Green TeaGuide
Huangshan Mao Feng: The Yellow Mountain Green Tea
Huangshan Mao Feng (黄山毛峰, "Yellow Mountain Fur Peak") is one of China's most famous green teas, from the Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) area of southern Anhui. It's made from a bud and one young leaf, lightly twisted and covered in fine down, which gives it its name. It tastes gentle and sweet: honey, orchid-like flowers, a fresh fruity tang, with very little bitterness. The finest is picked in early spring. Brew it at 75–85 °C, in a glass or gaiwan.
Mao Feng is the green tea I recommend when someone tells me green tea is "too grassy". It's softer and sweeter than most, and it forgives a little too much heat better than Bi Luo Chun does. I first tasted it on a rainy spring afternoon, brewed in a glass, and what stayed with me was the smell: honey and wet flowers, like a garden after rain. It suits the place it comes from: the Yellow Mountains are famous for their mist.
Where it comes from#
Huangshan is a mountain range in southern Anhui, known for granite peaks, pines and a near-constant sea of clouds. The mist, cool temperatures and slow spring growth give tender, sweet leaves. The same region is home to other great teas: Keemun grows on the slopes around Huangshan, and Tai Ping Hou Kui comes from Taiping nearby.
"Mao Feng" is also used as a general style name for downy bud-and-leaf green teas from other regions. Huangshan Mao Feng is the original and the benchmark.
How it's made#
Picking starts in early spring. The top grades are a single bud with one just-opening leaf, picked when the shoots are still covered in down. The leaves are fired in a pan to stop oxidation, lightly rolled into a slightly twisted shape that looks a bit like a sparrow's tongue or a small blade, and dried gently. The down stays on the surface, giving the dry tea a silvery-yellow shine.
How it tastes#
- Dry leaf: sweet, fresh, a little floral.
- Aroma in the cup: honey, orchid-like flowers, fresh spring greens.
- Taste: sweet and smooth, with a light fruity tang and very little bitterness.
- Liquor: pale yellow-green, clear, slightly hazy from the down.
Compared with Longjing, Mao Feng is less nutty and toasty and more honeyed and floral. Compared with Lu An Gua Pian, its Anhui neighbour, it's lighter and more delicate.
How to brew Huangshan Mao Feng#
In a glass#
About 3 g in a 250 ml glass. A splash of water at about 80 °C first, 20–30 seconds for the leaves to wake up, then fill. Drink as the leaves sink, top up when a third is left. See grandpa style.
Gongfu#
| Leaf / 100 ml | Water | Rinse | 1st steep | Then | Steeps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–5 g | 75–85 °C | No | 15 s | +5 s | 5–7 |
Use the lower end for pre-Qingming, bud-heavy tea. Leave the lid off between steeps. Full chart: gongfu brewing chart.
Western#
About 2–3 g per 250 ml, 75–85 °C, no more than 1.5–2 minutes.
My session: a pre-Qingming Mao Feng#
4 g in a 100 ml porcelain gaiwan, water at 80 °C.
Steep 1 (15 s). Pale yellow-green. Honey and spring flowers. Soft and sweet.
Steep 2 (20 s). Fuller, with a fresh fruity tang, like green apple.
Steep 4 (35 s). Still sweet, a little more green-vegetal, very clean.
Steep 6 (60 s). Light and gentle. Time to stop.
How to choose good Mao Feng#
- Plump, downy buds with a single small leaf, even in size.
- Fresh yellow-green colour with a silvery sheen from the down.
- A harvest date from this spring; pre-Qingming is the top.
- Huangshan origin if you want the original.
- Avoid dull, dark, broken leaf or a stale, hay-like smell.
How to store it#
Airtight, opaque, cool and away from smells. Drink it within about a year, ideally within a few months of harvest. If you use the fridge, portion and seal it, and let each portion reach room temperature before opening.
Myths about Mao Feng#
"Mao Feng is a type of white tea because of the down." No. It's a pan-fired green tea; the down comes from the young buds.
"All Mao Feng is from Huangshan." The name is widely used as a style. Huangshan is the original.
"Green tea from the mountains is always bitter." Mao Feng is one of the gentlest greens. Bitterness usually means water that's too hot.
My honest take#
If green tea has always seemed sharp or grassy to you, start here. A fresh spring Huangshan Mao Feng in a glass at 80 °C is one of the gentlest introductions to Chinese green tea there is.
The bottom line#
Huangshan Mao Feng is the misty-mountain green tea of Anhui: downy, honeyed, floral and gentle. Buy fresh spring leaf, brew it at 75–85 °C, and drink it young. More famous greens in my Chinese green tea guide.
Steep timer
3–5 g per 100 ml75–85 °CNo rinseUp to 7 steeps
Questions people ask
What is Huangshan Mao Feng?
A famous Chinese green tea from the Yellow Mountains of Anhui, made from downy bud-and-leaf sets.
What does Mao Feng mean?
"Fur peak", after the fine down on the buds and their pointed shape.
What does Huangshan Mao Feng taste like?
Sweet and gentle: honey, flowers and a light fruity tang, with little bitterness.
How do you brew Huangshan Mao Feng?
At 75–85 °C: about 3 g in a 250 ml glass, or 4–5 g per 100 ml gongfu with a 15-second first steep.
Is Mao Feng good for beginners?
Yes. It's one of the softest, most forgiving Chinese green teas.