At a glance
Meitan Cuiya is a flat green tea associated with Meitan in Guizhou. Cuiya describes the green bud-like presentation, not a separate white or yellow tea. The original collection’s regional name and three sensory tiers are retained with their scope.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 湄潭翠芽 |
| Tea family | Green tea |
| Associated origin | Meitan and the wider stated Zunyi-area scope, Guizhou |
| Leaf form | Flat, straight and even yellow-green leaf |
Taste and appearance
The inherited comparison describes flat, straight, smooth and even yellow-green leaf, clear yellow-green liquor, a clean fragrance with chestnut-like notes, and a fresh, mellow, brisk cup with a sweet finish. Infused material is tender, even and yellow-green. A chestnut comparison does not itself establish added nuts or a guarantee for every tasting lot.
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 | Flat, straight, smooth and even | Flat, straight and even | Flat, straight and even |
| Dry-leaf colour | Lustrous yellow-green | Lustrous yellow-green | Yellow-green |
| Liquor | Yellow-green, bright and clear | Yellow-green and clear | Yellow-green, fairly bright |
| Aroma | Clean, pleasant fragrance, rich chestnut-like note | Clean or chestnut-like fragrance, lasting | Light clean fragrance |
| Taste | Fresh, mellow and brisk, sweet finish | Fresh and mellow | Mellow and brisk |
| Infused leaves | Yellow-green, bright, tender and even | Yellow-green, bright, tender and even | Yellow-green, ordinary evenness and brightness |
The original table differs in wording from the reviewed 2018 provincial comparison. It is retained as an inherited sensory guide, not relabelled a verbatim current official specification.
Names and origin
The old source names Meitan, Fenggang, Yuqing, Zheng’an, Daozhen and Wuchuan in Zunyi. The reviewed 2018 provincial text separately defines the broader tea and gives additional protected-origin conditions for Extra grade; these scopes should not be collapsed into a statement that every packet has been certified. The old annual climate figures are regional background rather than measured conditions of an identified garden. Its generic zinc/selenium and top-ranking slogans are not nutrient or current ranking guarantees.
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 a flat green tea with fresh, chestnut-like or clean fragrant notes. It is an ordinary caffeinated tea, not protection against computer radiation, smoking or alcohol, and not a substitute for treatment of high blood pressure or acne.
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 Meitan Cuiya 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 gives 3 g in a heat-safe glass, 85°C / 185°F water, a 1:50 ratio and a 2–3-minute wait. At that ratio 3 g means 150 mL actual water by arithmetic. The drawing first fills about one-third and later four-fifths of an unspecified glass, so those fill marks do not measure 150 mL. It says to refill at one-third liquid remaining and describes three infusions. Keep this complete drawing method separate from the prose’s wider temperature range and missing first time.
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 the maker, growing area, picking, harvest and packet grade. Ask for traceability when a protected-origin claim is made. A regional brand, flat shape and attractive green colour are useful identification cues but do not individually certify authenticity or compliance.
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 | 270 | 54 |
| Grade 2 | 200 | 40 |
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 retained map shows picking, spreading fresh leaf, heat fixing, arranging strands, shaping, removing loose hairs and aroma finishing. The reviewed provincial appendix also describes a shaping/finishing route for its stated scope. This is green-tea processing; do not borrow Zunyi Hong’s black-tea oxidation sequence because both are associated with Meitan.
Common questions
Is the old sensory table a complete official grading test?
No. The reviewed provincial text includes further scope, samples, physical/chemical and other requirements. The old table is kept as a reader’s sensory comparison; it is not a full compliance test, current certificate or a way to grade a packet from a photograph.
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 Zunyi Hong, 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.