At a glance
Wuyuan Mingmei is an eyebrow-shaped green tea from Wuyuan in Jiangxi. It should be distinguished from Zhenmei, commonly encountered as Chun Mee, rather than treating every eyebrow tea name as the same product.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 婺源茗眉 |
| Tea family | Green tea |
| Associated origin | Wuyuan, Shangrao, Jiangxi |
| Leaf form | Fine, tight, slightly curved eyebrow-like green shoots |
Taste and appearance
The inherited table describes substantial buds and curved eyebrow-like shoots, jade-green colour and clear yellow-green to bright green liquor. High lasting or clean fragrance accompanies full fresh brisk taste, with returning sweetness at the top tier. These remain sensory descriptions rather than a packet grading result.
The original liquor photograph is withheld because identical pixels were assigned to another tea name. Its named identity could not be confirmed; the original file is preserved.
The cover is the original dry-leaf illustration. These images are not TeaPlain tasting samples or proof of origin, grade, age, authenticity or image rights clearance.
Grade characteristics
This preserves the earlier Chinese edition’s sensory comparison. It is not a complete verified current standard table and does not grade your packet. Plant material, growing area, processing and grade are separate details. Decorative star rankings are omitted.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to compare the grades.
| Feature | Extra grade | Grade 1 | Grade 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry-leaf shape | Substantial buds, visible hairs, curved like eyebrows | Substantial buds, visible hairs, curved like eyebrows | Substantial buds and leaves |
| Dry-leaf colour | Fresh lustrous jade green | Jade green, visible hairs | Jade green |
| Liquor | Yellow-green and clear | Yellow-green and bright | Green and bright |
| Aroma | High and lasting | High and long | Clean and true |
| Taste | Full, mellow, fresh and brisk, returning sweetness | Full, mellow and pleasant | Fresh and brisk |
| Infused leaves | Yellow-green and tender | Yellow-green, fairly even | Yellow-green and soft |
These are the old article’s three comparison columns. The broader protection document’s separately named Mingmei/Zhenmei descriptions are not this same three-column grade system, so the two are not silently merged.
Names and origin
Reviewed Wuyuan green-tea protection requirements list Mingmei and Zhenmei separately. An independent agricultural-publisher entry describes Mingmei as a shaped green tea associated with Wukou and other Wuyuan areas and explains a baking/pan-working route. The old list of communes is historical geography, not a complete current boundary. The publisher’s 1958 development account is attributed history; it is not transferred to every Wuyuan tea or treated as proof of one unchanged present recipe.
Everyday benefits
Brewed without added sugar, this is an ordinary tea drink that can be an alternative to sweetened drinks and contribute to fluid intake. It contains caffeine. These everyday properties do not establish that this named tea treats disease, lowers blood sugar or improves sleep. No TeaPlain clinical or brewing test is claimed here.
Who may enjoy this tea
It may suit someone exploring Wuyuan green tea with tight eyebrow-like shoots and fuller flavour descriptions. Start with a traceable small packet.
When to take care
- Caffeine sensitivity or sleep problems: consider your total intake and timing if tea affects your sleep. A pale infusion is not a caffeine-free claim.
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding or medicines: ask a clinician or pharmacist about your actual product, caffeine intake and relevant medicine instructions.
- Iron supplements: follow the medicine’s instructions about separating tea from the dose. Do not use tea as treatment for anaemia.
These are product and individual considerations, not a blanket ban based on traditional “hot” or “cold” labels, age, sex or a constitution category.
How to brew
Original prose: heat-safe glass
The earlier method uses a heat-safe glass, 1:50 tea-to-water ratio and 85–90°C / 185–194°F water. It says to refill when about one-third of the liquid remains, and describes roughly three infusions/refills. It supplies no first steeping time. Keep the retained illustration’s method separate below.
| Detail | Original prose with an explicit ratio example |
|---|---|
| Tea | 3 g Wuyuan Mingmei as an editorial arithmetic example |
| Actual water | 150 mL / about 5.1 US fl oz, measured water; 3 g at 1:50 |
| Vessel | Heat-safe glass with room for the leaves and actual water |
| Water temperature | 85–90°C / 185–194°F |
| First drinking infusion | No first steeping time recorded in the prose; follow a complete packet method |
| Refill | At about one-third liquid remaining; refilling is different from a full fresh measured batch |
These inherited directions and explicit ratio examples are awaiting hands-on testing. Nominal vessel capacity and a drawn fill fraction do not measure actual water. Three repeat cups is not a guarantee of equal strength. If leaves remain in the glass, extraction continues; transfer or strain if the cup becomes too strong. Let the drink cool enough to sip.
