Description

What is Mao Feng?

Before we speak about our Zhejiang High Mountain Mao Feng Green Tea, we’ll first have to clarify what the term ‘Mao Feng’ actually means. From our other Chinese green teas, such as our Anji Bai Cha, Long Jing, Bi Luo Chun or Zi Sun Cha, we know that each of them comes from a specific cultivation region and from a specific cultivar. Interestingly, it isn’t just like that with Mao Feng.

Rather, the term Mao Feng (毛峰 = ‘hairy tip’) merely refers to a specific “1+1” picking standard. At first, this represents one bud with one young adjacent leaf only. In addition, the Mao Feng picking standard comes with a particularity: its picking time is when the bud and the adjacent leaf have the same length. In China’s typical Mao Feng regions of origin, Anhui  and Zhejiang provinces, this is already quite early in spring. Accordingly, Mao Feng picking usually takes place before the begin of the main picking season.

By the way, apart from green tea, also a black tea can be ‘Mao Feng’ as per definition. An example for this is ‘Keemun Mao Feng’ black tea. In China, Mao Feng enjoys a reputation as one the most exclusive picking standards for green tea. As such, it’s a regular appearance on the official annual ‘Great Teas of China’ top ten list.

The Legend of Mao Feng

Just like with so many traditional Chinese teas, there is also a legend ranking around Mao Feng tea. As in most cases, this comes with a rather low degree of historical essence. However, such legends serve to describe the character of a tea in a kind of transcendent way. In the case of Mao Feng, the story takes place at the tea’s place of origin, in Huangshan (‘Yellow Mountain’) in Anhui. It evolves around the love between a young scholar and a farmer girl…

One day, a rich land owner watches that girl picking tea and develops a fancy for her. He then finds ways to force the girl’s parents to give him their daughter for marriage. However, in the night preceeding the wedding, the bride slips out of the house to meet with her lover, only to find him slain by her future husband. She then cried over his grave for so long that she finally became the rain, watering the tea bush that now grew on the scholar’s grave.

Mao Feng eco-diversity tea plantation in Chunan County, Zhejiang

Our High Mountain Mao Feng Green Tea comes from a cooperatively operated eco-diversity tea plantation in Chunan County, Zhejiang. located in altitudes of over 1000 meters  in the Chinese province of Zhejiang. The biodiverse plantation at more than 1000m altitude uses non pesticides or artificial fertilizers. Instead, the natural balance between species prevents the emergence of overpopulations of potential pests. At the same time, the natural cycle ensures the soil’s adequate fertilization in a sustainable manner. Another particularity of the tea garden is that the local variety tea bushes here are all beyond 80 years old already. Due to the specific picking standard, the proper picking time for Mao Feng has a limited time window only. Accordingly, Mao Feng picking usually falls in the first days of April.

Processing

The processing of our Zhejiang High Mountain Mao Feng Green Tea follows the lines of typical green tea processing in China. After picking, there’s a phase of letting the tea leaves wither for several hours. This takes place for one part outdoors in the sun and for another in the shady interior of the factory hall. Then, short heating serves to stop oxidation processes of the leave enzymes and preserve the leaf’s green condition. Finally, the leaves get their characteristic curly shape through rolling, followed by end-drying.

In the old times, both heating and rolling were done manually in a wok pan. Today however, these works are taken care of by specialized machines in our Chunan eco-diversity farm. There is no roasting in classic terms taking place, the final drying is done by hot air.

 

Appearance, Aroma and Taste

The bright green, tight and slim, slightly twisted tea leaves and buds exude a pleasant, fresh orchid fragrance both from the dry material and from the infusion. Tastewise, our Mao Feng Green Tea convinces with its exquisite ‘High Mountain’ character: the downright tantalizing freshness of its high floral notes, paired with a heavy, long lingering sweetness with a touch of a nutty flavor.

Preparation

Pour 200 ml boiling hot water (90°C) over 3-5 g of Zhejiang High Mountain Mao Feng Green Tea. Then, let infuse for 2-3 minutes for a first infusion. With an extended infusion period of 3-4 minutes for a second and 4-5 minutes for a third steep, this green tea will produce 2-3 delicious, full value infusions.

The typical Chinese preparation approach uses higher dosages and shorter infusion periods. This way, even more tasty infusions can be produced. Also, individual taste notes dominating individual infusions can be isolated and/or highlighted this way.