Mao Jian Teas

Mao Jian tea is a popular style of Chinese green tea.  The Xin Yang Mao Jian of Henan province is the most famous and arguably the best,  but high-quality versions of this tea type are produced elsewhere.  In general, Mao Jian teas are produced from a young leaf with or without its attached bud. The leaf is rolled around its spine, or its attached bud, in a multiple-step firing and rolling process.  The result is a thin and wiry finished leaf with the hairy underside exposed only at the tip. Appropriately, Mao Jian means hairy or fur tip (point) in Mandarin.  Mao Jian teas vary in style and quality, but younger pluckings from premium and higher-elevated locations are generally considered the best.  I've had versions from very early pickings with leaf no longer than 1.5 cm and a character similar to Bi Lo Chun, to those picked in the late spring or the fall with mature 5 cm leaves, no buds, and a notably strong and coarse character. Compared to Long Jing or Bi Lo Chun, Mao Jian typically has a stronger aroma and flavor that is more grassy and vegetal.  Compared to higher fired teas such as Gunpowder or Young Hyson, Mao Jian is generally more floral and grassy, but less round and heavy in the mouth. It's a good choice for those who like a refreshing tea with a lot of flavor.

I've tasted a number of moderately-priced Mao Jian teas recently and have decided to post my impressions of the five that I liked most. Stay tuned.

Golden Snail Yunnan (Strand Tea Company)

I drink Yunnan black teas only occasionally and am far from an expert on the genre.  I've had some very good ones and  some dreadful ones.  Let's see how this one stacks up.

The dry leaf consists of small, tight spirals, many of which are golden.  The wet leaf is almost entirely whole leaves and buds with a fairly uniform cocoa-powder brown color.  The long buds and long leaves suggest that it's produced from the Yunnan large leaf variety.  Clearly, this is a tea that was picked and processed with considerable care.  The liquor is a fairly deep brown, with a golden, green-tinged rim.  The aroma is quite rich and deep, but with more of the characteristic softness of a Yunnan bud tea than the strong spiciness of a leaf-only grade.  I noted some soft and deep fruitiness, some molasses, a hint of cocoa, and a toasty note. There is definitely some dimension and complexity to this aroma.  In the mouth it's almost as smooth as a golden bud tea, but with a bit more body, grip, and richness of flavor.  I especially like the full mouth feel it delivers.  The liquor flavor intensifies notably as you transition into the swallow, showing strong Yunnan and cocoa flavors that persist quite some time in the aftertaste.

This is a very good Yunnan tea, which, at $10.95 for 4 oz., is a good deal for a tea of this quality.  It's powerful enough for breakfast, yet smooth and interesting enough for the afternoon.   A good choice for those who want a full-flavored Yunnan without the aggressiveness and/or peppery character that often accompany strong Yunnan blacks.

Pasir Nangka OP (Upton Tea Imports)

This is the first pure Java tea I've had, so I had little in the way of expectations.  All I know about this tea is that it is grown on an estate in the hills west of Jakarta, and that the estate does produce higher grades than this one.

The medium-to-long twisted dry leaf is quite dark and gives off a mild fruity and spicy scent.  The wet leaf shows a variety of oxidation levels, with much of it a very deep red.  The liquor is a coppery red, with a fairly full aroma that, for me,  immediately calls to mind Tiger Hill Nilgiri or a zesty mid-altitude Ceylon. The aroma also makes me think this tea is from an Assam and not a Chinese tea clone.  In the mouth the tea is quite flavorful, smooth, and balanced, with some fruitiness and spiciness, and a medium-full body.  Here too, it's a lot like the Tiger Hill tea, only with a bit more spine and a somewhat deeper flavor. The finish has a bit of a tannic grip, with a fairly lingering berry and spice flavor.

This is a flavorful, lively, and fairly direct self-drinker that's well worth the $4.40 for 100g.  Some might consider it to be a bit too generic, but I liked it and could drink it on a regular basis. It's not a malty or chocolaty tea, so, even though it will easily stand up to milk, it may not work for those who like Assam.  I suspect it could make an excellent iced tea. 

