Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea

Thank you to Angel and Teavivre for this sample.
When I opened the sample pouch it was like a batman comic – ZIP BAM POW!
The aroma was intense and intoxicating!
So yummy of an aroma of spinach, butter, and sweetness!
THIS was going to be A MAZE ING!
I let my cup steep a bit longer than recommended as I tend to find all green teas a little too light for my liking so allowing it to steep 3 minutes I have a very full brothy cup of buttery vegetable goodness!
This green is a bit more intense than most I have been drinking as of late and I appreciate that! Often I feel green teas to be just too light, too lacking, but this has a full wonderful flavor profile!
I have actually been drinking many pure greens as of late but hesitant to log them because I kept feeling maybe I was doing something wrong. Not only has this tea been quite enjoyable but has affirmed that I actually do know what I am doing but have been drinking inferior green teas!
I probably didn’t even need the extended steep on this one but even still I did not get any astringency or bitterness by allowing it to steep longer! Yes I know I am supposed to add more leaf rather than let a tea steep longer but I was getting a bit frustrated with adding more and more leaf only to get no added flavor results form those other greens!
So with that said I am truly loving this tea.
Thank you Angel and Teavivre for allowing me to sample this!
NOTES: Buttery, vegetal, creamy, full mouthfeel, brothy, strong flavor, intense aroma, crispy long stringy leaf pre steep, long puffy delicate and fluffly feeling leaves post steep, rich flavor that leaves me wanting more!

Experience buying from Teavivre http://steepster.com/places/2857-teavivre-online—

After Angel sent me a PM requesting I review a group of selected tea samples she was willing to send me, I requested this particular spring green tea to try out as well (along with one other), and she willingly sent it along with the rest. Thank you Angel and Teavivre!

Just this weekend I received a package with all ten samples of the teas she said she would send (yay!), each weighing roughly 15 grams. This particular spring green tea is advertized as being harvested on March 6, 2012. I brewed this up the morning after I received the package, and I am excited to try the other green teas soon (there are two others). I am writing this review from my notes and from my very recent memory of drinking it just yesterday (I don’t post reviews on Sundays).

Right away the appearance and aroma of the dry leaf blew me away, as it was a dark vibrant-green color, with a unbelievably strong vegetal aroma that seems to be characteristic of any fresh green tea. It was composed of very thin, wire-y looking leaves the shape of which reminded my somewhat of the roots of a tiny tree; it was unusual in appearance and I really liked that. So, we both got off to a great start. I used all but a tablespoon or so of the sample, estimating I had at least 10 grams of tea waiting patiently in my pot (and likely more like 12), and so I used only about five cups of water rather than my standard six cups in my glass Bodum teapot, such that the leaf was free to roam, and I added my standard amount of Stevia. I held a few grams back in case I feel the need to brew it up later in my new gaiwan.

Wet the leaf smelled like what I imagine fresh cut spinach would smell like: a fresh, strong, vegetal aroma. I believe the color of the tea liquor was light green. The leaves were mostly on the bottom for most steepings, but on the second I remember some of the leaf moving to the top while steeping. It has a good smelling, fresh aroma (although I was sniffing it while steeping, I basically went by the timer). I decided to start the first steeping at a little higher temperature than I normally do (180F), and a little longer (1.5 minutes), rather than my standard 170F, one minute, because I am finding hotter and longer tends to be better for most of the green tea I have been brewing up lately.

Now to the flavor. Overall, although it was on the mild side, my wife and I both enjoyed drinking it (and she can be a hard one to please when it comes to green tea, in my judgement, anyway). It had good flavor through three steepings and mild flavor on the forth. I used near-boiling water for a fifth (I like to push limits the first time I brew up a tea) and it was definitely flat tasting (my guess is I scorched the leaves). Still, three good steepings and a decent forth is more than I expect out of a tea at this price range ($10.90 / 3.5 OZ = a little over $3 / OZ). Very generally, the number of good steepings I expect to get out of a green tea is relative to its price: I expect at least one good steeping for $1 /OZ, two for $2 / OZ, etc. Maybe a little silly, but I am very cost conscious, and that’s an easy ‘value scale’ for me to remember and use.

