At a glance
Yuexi Cuilan is the orchid-shaped green tea associated with Yuexi County in Anhui. The orchid comparison describes connected buds and leaves; it is not an ingredient statement or a different name for every orchid-shaped green tea.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 岳西翠兰 |
| Tea family | Green tea |
| Associated origin | Yuexi County, Anqing, Anhui |
| Leaf form | Connected green shoot sets compared with small orchids |
Taste and appearance
The old table describes substantial shoots, exposed tips, connected buds and leaves and jade-green colour. Green bright liquor accompanies high clean fragrance and fresh mellow taste, with returning sweetness in the top comparison. These descriptions are not TeaPlain tasting results or proof of one exact garden.
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 tips, small-orchid-like | Connected shoots, tight and straight, small-orchid-like | Connected shoots spreading into sets |
| Dry-leaf colour | Jade green | Jade green and lively | Jade green |
| Liquor | Tender green and bright | Green and bright | Pale green and bright |
| Aroma | Clean, high and long | Clean, fairly lasting | Clean |
| Taste | Fresh and mellow, returning sweetness | Mellow and brisk | Fairly brisk |
| Infused leaves | Tender green, bright, even and substantial | Tender green and bright | Green and bright |
These inherited sensory columns are retained as earlier comparisons, not a complete verified current standard or a certificate for the pictured tea.
Names and origin
Reviewed requirements cover the Yuexi County administrative area and several suitable plants including Shifocui and Shuchazao. They describe one-bud-two-leaf picking and a regional processing route. The earlier three natural-area groupings around Yaohe/Xiangluchong, Baojia/Shifosi and Tiantou/Minshan are retained as local context without best-area rankings. A separate national heritage account records the tea’s cultural-production context; it is not laboratory verification of every packet or a current national-top-ten rank.
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 Yuexi Cuilan through its described form and flavour. Start with a traceable small packet and its complete brewing directions, without a health or ranking promise.
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 Yuexi Cuilan 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 first puts 85°C / 185°F water in the empty glass to one-third, rotates and discards it, then adds 4 g tea. This is empty-vessel warming, not a tea rinse. Fresh drinking water is about 200 mL actual water, matching its 1:50 ratio, with a seven-tenths fill shown. No first steeping time or vessel capacity is supplied. Drink/refill at one-third remaining; roughly three infusions are described. Keep this 4 g / 200 mL graphic distinct from the prose’s 3 g / 150 mL arithmetic example.
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 growing source, maker, harvest, ingredients and any claimed mark authorisation. A poetic name, inherited photograph or aroma comparison does not certify a packet.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 400 | 80 |
| Grade 2 | 230 | 46 |
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 labels picking, spreading, heat fixing, strand working, initial drying (mao huo), cooling, final drying (zu huo) and packaging. Reviewed requirements give this broad route with transport also distinguished. Keep factory-stage durations separate from drinking instructions. The historical regional success and heritage context do not establish an unchanging ancient product or all-packet current awards.
Common questions
Is Yuexi Cuilan an orchid blend, and where is its Extra-grade price?
Orchid is a leaf-form comparison, not evidence of added flowers. The old article quoted only Grade 1 andGrade 2 prices; no Extra-grade price was supplied, so none is invented even though the sensory table has an Extra column.
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 Shucheng Lanhua, 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.