Xin Yang Mao Jian Green Tea

Tea type
Green Tea
Ingredients
Green Tea
Flavors
Apricot, Astringent, Bitter, Creamy, Hay, Lima Beans, Mineral, Oats, Smoked, Soybean, Bok Choy, Kale, Peas, Smoke, Umami, Vegetal, Asparagus, Butter, Floral, Grass, Green Beans, Meat, Spinach, Sweet, Carrot, Flowers, Honey, Green, Garden Peas, Seaweed, Smooth, Salt, Chicken Soup, Roasted Chicken, Pine
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by TeaVivre
Average preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 15 sec 4 g 20 oz / 606 ml

From Our Community

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5 Want it Want it

13 Own it Own it

79 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Sip down :( sigh, but I have to make room for the next round of samples that are in route :) I think I have always liked this one more than most folks on Steepster. I love the sweet smell of the...” Read full tasting note
    90
  • “Experience buying from Teavivre http://steepster.com/places/2857-teavivre-online— UPDATE on 12-1-12: I just finished the last 2-3 grams of this tea in my 14 OZ mini glass teapot, brewed following...” Read full tasting note
    74
  • “I am loving this tea today! I made Egg Fu Young for lunch and served this. It had so much flavor, sweet and creamy, smooth but no shrinking violet, it had lots of flavor. After lunch when I...” Read full tasting note
  • “Very good green tea, slightly vegetal very little astringency that was very it was also slightly smokey but very pleasant and refreshing, This would be a tea that I would serve to friends who ask...” Read full tasting note
    78

From Teavivre

Origin: Xinyang, Henan, China

Ingredients: Long, thin, dark green leaves, with straight tips

Taste: A very refreshing, lingering aftertaste and aroma

Brew: 1-2 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 176 ºF (80 ºC) for 1 to 2 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)

Health Benefits: Xinyang Maojian has high levels of antioxidants, and so will help reduce the incidence of cancer, promote good skin tone and reduce the effects of aging.

About Teavivre View company

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79 Tasting Notes

1220 tasting notes

Before I start on my new samples, I knew I completely forgot this one from the last round. Thank you for all the samples once again, Teavivre!

I’m supposed to be in class right now but I just feel sick and I don’t know why. It probably more has to do with the weather…while I appreciate getting rain it’s just so annoying when it’s just overcast for days. At least more lilies have bloomed since yesterday

This tea is really pretty to look at, with its thin leaves. It has a bit of a smoky, spicy scent to it.

Brewed for 90 seconds for the first steep. This has everything. Seaweed, veggies, sweetness, smokiness. I’m thinking I need to at least try asparagus, because all these teas I like that have the flavor according to other notes, I’d like to confirm that with my own taste buds and that’s kind of hard when you don’t eat the stuff. Of course I am probably like a month too late for any, but if that’s what the taste is here, I’m willing to try. I mean, I drank a foie gras milkshake last week just to find out what it tastes like. Probably not the best way to find out (you know, those weeks in France would have been a better time) but still I had to try it once.

I can’t figure out if I want to describe the last note as smoky or spicy because it’s like it changes with each sip. It’s not very smoky, or very spicy, almost just like a roasted mild pepper.

I prefer sweeter greens most of the time, but right now I really could go for a savory, vegetal one like this. I will give it another steep soon.

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81
639 tasting notes

The chores are done, so it’s time to relax with a wonderful cup of green tea! I carefully cut open the silver package and discovered very thin, very dark leaves with a lovely aroma of spinach. The leaves are such a dark green that they look black. It reminds me of dried black moss, if such a thing exists, but with a much more appealing bouquet of aromas I’m sure.

I think I’m going to go for several steeps with this one to see how the flavors morph. This is going to be fun! I was generous with the leaf too because I almost always brew my teas too weak. First infusion for one minute, and the little leaves opened all the way up! They’re actually a very vibrant green color now that they’re open. The brewed aroma is very green, very vegetal. And the taste? Matches the aroma perfectly!