Finally, the wet leaf. Again, the first time I brew up a whole-leaf Tea (not necessarily flavor-added ones), I like to do what I call a ‘leaf analysis’. I spread out the leaf on the counter, preferably where there is good light, give it a little time to dry, then pick through it, looking for patterns and oddities. I literally used to sort the parts into piles (by whole leaves, buds, bud-sets, stems, broken pieces, etc.); I know, talk about anal! But I found that was taking just a bit more time that I though was really necessary (it was sometimes taking more than fifteen minutes, and I even started taking photos of the sorted piles), so now I simply take a few minutes at most to sift through the wet leaf and look at the big picture: are there lots of torn/shriveled-looking pieces? Is the color and size of the leaves/buds generally uniform? Are there many stems? What really stands out the most?

So, in this particular tea I noticed right away that there were a surprising number of stems, and I mean long stems, some were even thick (not many), and there were a number of torn leaves, with few buds (or bud-sets). It reminded me of a lower-grade HSMF from an e-bay seller (China Cha Dao). I consider this leaf to be of a lower grade than most green teas I seen (practically none of Seven Cups, Jing Tea Shop, Verdant Tea, Life in Teacup or Tea Trekker Teas have had this many stems and torn pieces). Interesting and all (to me, anyway), but when it comes down to it flavor still matters the most. The wet leaf was at least uniform in color, and vibrant looking (which to me is a verification that it was indeed fresh), and still not unreasonable considering its price.

I liked just about everything about this tea, and I hope to purchase some later on this year. This is easily a tea I could drink everyday, and it turns out I can afford to drink it often at it’s very reasonable price. This is one of the best values for a fresh spring green tea I have ever come across (having looked at many dozens of green teas). I have been looking for an affordable, quality, fresh spring green tea from Teavivre, and as it turns out, this one fits the bill.

These leaves are beautiful – long, slender, and wiry. They are so dark … deep green. Such a dark shade of green, in fact, that they almost appear black. The liquor that they produce is very pale, though. Pale and delicious. Soupy, brothy… like a delicious vegetable soup without the vegetables. Very comforting and lovely to sip. Satisfying.

Mao Feng is one of my favorite green teas, and if I were to choose just one green tea to stock my tea cupboard I’d likely choose a Mao Feng, because I love that it tastes like what I expect it to. It tastes like green tea. Beautiful and comforting. Cozy yet exhilarating. Very refreshing.

Since it has happened four times, I guess I can say it is now a Friday night tradition for hubby and me to go to the Chinese buffet. While I was there tonight, many of the food aromas were evoking memories of green and oolong teas I have had. It really makes me wish they had good tea there, and not just plain old bags of Lipton black tea!

At least I have great tea waiting for me when I get home! This particular one is a free sample provided for review by Angel and Teavivre. Thank you!

When I cut open the pouch, a wonderfully fresh spinach aroma rushed out to greet me. The leaves are very dark and so long and thin and twisted! I used what I thought was about eight grams for my teapot, but I may have misjudged. I used their recommended 194F for my water and gave it a 1 1/2 minute steep to hit a happy medium.

The liquor has a light body and light but somewhat lingering flavor. It is buttery, vegetal, and a little nutty. It is smooth and I don’t detect any sourness. This was very good, but a little more subtle than I was looking for tonight. The meal really needed something with a little more OOMPH to follow it up. I think next time I will actually weigh the leaves or make it in a gaiwan for better control.

Edited to add: the flavor became stronger as it cooled, with no increase in astringency and no sourness. So this would be a great sipper!

Thank you, Angel and Teavivre!

