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Green tea

Longyan Xiebei Tea

龙岩斜背茶Long Yan Xie Bei Cha · Xiebei Green Tea

Longyan Xiebei is a pan-worked green tea associated with Jiangshan in Longyan. Its grey-green leaves with yellow tones, yellow-green liquor and infused leaves are described together. An olive-like returning flavour and mugwort-like aroma are tasting comparisons, not added ingredients.

By TeaPlain · Updated

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Dry-leaf reference photograph for the Longyan Xiebei Tea guide
Dry-leaf illustration · Longyan Xiebei Tea
All sections in this tea guide

At a glance

Longyan Xiebei is a pan-worked green tea associated with Jiangshan in Longyan. Its grey-green leaves with yellow tones, yellow-green liquor and infused leaves are described together. An olive-like returning flavour and mugwort-like aroma are tasting comparisons, not added ingredients.

Detail What to know
Chinese name 龙岩斜背茶
Tea family Green tea
Associated origin Jiangshan, Xinluo, Longyan, Fujian; sixteen-village protected-product description
Leaf form Tight, substantial grey-green strands with yellow tones

Taste and appearance

The old table describes tight substantial strands, grey-green colour with yellow tones, yellow-green liquor and a full cup. Higher tiers add freshness and returning sweetness; the lifted lasting aroma has a slight mugwort-like note. These comparisons do not identify an olive-flavoured or medicinally blended tea.

The original liquor and infused-leaf 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 Tight, substantial and weighty strands Tight, substantial and weighty strands Tight strands
Dry-leaf colour Grey-green with yellow Grey-green with yellow Grey-green with yellow tones
Liquor Yellow-green and bright Yellow-green, fairly bright Yellow-green
Aroma High and lasting, slight mugwort-like note High and lasting, mugwort-like note High and lasting
Taste Full, fresh and brisk, returning sweetness Full, fresh and brisk Full
Infused leaves Tender green-yellow and bright Tender green-yellow and bright Tender green, fairly yellow-bright

The old Extra/Grade 1/Grade 2 sensory comparison is retained as an editorial reference. It is not a complete verified current grade standard and cannot grade an individual packet.

Names and origin

The reviewed protected-product requirements name sixteen Jiangshan villages in Xinluo: Shantang, Tongbo, Cunmei, Keshan, Qiancun, Xintian, Linci, Shangwa, Xiawa, Laozhai, Xinzhai, Shantou, Fukeng, Shuangche, Beiyang and Meixi. The document describes an average elevation above 1,000 m in its growing conditions; it is not a measured elevation for every packet. Separate municipal cultural material confirms the pan-worked green style. Germplasm protection, product protection and permission to use a mark are different questions.

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 Longyan Xiebei Tea through its described flavour and leaf form. Try a traceable small packet and a complete preparation rather than a health promise or historical ranking.

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 Longyan Xiebei Tea 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 original graphic uses a heat-safe glass, 3 g, 85°C / 185°F and 1:50, implying 150 mL actual water by arithmetic. Start with water to one-third of the glass, gently swirl, fill to seven-tenths and leave 2–3 minutes. Refill when about one-third remains; roughly three infusions are described. No vessel capacity or tea-rinse step is supplied. Drawn fill fractions are not independent water measurements.

Original Chinese-labelled Longyan Xiebei Tea brewing illustration with English conditions
Original Chinese brewing illustrationOriginal graphic: glass, 3 g, 85°C, 1:50 (150 mL by arithmetic), initial one-third water, gentle swirl, seven-tenths fill and 2–3 minutes; refill at one-third remaining. No capacity supplied.

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 actual Jiangshan growing source, maker, harvest and any mark authorisation. Do not use yellow-green colour, an aroma comparison or the general regional elevation as a stand-alone authenticity test.

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 480 96
Grade 1 350 70
Grade 2 260 52

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 original map shows fresh-leaf picking, heat fixing, rolling, initial pan working, cooling, repeated pan working, screening/cooling, another pan working and screening/cooling, then final drying. The reviewed protection requirements explicitly distinguish this manual sequence from a shorter mechanical sequence. Keep the repeated cooling and pan stages; do not compress them into a single invented generic roasting step. Factory temperatures in such a document are not drinking-water instructions.

Original Chinese-labelled Longyan Xiebei Tea process illustration
Original process illustrationOriginal manual map: picking, heat fixing, rolling, initial pan working, cooling, repeated pan working with screening/cooling stages, and final drying. A mechanical route is separately described in the reviewed requirements.

Common questions

Are olive and mugwort added to Longyan Xiebei tea?

The inherited description uses them as sensory comparisons. It does not list them as ingredients. Check the actual ingredient label if a seller offers a flavoured or blended version.

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 Tianshan 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.