This first cup is alive! There’s no better way to describe it. It reminds me of spring, flowers blooming and grass growing. Vivacious and thriving with a nice balance between spinach and nori. It’s naturally sweet and light but also very flavorful. This is a perfect complement to my mood. :)

The greatest part of this tea is that it has a lovely lingering aftertaste. And even though it’s so green, it doesn’t taste grassy. It’s definitely a steamed veggie taste. Butter not chlorophyll. But as it cools, it loses its vibrancy. Time to move on to steep number two (176 degrees for two minutes)!

The second cup is less salty nori and…flatter. It’s still sweet, but a lot less so. It’s also no longer buttery. The first cup was definitely the best. But what’s remained constant is the lingering vegetal aftertaste, although it’s a little delayed now and less green. As this cup cools, it’s darker with hints towards, but not fully reaching, bitterness.

I don’t think this is a marathon infusion kind of tea. At least not the way I approached it with multiple long steeps. Maybe a series of short steeps would have yielded better results. Of course, now I’m sloshing with tea. So, I think I’m done for now. I was going to go for a third infusion, but I don’t think the leaves are up to it.

Still, that first cup was magic! So, I’m rating it accordingly. This is a solid choice for green tea fans.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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91
615 tasting notes

Thank you again to Angel and Teavivre for providing this sample!

The dry leaves are mossy green and rolled quite thin, like new blades of grass. The leaf smells like fresh hay, sweet and slightly savory.

Once steeped, the aroma is very green and very much steamed veggies. And the taste works right with that!

Honestly, this was one of those teas where Fiance got an instant message of me gushing about a tea.

The flavors are a balance of spinach, nori, and asparagus. It’s natural sweet, but still buttery, full and vegetal. The aftertaste lingers and holds onto that buttery veggie flavor with just a subtle hint of a roasted flavor. I think it tastes a lot like over-roasted asparagus with that full-bodied sweet and slightly nutty note.

There is some astringency in this tea, and while I don’t find it offputting (or even bothersome), I could imagine that some people might.

I got two really solid steepings out of this (the third fell flat), but the first was by far the best.

This is well worth a try for green tea lovers!

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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290 tasting notes

Finally on to the last of the Spring tea samples from Teavivre. Thank you for these most excellent teas and my apologies for taking so long to write them all up.

Dry this tea has a spinach aroma, and the long thin needles look great. The wet leaf is a mix of honey and vegetal notes. It brews to a golden liquor that is silky smooth and very clean. The liquor is sweet with umami and more vegetal notes. There is a tiny hint of astringency that is expressed more in the aftertaste than in the initial tasting and the aftertaste is cooling on the tongue. Just the job for a Sunday afternoon as I deal with the effects of a little too much red wine the night before.

Flavors: Honey, Spinach, Umami, Vegetal

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 8 OZ / 250 ML

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71
123 tasting notes

Another generous sample from Teavivre! This tea smells like roasted vegetables. I did a two minute western style steep at 180. For a green tea its got a very strong vegetal flavor, almost like a gyokuro and chun mee blend. The strong vegetal flavors followed by a nice bite. Not a lot of natural sweetness going on in this tea but thats ok cause you just need to pair it with something, I tried it with dark chocolate and that was a good idea. Nice tea but I wouldn’t drink it on an empty stomach.

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90
294 tasting notes

I love the subtle aroma of the dried leaf. I brewed this with ample leaf for 2 minutes and the first impression I got was asparagus. This faded as it cooled. The color is a lovely yellow green hue with a slight bitterness. I may have used too much leaf. Either way I am thoroughly enjoying this tea. Fellow Steepsterites have commented on drinking greens later in the day because of the lower caffeine. For me, there is a certain something in greens that I do not get in any other tea. A soaring energy. I think this a wonderful tea. Another winner from Teavivre.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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74
141 tasting notes

Thank you TeaVivre for the sample!

I would have to agree with most tasting notes on a few aspects; the leaves are quite dark and thinly rolled, and smelled slightly of nori. I found that even with short steeps, this is a bold and mildly smokey green tea. Tasted like steamed asparagus/spinach combo. Quite nice, a little bitter on the end of the sip but nothing unpleasant.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C

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76
49 tasting notes

A sample from Teavivre. The day after Thanksgiving here in the USA, much thank to them!