One thing that consistently amazes me with all of the Teavivre teas I’ve tried, is the number of times I can re-steep the leaves with little or no loss of flavor, and this one is no exception.

The dry leaves for this tea are long and skinny and include more stems than I’m used to, so when I scooped out my 2 teaspoons, I had to resist the temptation to throw in a pinch of extra leaves to make up for the open spaces caused by their unusual shape. I’m glad I decided to try it as is; otherwise I would have probably had to water it back down. This tea is light and nutty with a slight bitterness that reminds me a little of pecans (or maybe that’s just because I had pecan pie with my Thanksgiving dinner last night, and it’s still on my mind?…yum!) As much as I’m fond of this tea, I have to insist that my taste buds are still partial to Japanese green teas as far as pure green tea goes, so this wouldn’t be my first choice. I will definitely enjoy this on occasion though, when I want a change from the norm.

Thanks again Angel and Teavivre for all the generous samples you provided for review. Sampling your tea has been a wonderful experience. I recently purchased a selection of your assorted tea packs and I look forward to trying more varieties of your tea, and finding new favorites. Thanks for introducing me to your high-quality teas.

I’m finally getting around to opening up this sample so graciously provided by Angel at Teavivre.

It’s really cold outside, and I was looking for a tea that would be clean and clear and very light. I’ve had this one for awhile, so I decided to try it.

Upon opening the package, the leaves are very thin, long and twisted. They have a strong dark green scent, like that of spinach or kale, and they’re the dark grey-green of kale as well.

I put ~2tsp into my 20oz Amsterdam pot, steeped at 180 for 2 minutes.

The liquor is transparent. It looks like nothing more than water. The smell is similar to the kale smell of the leaves, but it is very faint.

The flavor, however, isn’t. It’s not a strong, punch-you-in-the-face kind of flavor, but this definitely isn’t water I’m drinking. It has that sweet grassy sort of taste I like in green teas, with a little bit of natural vegetal sweetness that sparkles towards the end of the sip. It’s a little bit like seaweed, to be honest.

This sample and the one from yesterday were provided by the fabulous Teavivre. The first cup was everything I love about Chinese greens. Buttery steamed veggies, sweet, not grassy. It has a wonderful aftertaste. The first cup is definitely a 90. I think I did something wrong as later cups were not as flavorful. No one else reported this so I am blaming me at this point and will try again tomorrow. I love the first cup. Thank you Angel and Teavivre.

Free sample from Teavivre. Thank you.

Wow, opening the packet hit me with a strong aroma. It practically knocked my socks off. The smell is asparagus and pork chops. More asparagus in the dry leaf, which is a dark brown. Then I brewed the tea and the aroma was much meatier on the first steeping. The liquor was as advertised: yellowish green. The leaves turned from brownish to bright green in the hot water, and such dinky little leaves too. Lovely. The taste was fresh, grassy, slightly nutty with a light, sweet aftertaste. There was no astringency that I noticed and it rebrewed well three times. I really enjoyed this one.

This is another sample provided by Angel and Teavivre for my review. Thanks.

So this is much like the other green I tried today. Butter and spinach-y notes with maybe a nutty quality. I didn’t think it had the floral quality that the Organic Hangzhou Tian Mu Qing Ding Green Tea had. I think of the two, I would purchase the Organic Hangzhou Tian Mu Qing Ding Green Tea. It seems to be more complex. This one might be good for a comfortable cup of tea.

My only chance to sample more new tea today is in the morning. Green tea doesn’t give me the caffeine burst that I need to kick my brain into motion, but I will go ahead and take one for the team anyway.

When I first opened the sample package of Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea (I’m glad I only have to type it and not say it), the strongest pre-brewed smell that I ever experienced launched from within. I’m not sure how to identify it. Fresh cut asparagus on steroids is the best descripion that my sputtering brain can come up with (without my morning cups of turbocharged black tea).