Read the original illustration separately
The photographic graphic first warms the empty glass with one-third of a cup of 85°C / 185°F water, rotates it, then discards that warming water. Only after this does it add 3 g of tea. Its 1:50 ratio implies about 150 mL fresh brewing water by arithmetic; pour gently down the side to seven-tenths full and drink after 2 minutes. Refill at one-third remaining. The graphic gives 85°C for warming but does not separately specify the fresh brewing-water temperature or vessel capacity. Warming the empty glass is not a tea rinse, and discarded warming water is not part of the fresh measured infusion.
For ordinary teaware options, see brew without a gaiwan. Keep each complete method together instead of selecting temperature, dose and time from different preparations.
Adjust your cup
| What you notice | One change to try |
|---|---|
| Too strong, bitter or drying | Separate the liquid from the leaves; shorten contact time or use less tea next time |
| Weak or watery | Keep the measured water fixed and try a longer infusion before changing the leaf dose |
| Later infusions become stronger | Check whether liquid was left sitting with the leaves |
| Different from a flavour description | Compare the actual product and method; a description is not a promise for every cup |
Change one variable at a time. For a fuller sequence, see fix a disappointing first cup.
How to buy
Check Mingmei versus Zhenmei naming, Wuyuan source, maker, harvest and grade basis. A regional brand or one cultivar account is not a complete product identity.
See buy your first Chinese tea for packet comparisons.
China price reference
Undated figures retained from the Chinese edition, in Chinese yuan (CNY). No original brand, batch, harvest or quotation date was recorded. These are not verified current retail quotes, a market average or manufacturer-suggested retail prices.
| Chinese-edition tier | CNY per 500 g (one jin) | Equivalent CNY per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Extra grade | 450 | 90 |
| Grade 1 | 290 | 58 |
Per 100 g is an arithmetic conversion, not a quoted packet. Do not infer a missing sensory or price tier. Compare actual growing area, style, harvest, roast, weight and channel. A currency conversion does not make a UK or US retail offer comparable to a China historical figure.
How to store
Original storage method
The original method places green tea in a closed foil pouch, gently removes excess air, then puts the pouch inside a lidded iron or tin container upright for refrigerated storage, protected from light, moisture and smells. Check that a paper pouch is actually lined and moisture resistant; plain paper alone is not an airtight moisture barrier.
Its general reference was 12 months, with storage below 10°C / 50°F and below 50% relative humidity. It also described a cool, shaded room-temperature option for tea expected to be finished within two months. These are inherited conditions, not a verified expiry or a remaining-life prediction for an opened packet. Follow the actual maker’s label, package and specified conditions first.
In a UK or US kitchen
If following a product’s cold-storage directions, keep the pack sealed against fridge moisture and food smells, and let it warm while still sealed before opening. Keep a working portion away from the hob or stove, dishwasher steam, sunlight and spices; reseal after use. Do not apply a refrigerator recipe to another tea automatically. See storing an opened packet for handling.
The original green-tea handling note keeps a separate one-to-two-week working portion to avoid repeatedly warming and opening the bulk cold pack. Portion in dry conditions and seal each pack.
Origin, processing and history
The map labels picking, heat fixing, rolling, initial baking, pan working and rebaking. The agricultural-publisher entry describes corresponding broad stages with cooling between them, supporting this simplified route without proving every current factory uses identical settings. Its Shangmeizhou plant-material account is not a universal single-cultivar requirement. The wider Wuyuan product requirements and this named Mingmei route have different scope.
Common questions
Is Mingmei simply another word for Chun Mee?
Do not assume that. The reviewed Wuyuan requirements list Mingmei and Zhenmei separately. Check the actual product name, growing source and maker instead of merging them through the shared eyebrow comparison.
Can I move one number from this recipe into a different vessel?
Keep leaf form, measured dose and actual water, temperature, timing and separation together. Nominal capacity or a fill fraction is not a measured ratio.
Compare Tunxi Green Tea, or browse the green tea overview.
Editorial notes and updates
Updated 16 October 2026. Valid original descriptions, sensory comparisons, prose and image methods, storage handling, China price figures and usable pictures are retained with their scope. Doubtful medical, ranking and exact historical claims are revised or omitted. Current full grade clauses and historical prices are not certified. Original Chinese-labelled graphics have English reading notes; no TeaPlain tasting or brewing test is claimed. Internal research and image audits record the decisions.