Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: twisted and curled, deep green
Ingredients: green tea
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 195 degrees
Preparation Method: glass gaiwan
Liquor: pale yellow/green
+TeaVivre just might hold the title for most reviewed company on this blog. This is the 38th review! One of my favorite things about them is the consistently good quality tea that won’t break the bank. They also carry a huge variety of Chinese teas from several regions. This is the third Mao Feng that I’ve written about but all three have been from different locations.
Tian Mu is the name of the mountain where this tea is grown and it translates as eyes on heaven. That’s a romantic name for a tea if I ever heard one! There are pools on east and west peak of Tian Mu that look like eyes watching the sky. The farm that produced this tea is certified organic. While this aspect isn’t a deal breaker for me, it is nice to know that I don’t need to worry about pesticides.
The taste was very light and refreshing with a clean, lingering sweetness. There was a fairly thick mouthfeel with just the right amount of astringency. If you’d like a bit less of that mouth-puckering feeling, I would recommend lowering your water temperature to about 175 degrees. The second infusion brought piney notes that were really cooling, especially on a hot summer day. Later brews were a bit more savory and brothy but just as tasty.
Having tried it in both a gaiwan and using western brewing methods, I can safely say that this tea is very versatile. I do think I prefer the more concentrated taste of gongfu style steepings but that is something that really comes down to personal preference. At less than $0.15 per gram, this is very affordable Mao Feng while still being organic and high quality.
2016 Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng sample provided for review by Teavivre.
