Culture · Tea · Green tea (绿茶)
Xinyang Maojian
信阳毛尖 · Xìnyáng Máojiān. A robust northern green tea with a needle-shaped leaf, grassy aroma, and a noticeably stronger, more full-bodied character than Jiangnan greens.
About this tea
Xinyang Maojian — Xinyang Tippy Needles — is the northernmost of China's celebrated green teas, produced in the Dabie and Tongbai mountain ranges on the Henan–Hubei border. The cooler growing conditions compared to the Yangtze delta produce a leaf with a different flavour profile: more grass and cooked vegetable character, fuller body, and more pronounced bitterness when brewed at high temperatures.
The leaf shape is the defining visual characteristic: tightly rolled into fine, dark green needles with silver tips. The processing combines initial pan-firing with a rolling and drying stage that produces the needle shape. The best grades are harvested before Qingming when buds are still tightly furled.
In the cup, Xinyang Maojian has a clear, bright green liquor, an immediately grassy aroma with hints of cooked spinach, and a robust, slightly astringent body. There is a pleasant bitterness in the first infusion that softens in subsequent steepings. It pairs well with food — in Xinyang itself it is often drunk with breakfast — and can be brewed stronger than more delicate southern greens without becoming unpleasantly tannic.
How to brew
Water at 80 °C. 4 g per 200 ml. First steep 90 seconds; subsequent steeps 60 seconds. 3–4 infusions. The stronger body tolerates slightly higher water temperature than most greens. A porcelain gaiwan or glass is recommended.
Where to buy
- Xinyang Tea City market, Xinyang, Henan
- Shops around Jigong Mountain scenic area, Xinyang
- Zhengzhou tea markets (multiple large wholesale bazaars)
- Online: Teavivre, China Life Tea, specialist Henan suppliers