-leaf shoots, the rest being initial one-bud-two-leaf shoots, harvested in spring. The shape is relatively straight and tight, the color is green and lustrous with white down, relatively uniform, and the liquor is bright green. The aroma is chestnut-like or fresh, the taste is mellow, and the infused leaves are green, bright, and relatively uniform.
Grade 2: More than 60% are initial one-bud-one-or-two-leaf shoots, the rest being one-bud-two-leaf shoots or equally tender opposite leaves, harvested in spring. The shape is relatively straight and tight, the color is green and lustrous with some white down, relatively uniform. The liquor is green and bright, the aroma is pure, the taste is relatively mellow, and the infused leaves are green and relatively uniform.
Grade 3: More than 60% are one-bud-two-leaf shoots, the rest being equally tender single leaves, opposite leaves, or one-bud-three-leaf shoots, harvested in spring. The shape is relatively tight and straight, the color is deep green, relatively uniform. The liquor is yellowish-green and bright, the aroma is pure, the taste is relatively strong, and the infused leaves are green and relatively uniform.
Grade 4: More than 60% are one-bud-two-leaf shoots, the rest being one-bud-three-leaf shoots and equally tender single leaves or opposite leaves, harvested in summer and autumn. The shape is relatively tight and straight, the color is deep green, relatively uniform. The liquor is yellowish-green, the aroma is relatively pure, the taste is strong with a slight bitterness, and the infused leaves are green but lack brightness.
Historical Folklore
Tea cultivation in Xinyang has a long history. During the Tang Dynasty, tea production began to enter a prosperous period, and Xinyang had become a famous “Hunan Tea Region” where the produced tea was of high quality and listed as a tribute product. In 1987, archaeologists excavated tea from an ancient tomb in Gushi County, Xinyang, dating back over 2,300 years. Between 760 and 780 AD, Lu Yu, the tea sage, compiled the world's first book on tea, “The Classic of Tea,” dividing the thirteen provinces and forty-three prefectures