I brewed the long thin black leaves for two minutes at 195 degrees. A greenish gold liquid became the final product.

The flavor of this tea is very light. There are twinges of sweetness and grassy or vegetable attributes, but nothing that takes charge. That is not to say this is a weak tea, because it is not. The flavor is full but not overbearing. I found it very easy to guzzle down four cups of this brew. I also enjoyed the light sweet aftertaste after each sip.

Teavivre has created another tasty and distinct tea with characteristics all its own. This would be a terrific selection to enjoy in the afternoon, at dinner, or for dessert.

I wish my favorite local Chinese buffet restaurant would offer this product. I would gladly switch back from their water to hot tea to wash down the mass quantities of peking duck and sushi!

This sample was generously provided to me by Teavivre. Thank you Angel and the whole Teavivre Team.
Dry Leaf: Has a sweet grassy aroma.
Wet Leaf: Has a vegetal aroma with a slight nutty component maybe chestnut.
Liquor: Is a yellowish green color.
Taste: This tea is light and smooth with a vegetal flavor and there is a nuttiness flavor like chestnut or something. I was able to also detect a very slight bitterness at the beginning of my tongue.
Overall Opinion: I give this tea a 88. I usually don’t talk to much about the leaf of the tea unless I notice anything that looks different. Well, It maybe my sample but I have noticed what seemed to be an excessive amount of stems in the tea and a good about of broken pieces. Now, most people would associate stems with low quality tea since the stems don’t really do much for flavor. But, to be fair this tea still had a nice flavor so couldn’t fault it to bad.
I feel this tea will work good for people who like Long Jing, Tian Mu Qing Ding, and maybe Tai Ping Hou Kui green tea.
Vessel: SAMA DOYO Gongfu/Kungfu Teapot. 7grams of leaf to 220ml or approx. 7oz of water in the inner cup of pot.

This was part of a free sample package from Teavivre, and was the first in the set I have opened. The only green teas I have tried so far are the Jasmine Dragon Pearls and although I like them very much, I enjoyed experiencing a vastly different tasting green tea.

The aroma was somewhat sweet and floral at first, but quickly vegetal notes, such as spinach and other dark greens took over. This was very similar to the taste- at first sip the tea has a slightly sweet characteristic but quickly turns into a very earthy vegetal brew. It was smooth and enjoyable and as I write this I am on my second steep with no change in characteristics that I have noticed. I steeped it longer the second time (3 min 15 seconds) which I found to bring out more of the dark green flavor without adding any real bitterness.

Overall, I am very impressed with the tea and surprised with how different it is from the jasmine pearls I am used to.

My order finally came in! I can’t wait to use this new gaiwan. Bought the organic tea sampler from Teavivre, as well as one from Tea Forte, all of which I am very eager to try. Next on my list is to buy an electric tea kettle to make it easier to monitor temperatures.

I can’t tell if I’ve ruined this brew, but the aroma was very intense. I don’t mean to offend, but the brewed tea smelled terrible, exactly like canned tuna. A little bit of a turn off, and my first sip was incredibly bitter. Though as I kept drinking, it became a very buttery, vegetal flavor. I’m sure with a proper rinsing, this would be a marvelous afternoon tea. Will definitely brew this again after work today.

I am a Tea Noob. Yes I admit it, I own no gaiwan, no fancy-pants Zingydoo-Ninja Tea Sets or anything better than a few teapots and some pyrex glassware. My only knowledge of Gung Fu etiquette involves Tai Chi, my main experience with Proper Tea has been a few sample bags, Bancha, and occasional sessions of Yum Cha, and my supply of Tea Superlatives is limited to say the least. So, bearing this in mind, this is a Tea Noob’s take on this fine tea from TeaVivre:

By the way, I also have to mention I’m not really a green tea fan. At least I wasn’t. My previous experiences have been negative ones (except for Bancha) and have left a bad taste in my mouth, so with many such “bitter” memories I haven’t really felt like trying more. I have to say my experience with this tea has changed my mind.

