Green Tea Forum

jetsetter883 · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 2

My father recently got back from a trip to China and brought back this tea for me. It's really good and I would like to purchase some more (over the internet most likely) but I'm not sure of what the variety is. It is made by Way Choy Company Limited who are located in the 'New Territories' in Hong Kong. It doesn't look like many I've seen online (except for maybe Li Zi Nutcracker??) and so far I haven't had any luck in researching the types of green tea that are grown in New Territories. Maybe someone who understands Chinese is able to translate some of the writing on the package ?

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 904 Location: Japan

Chinese green tea, I wouldn't have a clue where you could buy this.

jetsetter883 · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 2

it seems like a pretty basic green tea to me and im beginning to think that maybe it is just generic and doesn't have a name like 'dragonwell' or 'kunicha'. i am wondering.. do all green teas have names or are some nameless? maybe it's best for me to hunt down green tea grown in New Territories or 'Sen Tin' region.

sue · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 28 Apr 2008 Posts: 1

It is funny, we have received two messages on our site at xyz.com regarding the identity of this tea. I responded personally but then followed the link and found this discussion here. So, what is this tea? Well the bag is somewhat vague in that it says it is Mao Jian Green tea. Maojian tea basically can translate to hairy sharp tips. Certainly not extremely appetizing but this is actually quite a famous category of green teas. The most famous of which is produced in Henan province in Xinyang town. It can also be found all over Hubei and in some part of Anhui, Zhejiang and Fujian province. The rest of the bag shows the main import company responsible for the sales or at least commissioning the packaging, but otherwise it is not specific as to what kind of tea this might really be. Now, what does it look like? I'd say it is 2+ year old green tea that is likely supermarket grade. The Chinese market for green teas that have turned black with age is quite scarce. Certain greens are naturally darker than others, but these usually carry lower price tags. It is possible that it is one like this which is naturally darker, but if you notice the collection of stems and other tea tree parts, this is indicative of a very extremely low grade of tea. So I'd say if you are trying to find this type of tea again, any supermarket carrying whole-leaf green tea should have something similar. In reality, many homes across China will have tea like this and consume it on a daily basis. So there is nothing inherently wrong with it at all.... But I'd suggest you taste some new Chinese green teas, and now is certainly the season to do it! Try any fresh new Mao Jian tea, or how about Anji White tea (also a green). I'm partial to xyz.com 's teas but I'm likely biased. Remember... enjoy the green teas while they are fresh and still bright green (ideally)!