Kosabei Estate Kenya TGFOP (Strand Tea Company)

I'm not all that familiar with Kenya black tea. That shouldn't be too surprising, as much of what is produced is non-orthodox tea intended for blending.  As a result, most of the Kenyan tea I've consumed has been in blended and bagged teas, such as Barry's Gold Blend and Williamson's Lifeboat.  It doesn't help that I just can't seem to warm up to Irish teas, which are often blends of Assam and Kenyan tea, and which I generally find too blunt and heavy for my taste. By association, I have tended to steer clear of both pure Assam and Kenyan teas.  That's a shame, because I'm now starting to realize what I've missed.

Anyway, this Kosabei Estate tea is not what I was expecting.  An examination of the leaf tells you that it was plucked and processed with considerable care.  My sample had a combination of small whole leaf, broken leaf, tiny whole buds, and a few fine stem pieces.  The oxidation was quite light, falling in between a typical black tea and a Mi Lan Dancong Oolong.  The tea brews up a deep orange/amber.  The pleasant aroma is clean, and on the subtle side, with more floral character than I expect of a Kenya Black, but still retaining that characteristic aroma I identify with Kenya.  The taste was similarly restrained and clean, again combining the floral nature with a bright version of the typical Kenya flavor.  A healthy dose of astringency finally makes its appearance going into the aftertaste, which is crisp, subtle and fairly long, with a caramel note.

This is a tea for sippers who like to eke out nuance in their teas.  If you are looking for a dark, powerful Kenyan tea similar to Lifeboat, this tea will probably seem too light and subtle.  If you favor a clean, tight, high-mountain character over forward, lush flavor, give it a try.

Kuterai Vetti BFOP (Upton)

Today I'm jumping back to southern India.  While the Nilgiri teas are widely considered to be the best of the southern Indian teas, a lot of tea is produced in the western Ghats south of Nilgiri in both Tamil Nadu and Kerala.  On occasion, these teas will be mistakenly grouped with or labeled as Nilgiri tea.  Those available to the internet shopper include:  the Singampatti Estate teas, especially their Oothu; those of POABS; various Munnar district teas; and today's selection.  Compared to Nilgiri tea, these teas are generally heavier, softer, and sometimes more spicy, and with much less in the way of the citrus, floral, and herbaceous notes.  Their texture and balance generally leans more toward Assam.

The look of the dry leaf of this Kuterai Vetti is what you'd expect of a FBOP, and, when wet, it shows a fairly full oxidation with a vibrant brown/red color.  The liquor brews up a red-tinged brown and has a fullish aroma that has some resemblance to Nilgiri, but is deeper and darker, with notes of apple and dark spice, and with little in the way of citrus and herb.  In the mouth, the tea is soft, full and quite flavorful.  It's heavier and flatter than a Nilgiri, and closer to an Assam in texture and weight.  While it can get a bit tannic with heavy brewing, it remains decidedly more fat than brisk.  This tea has a sweet and spicy aftertaste that is surprisingly long. 

While not particularly elegant or nuanced, it's a well made, solid, and tasty tea, with some dimension.  For the price ($7.60 for 250 grams), it's an excellent value for those looking for a fuller-bodied Indian tea.

China FOP Organic (ZK16) (Upton Tea Imports)

The first time I tried this tea from a sample, I was smitten.  I remember it being so soft and smooth with a sweet fruity, and wine-like flavor.  Since reordering, my opinion has shifted.  It still tastes very much like that sample, but it seems less full and flatter to me now.  It's probably me and not the tea. 

Upton doesn't give any information about the origins of this tea, but they do mention that it has "the character of a non-smoky Keemun."  I think that's a fair way to describe it, but actually it reminds me a bit more of a south Fujian red tea.  So while this is not necessarily a Fujian red, it's close enough that I'm reviewing it with the bona fide ones. 

The dry leaf consists of small rolled OP pieces with a generous amount of light tips.  The dry-leaf aroma is similar to Upton's Wuyi Golden Monkey, but just a bit sweeter and less roasted. The liquor brews up medium red, and gives off a fairly generous and pleasantly soft aroma featuring sweet cherry berry, with a bit of wine, some fresh bright tobacco, and a light toasty note.  In the mouth, the tea is very soft and gentle, with wine and berry flavors.  It's almost impossible to make this tea astringent, and that's a good thing as you'll need a very generous amount of leaf for it to shine.  The berry flavors continue into a fairly soft and moderately persistent aftertaste that finishes with a wine-like tang.

