Weishan Mao Jian
A Hunan yellow tea, smoked lightly over pine after yellowing — an unusual finishing step that makes it the only well-known smoked yellow tea. The smoke is far gentler than Lapsang Souchong’s and sits over a soft, grain-sweet base.
Character
Softly smoky over the grain sweetness that yellowing produces — a combination with no real parallel elsewhere in tea, and the reason the tea is worth seeking despite its scarcity.
- Flavour
- Smoky, Nutty, Sweet
- Aroma
- Toasted
- Mouthfeel
- Light, Smooth
- Complexity
- Moderate
- Notes
- light pine smoke, sweet grain, chestnut
- Aftertaste
- Gently smoky and sweet.
Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Oxidation
- Unoxidised
- Roast
- Light
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Kill-green (fixation) → Sealed yellowing (men huang) → Rolling and shaping → Drying
Authenticity: As with the rest of the category, much tea carrying this name has skipped the yellowing. The light pine smoking, where present, is a distinguishing feature worth asking about.
History
A Hunan yellow tea traded into Tibet and the north-west alongside the province’s dark teas. Much of what is now sold under the name omits the yellowing step, which makes it a green tea wearing a yellow tea’s name.
Brewing
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 80–88 °C · 1 authored infusion
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
3–4 g/100 ml · 80–88 °C · 4 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Huoshan Huangya
Two yellow teas whose production frequently omits the yellowing step entirely, making them green teas under yellow tea names. This is the category’s central problem.
- Beigang Mao Jian
Two Hunan yellow teas with similar names from different areas. Both are made with shorter yellowing than the famous bud-only teas.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Hojicha
Shares 5 descriptors with Weishan Mao Jian: nutty, sweet, light, smooth and toasted.
- Longjing
Shares 5 descriptors with Weishan Mao Jian: nutty, sweet, light, smooth and toasted.
- Bai Ji Guan
Shares 4 descriptors with Weishan Mao Jian: sweet, nutty, light and smooth.
- Bancha
Shares 4 descriptors with Weishan Mao Jian: nutty, light, smooth and toasted.
- Dong Ding
Shares 4 descriptors with Weishan Mao Jian: nutty, sweet, smooth and toasted.
- Fu Zhuan
Shares 4 descriptors with Weishan Mao Jian: nutty, sweet, smooth and toasted.