Why Maojian Tea Beats Other Summer Greens?
The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (HUNDI) mentions that yang qi is strong in summer and everything grows luxuriantly. At this time, the body’s yang qi floats on the surface of the body, the internal instead of cold, easy to be attacked by the summer heat and dampness, resulting in fire, fatigue, indigestion and other problems.
Green tea is cold, can clear heat and reduce fire, but will not hurt the body’s yang. Its bitter flavor removes fire, and its sweetness harmonizes the spleen and stomach, helping the body to restore balance, just like the “cool rain” of summer, which relieves the heat without harming the body.
Why is Mao Jian the best green tea for summer?
Mao Jian has the appearance of a slender needle, with obvious white hairs and a bright green color. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM):
- Shape: long and thin like meridians, helps to comb the body’s qi.
- Color: Green color corresponds to the liver, which can dredge the liver and regulate qi, clear the liver and improve eyesight.
- Taste: Fresh and sweet, refreshing the mind and nourishing the spleen and stomach.
Compared to other green teas (such as Longjing), Mao Jian has a longer lasting aroma that is not overpowering, making it suitable for meditative drinking in summer.
Unique health benefits of Mao Jian
Special Growing Environment
- High-quality Mao Jian is produced in the high mountain cloud area (e.g. Xinyang, Henan Province, Xingguo, Jiangxi Province), where the tea tree absorbs the “clear yang qi” and “watery nature”, which not only raises the yang qi to help digestion, but also nourishes yin, moistens dryness and relieves summer heat.
- The large temperature difference between day and night makes the tea both cold (to clear heat) and astringent (to prevent excessive dispersion of yang qi).
Handmade to preserve nutrients
- Traditional hand-stirred tea can precisely control the heat, locking in the tea polyphenols, chlorophyll and other components to ensure heat-clearing and antioxidant effects.
- Machine-made tea lacks flexibility and may destroy nutrients.
Best Time to Drink (Chinese Medicine Hourly Health Method)
- 7-9pm (Hour of the Dragon): Helps the spleen and stomach to transport and enhance vitality.
- 13-15pm (Wei Hour): Nourishes the heart and calms the mind, relieves afternoon drowsiness.
- 15-17 points (Shen Hour): Promote detoxification and improve edema.
- 17-19pm (You Shi): diuretic and dispel dampness, reduce the burden on the kidneys.