This tea is soft with very little spine.  It could be a good fit for those who like bud teas, or for those who like a soft, fruity, and sweet tea, but it will definitely come across as flat to those who are accustomed to the backbone and briskness of a Ceylon or Kenyan tea.

As mentioned above, this tea really needs a bit more leaf than you might think to get a good mouth feel and generous flavor.   I've found that I use about 40% more leaf with this tea than I do with many other teas, but, when I do so, I get a rewarding cup. 

Bai Lin Gongfu (Strand Tea Company)

This tea is quite a bit different than the last three Fujian reds I reviewed. It appears to have received less baking and is not in the least bit smoky.  The oxidation is more uniform and less aggressive too.  The leaf is less broken and with whole plump buds, giving one the impression that it was produced with more care and perhaps in smaller batches. 

The dry leaf consists of small wiry, well-twisted leaf, with a moderate amount of golden strands.  The wet leaf is a vital-looking middle brown, with a noticeable amount of buds.  The liquor is a medium amber-brown that is quite cloudy with tiny tea hairs.  The nice aroma is cleaner and more floral than many Fujian reds, with notes of sweet apple, cinnamon, malt, and cocoa powder.  The tea has a good mouth feel, seeming a bit more viscous than most, in part, no doubt, the result of the floating tea hairs.  The flavors follow the aroma, being a bit more floral than most and having a healthy dose of cocoa and malt.  Like most Fujian reds, it is sweeter than average, but with more of a cocoa/caramel flavor than the deep berry flavor of more baked and oxidized teas.  The tea is smooth going into the moderately persistent aftertaste, with cocoa and nutty/malty elements, and a bit of tannic grip and tang to anchor the flavors.   

Overall, this tea delivers an awful lot of quality for the price ($6.95 for 4 oz.).  Though not widely available, there are higher-grade versions of this tea (earlier plucking, more golden buds), but those teas are also much more expensive, and I'm quite sure, not so terribly much better. 

If you purchase this tea, use the Strand brewing instructions.  It really does well at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 minutes.

Wuyi Golden Monkey (Upton Tea Imports)

I'm starting to see a pattern with some Fujian red teas, and especially with those from Upton.  That is: a tea seems weak with normal brewing, but add quite a bit more leaf, steep 50% longer, and the result is a big increase in flavor and mouth feel, but without the penalty of excessive astringency or bitterness.  Is this an expected characteristic of a certain subgroup of Fujian red teas?  Or, are these inherently weaker examples of their kind that salvage nicely with heavy brewing?  I'm not sure, but my guess is the truth lies somewhere in between. 

Anyway, this Golden Monkey fits the above profile.  Brewed strongly, it's a nice tea.  The dry leaf is comprised of fairly small leaf pieces with a modest amount of golden tips.  The wet leaf shows mostly small pieces with an average oxidation.  The aroma has a nice balance of classic Fujian red aromas, with a bit of deep cherry/apricot fruitiness, a bit of cocoa, and a toasty hint.  In the mouth the tea is pleasantly soft, with some winy deep berry flavors, malt, and a little chew tobacco.  Similar flavors follow in the reasonably persistent aftertaste.

At this price ($11.80 for 125 grams), you can't expect this to be one of the best Golden Monkeys, and it isn't.  However, it is a good example of Fujian congou, bringing together typical regional flavors and aromas into a pleasant and soft brew.  Expect to use extra leaf and time to get the most from this tea.

Panyang Congou Select ZP22 (Upton)

UPDATE:

After making this tea several times using somewhat more leaf than normal, I came to the conclusion that it was hopelessly weak and too smoky.   So, I went out on a limb and used over twice as much leaf as I normally would.  With most tea, this would result in a liquor too tannic and bitter to be enjoyable, but it was just what this tea needed.  So prepared, it came into balance with attractive floral and fruit aromas matching up to the smoke.  The mouth feel improved greatly and there was much more fruit and cocoa in the taste.  With the stronger brew, it's a nice tea that I can recommend, but not one I'd probably purchase again.  Too bad my sample pack is totally spent.  Oh well, maybe I'll order one more sample in the future and give it another go.