A tea I have no experience with, I’m looking forward to giving it a try. I was in the mood for something different, rather than my usual Longjing fix, when I remembered the handful of samples I’d received from Teavivre.

Brewed in my Finum I find this is just the perfect single serving Gaiwan-like experience with out all the hassle of dealing with hot lids, multiple cups and fairness pitchers. Plus I get the added benefits of double wall clear glass. I dump the whole sample pack into my 5 oz. cup

With my 1st steep at 30 seconds I get smoke. Not overt, but there. Vegetal, with light mildly astringent brightness and a creeping sweetness that played around the periphery. “Yellow-green” in color, as Teavivre describes it, would be accurate. I’m liking it. I’m not bowled over, but I’m liking it.

2nd steep I take a little less time at 20 seconds. I tend to find that brewing this way. The first steep takes a moment to wet the leaves, but by the 2nd, the wet leave are primed and ready to go. Third and onward I’m coaxing out flavor, extending the time bit by bit. Color is still true. Smokiness clear, but still not overwhelming. The notes from the first steep, if anything more defined.

3rd Steep and it’s all smoothing out for me. Everything’s still present, just leveled out, coasting across my palate. Color’s maintains its vibrancy, sweet tones are somewhat more pronounced. Mouthfeel is expansive.

4th steeping is the most agreeable for me. Water temp in my kettle has dropped considerably, and I can’t be bothered to get up and get any hotter. Smokiness has been reduced considerably and it’s become more about the things I like about this tea. That being the subtle sweetness and the afterglow that it leaves.

5th steep now with fairly hot water, probably verging on 190˚F. Oops, that had to be over a minute there as I searched for the degree symbol on my keyboard. Oh well. It’s pretty hot, so I’ll let it sit for a bit. Smoke is back as I slurp to cool. Colors still pretty vibrant. Overall I’m pleased with the experience, but not dying to repeat it. That’s funny… candy cane. Just the smell, not the the taste. Hmmm.

I’ll probably be able to get a 6th and maybe 7th steep out of this. But I’m losing interest. If it’s anything particularly notable, I’ll add more details later. In the meantime, I’ll let this rest.

Caffeine? Nothing terribly noticeable. I’d say fairly low. I’m pretty sure I could drink this and go right to bed.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 0 min, 30 sec

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91
69 tasting notes

On a hot summer day there are few teas that I can quench my thirst with. On the light bodied side there’s Huang Shan Mao Feng, and on the more intensive side there’s Xin Yang Mao Jian. Mao Jian has an interesting leaf for a green tea – it’s needle shaped with dark green tone and abundant white buds which makes leaves stick to each other easily.
Although I enjoy this tea most of a time in tall glass style during my working hours, for the sake of tasting I prepared it in a western teapot fashion. According to the instructions I used 4 gr with my 250ml glass teapot and steeped for 4 minutes at 85 Celsius.

What I got was a bright golden-green infusion with deep vegetable elements lingering at the top along with some smokey notes which brings out a clear association with Lapsang Souchong. First sip presents itself with somewhat brisk medium body, smokey element in the middle and sweetish finish. Both smokey and sweet notes linger in the back for some time. Following sips bring out the complete picture of this tea with prominent spinach-eggplant vegetable note and a slight salty-like sensation combined with a touch of vegetable bitterness. The tea itself quenches thirst and has a good palate cleansing property.
What’s especially noticeable with this tea is that it keeps its characteristics (barely evolves) as it cools down.

I got this tea on pre-order at a bargain price, now I wish I got more.

Flavors: Pine, Smoke, Spinach, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 4 min, 0 sec 4 g 250 OZ / 7393 ML

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88
60 tasting notes

(This sample was generously provide to me by Teavivre. Thank you so much Team Teavivre.)
Dry Leaf: Smokey and vegetal.
Wet Leaf: Has a warm vegetal aroma with a very slight smokey aroma
Liquor: Is a yellowish green color.
Taste: Has a smokey flavor with a vegetal taste and there is a slight bitterness that lingers in the back of your mouth in a pleasant way.
Overall Opinion: I give this tea a 88. I think this tea has a rich flavor and quite unique from other green teas. Also, I think if you are eating a flavorful food dish this would be a great tea to go with it.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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