I recently and impulsively deviated from an Oolong hunting expedition on eBay, and bought a sampler (fresh from TeaVivre), in due time receiving a well packed box in the mail, inside which, nestling under the bubble packing, was a classy looking sealed silver bag. Sealed within this were 4 nice little mini silver baggies of leafy goodness – one immediately drew me by its intense and delicious aroma (and no it wasn’t the Dragon Pearl Jasmine) – it was this one (Tian Mu Mao Feng). Upon opening the bag I was seized with the need to repeatedly inhale deeply until I finally sneezed (tea leaf up nostril, oops) and was even tempted by thoughts to keep it as potpourri – an intense grassy warm aroma with lashings of honeysuckle flower scent… yummmmm! It even looks pretty enough to use as potpourri with its deep green leaves so dark they absorb the light and give off an almost blackish hue, might look very good in a blue and white bowl near my chinese painting, I thought.

Anyway, having got over that (somewhat impractical) idea, I decided to go for a chinese style brewing (or at least my uncultured approximated version of one). Heaping what I can only describe as “a good amount” into a tea cup (ok I didn’t measure it), I brewed it 3 times into other cups, straining it with a teapot lid (I am a Barbarian).

The first steeping I’d probably brew next time around for more than a minute (hadn’t read above review yet, tsk), as it was a little bit too weak for my taste at this stage, however some sweet light floral notes skipped daintily alongside a crisp yet mild grassy greenness, making it a pleasant cup. Quite nice, and not a hint of bitterness.

Next one I brewed for 1 min 15 s, and the second cup really did it for me, a buttery, sweet full mouthed flavor burst that left me wanting more. I’m not sure if this is what they meant by “chestnut” flavor (on their website), as I didn’t get any “nuttiness” as I imagine it but it was a little reminiscent of notes of chinese water chestnut (the fresh not the canned variety, and this is not a /nut/, its a /corm/ :p (ok, semantics)).

The third cup (brewed about 1 min 30 s) was a slightly woodier (but not bitter) flavor and errrmm I’m running out of descriptors here, so I’ll just say it wasn’t as full, sweet or “interesting” as the second but still pleasant.

I don’t think I’d go for a 4th brewing myself but thats because the possiblity of something bitter puts me off the idea thus far, but I may become more adventurous as the journey goes on.

Oh I definitely could vouch for the “spinach” description of the flavor of the leaves as in the above review, at least the leaf I accidentally ate in one cup was very “spinachy” (crisp and not too chewy either, add to stir fry after steeping perhaps? ;) ). I didn’t seem to get much in the way of twigs in mine though, and my leaves were mostly intact – different harvest or random chance? Not sure.

I wrote this down shortly after drinking the last cup as to retain the full memory of the experience. I think my tea-describing superlatives could use some work (I’m better at describing wine I think). Looking forward to trying the next 3 samples (I’ll not be so spontaneous and read the reviews first for handy hints this time) but I’ll leave that until tomorrow as its near bedtime, and aside from too much caffiene making me go “Whee!”, green tea has certain physiological effects on me that may be indelicate to mention, at least 3 cups does :-)

P.S. My thanks go out to all the “pro” types who review on this site, such as the above (probably more helpful) one, its great to get tips from the more experienced “teaphiles” (is there a proper word for this that isn’t Chinese?). Cheers!

I received this as a lovely sample with my Teavivre order. The dry tea is a very small dark olive, producing a golden green cup. A silky, sweet, hay and honeyed cup, which is reminiscent of a sweeter, softer, less green dragonwell. Not bitter, not flowery, but vegetal and honeylike. Very much enjoyed.

Solid green tea. Very similar to dragon well, but has a more sea like vegetal flavour. Noticeably more astringent too, recommend steeping at 185°f which is lower than the suggested temperature.