How to Spot Fake Xinyang Maojian Tea (3 Simple Tests)
Xinyang has a long history of tea production, the tea sage Lu Yu in the Tang Dynasty in the “tea scripture” will be categorized as the Huainan tea area, and evaluated “light state, Yiyang County, Shouzhou second”. Song Dynasty Su Dongpo praised Xinyang Mao Jian as “Huainan tea Xinyang first”. 1915, Xinyang tea won the Panama Universal Exposition Gold Medal.
Xinyang Mao Jian main production area is located in Xinyang, Henan Province, Cheyun Mountain, set of clouds, Tianyun Mountain, Yunwu Mountain, Zhenlei Mountain, Black Dragon Lake and White Dragon Lake and other places, collectively known as “five clouds, two pools and a cottage”, of which Cheyun Mountain, Tianwu Pagoda Peak’s quality is the best.
Characteristics of Xinyang Mao Jian
Xinyang Mao Jian is famous for its strong fragrance and fresh flavor. Its dry tea shape is fine, round, tight and straight, with obvious white hairs and emerald green color. After brewing, the tea broth is tender green and bright, with long-lasting aroma, mellow and sweet in the mouth, and the leaf bottom is tender green and even.
How to recognize the good and bad Xinyang Mao Jian?
1. Look at the shape
- High-quality Mao Jian: tight and thin, round and straight, with many white hairs, tender green color, fresh aroma of dry tea, no mixed taste.
- Poor quality Mao Jian: loose strings, dark green color (older raw materials), may have a musty smell or odor.
Tips:
- Gently rub the dried tea. Tea with moderate water content will not be too moist or too crumbly.
- If the water content is too high (moist) or too low (fragile), it may be a process or storage problem.
2. Observe the soup color
- High-quality Mao Jian: the tea broth is light green or yellowish green, clear and bright, the white hairs are suspended but not turbid, and the aroma is strong and long-lasting.
- Inferior Mao Jian: yellow or dark red soup color, thin aroma or odor.
3. Taste
- High-quality Mao Jian: fresh and refreshing in the mouth, sweetness is obvious, resistant to brewing (2-3 infusions still have tea flavor), the leaf bottom is young and green and uniform.
- Poor quality Mao Jian: bitter and astringent flavor, weak sweetness, after two infusions of tea flavor faded, yellow leaf bottom or broken leaves.
Grade and picking time of Xinyang Mao Jian tea
Grade: Special grade to five grades, the higher the grade, the better the quality.
Picking time:
- Spring tea (before and after the rainy season): the best quality, especially the “rainy season Mao Jian” is the most precious.
- Summer tea (before and after Mangsui), Autumn tea (before and after Autumn): Stronger flavor, but less fresh than spring tea.
