Mao Jian

Mao Jian is a green tea from Xinyang Mountain in Henan China with a potent cooling effect. On the little leaves are little-er hairs. When doused, the downy fluff darts off like pollen from a spring pine. On the right brew, the thickness is immaculate. I can see the fluff spinning in my cup as the breeze tunnels into it. 

The name Mao Jian appropriately translates to “hair tips.” Don’t let their soft demeanor fool you though. They are potent. You don’t need to use as much volume as with other tea.

The small leaves are immaculately harvested—quite uniform, these little buds. For the water, I recommend 195º F and shortish steep. If you follow this guidance, the Mao Jian will lavish you. It’s not a fickle tea, though it does have strong preferences. 

Peddler’s note:

Sitting with this green, relaxing, I feel the vastness of the summer sky. It’s a feeling of time stretching out and the relative freedom of being small. Mao Jian brings qi to the head, locating us for a moment in the sky realm. Our sky and the summer sky have a little repartee. A sense of stillness is not uncommon for a sky mind; vastness coming into focus—a sky feeling. What seemed big before, might feel small in comparison. A new perspective. The view from the condor’s perch.

Label 40

Mantis

Power and Virtue

Draped elegantly in futurist robes, the dark mantis arranges their arms in a mudra of peace. Within the gilded hall, they sit in stillness, while a green mantis moves silently behind them. One is in the limelight; the other works in the shadows. Both are attentive and aware. A teacup with two handles hovers at heart level, a symbol of their collaboration. They wield power together and cannot succeed without one another.

To rule with virtue, the seated mantis turns dark. Their inner world becomes a void to illuminate and pacify inner contradictions. Honest with themselves, they do not see enemies threatening them at every turn—projections born of fear and deception. Free of deceit, their stillness radiates strength. Curiosity and care extend as antennae, entwining with the environment and the green mantis behind them—attuning to the collective. Having made room to listen, the mantis remains centered—neither leading nor following. In fact, stillness comes easily to the mantis, and when they leap it is quick and decisive.

Power can be used to welcome you into ease—or stifle all dissent. That’s why virtue is the most essential quality for a ruler. To attain power is not a virtue in itself—and those who would rather not lead often make the best leaders. The unadorned green mantis has power too. They can be a loyal envoy, an unfailing protector, or a saboteur waiting for their moment to strike.

Yin and yang—complementary opposites—can work in tandem or at odds in any situation, even in the inner workings of your thoughts and emotions. The mantis invites you to reflect on your collaboration and on the dualities of your own life: public and private, showy and clandestine, visionary and practical. Where do you find alignment and mutual support? Do you feel conflict and imbalance?