ORIGINAL POST:

After enjoying Upton's basic Congou Panyang, I was excited to try this select version, which, at $8.80 for 125 grams, is twice as expensive.  Will it be twice as good?

It should be noted that this tea (ZP22) is a fairly recent addition to the Upton catalog and apparently replaces an earlier, like-named tea (ZP20). 

The promising-looking dry leaf consists of medium-sized twisted leaf with some light tips and a noticeably smoky aroma.  The somewhat light and matte brown of the tender wet leaf segments suggests a modest oxidation.  The aroma of the medium orange-amber liquor is dominated by a smokiness that has both a pine and hardwood character.  Some sweet fruit and floral notes can be detected beneath the smokiness, but the balance is strongly in favor of smoke.  A similar thing happens in the flavor, were the smokiness is dominant.  While the tea seems to possess a smooth, balanced and pleasant character, to my taste it is not sufficiently strong to stand up to the smoke.  It appears that this tea was made in a style similar to a Zheng Shan Xiou Zhong (Bohea) but with a base tea too delicate for the task.  The moderately-long aftertaste is the most impressive part of the tea, with a strong cocoa note, a nice tang, and typical Fujian red flavors that match up well with the smokiness. 

Keep in mind that I bring my biases to this review.  I'm not a huge fan of "tarry" Lapsang Souchong, but will occasionally indulge in a lighter-smoked  Zheng Shan Xiou Zhong.  If you like smoky teas and are looking for a  budget Bohea, this may be a good candidate.   To get the best from this tea, use plenty of leaf, steep a bit longer, and keep the water off the boil.

Congou Panyang (Upton)

This is a tea that's reasonably priced and generally gets good reviews, so I decided to give it a try.  At $4.40 for 125 grams, it's the cheapest of the batch of teas I'll be covering over the next few days, and not one I was expecting much from.  

Well, this is actually a surprisingly good tea.  The dry leaf is dark and wiry, with a dark sweet aroma with cocoa and smoky notes.  The liquor is a fairly dark red-brown, and is a bit darker than I typically associate with  Fujian congou.  The aroma of the liquor is fairly full, with a bunch of things going on.  There is a dark berry aroma there that reminds me of a combination of fresh and smoked cherry-flavored pipe tobacco, a dose of cocoa powder, some funky barnyard stuff, and a balancing, but noticeable smokiness that seems more a result of a long, full baking than any smoking over pine.  In the mouth the tea seems fairly robust, with medium-to-full body, and flavors that I'd expect based on the aroma: dark berry, cocoa, barnyard, and smoke.  I'd expect a tea at this price to be a noticeably flat and dull, but they've done a pretty good job here, with just a hint of the flatness.  The aftertaste is fairly decent, with a dark berry note, some smoke, and cocoa.

This tea is a good example of how crafty processing can do a lot with decent leaf.   This is not a terribly pure tea, and probably won't appeal to those who value handmade delicate teas, but if a stout tea with a bunch of funky complexity sounds appealing to you, try this one.

Fujian Red Teas

I'm a big fan of the Oolong teas of the Fujian province of southeast China, but only an occasional drinker of the red (black) teas of this region.  Hence, my knowledge of Fujian reds is modest at best.  This region is generally credited with the creation of the first red tea exported to the West, and modern examples of this original tea are often marketed as Bohea tea.  Today, it's well-known for several red teas, including: the Pan Yang, Zheng He (Ching Wo), and Bai Lin congou teas; the various smoked teas including Zheng Shan Xiou Zhong and lesser Lapsang Souchong variations; the Golden Monkey; and the very expensive and rare Precious Eyebrow teas.  The well-known red teas are all produced in the northern (Min Bei) portion of the province, but very good examples of red tea are also produced in the southern (Min Nan) area.  While Fujian red teas are consumed by the domestic (Chinese) market, the majority of production is exported. 

The next few posts will cover some moderately-priced Fujian red teas from Upton Tea Imports and The Strand Tea Company.