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“Trying a sampler of this oolong tea. The dry leaf has a floral aroma that carries on into the steeped brew. It’s not a strong aroma but more subtle but noticeable. The flavor is floral and sweet...” Read full tasting note
Another of the famous Anxi Oolong tea cultivars, this tea is known as Mao Xie or “Hairy Crab” oolong in English. Mao Xie got its name from the physical attributes of the leaves. The edges of the leaves are serrated and pointy like a crab’s claws and tend to be covered with fuzzy “hairs,” so the name became Hairy Crab.
Although they are closely related, the real difference between Tie Guan Yin, Huang Jin Gui, Ben Shan, or Mao Xie Oolongs is botanical. Each of these teas are all distinct sub-species of Camellia Sinensis which come from Anxi county in Fujian Province. Each of the sub-categories of Anxi Camellia Sinensis plants (cultivars) have their own physical characteristics and flavor profiles.
The flavor of this tea is typical of a lightly oxidized “Green” style Anxi oolong, in that it can be described as floral and slightly fruity. Fans of Tie Guan Yin or Huang Jin Gui will definitely enjoy this one. The main difference to my palate is the more aggressive background note which has proven itself quite difficult to describe…it’s not bitter, it’s not really tannic, and it’s not exactly astringent, so I am going with “aggressive” for lack of a better term. This particular batch of Mao Xie has a nice “Hui Gan” (sweet aftertaste) that lingers for just a little while with elements of this aggressive flavor that I can’t seem to describe properly.
The infused liquor is a lovely green color, and you will probably notice some of the fuzzy hairs floating on the surface of your cup. I strongly recommend brewing this tea Gong Fu style in a Gaiwan or Yixing-type teapot…for some reason, this tea just doesn’t reveal itself as the awesome tea that it really is when steeped Western style in a big teapot with a higher water to leaf ratio.
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Trying a sampler of this oolong tea. The dry leaf has a floral aroma that carries on into the steeped brew. It’s not a strong aroma but more subtle but noticeable. The flavor is floral and sweet with some hints of fruitiness. It’s a light brew almost like a green tea. The second steep was just as good with no noticeable weakening. The leaves had not even completed their un-furling of their crinkled blobs after the first cup. I enjoyed this one.
Hairy Crab!? :) Is it vegetarian!? I assume it is since I see you are a veggiehead…I am as well! CHEERS!
LOL! Yes it is vegetarian. Hairy Crab is the English name for Mao Xie. From the supplier’s description… Mao Xie got its name from the physical attributes of the leaves. The edges of the leaves are serrated and pointy like a crab’s claws and tend to be covered with fuzzy “hairs,” so the name became Hairy Crab. You can find it here:
http://www.norbutea.com/Mao_Xie-fall_09_oolong_tea?category_id=5
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