Huangshan Maofeng

Non-oxidized tea
Jeanbb
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:13 am

Tue Aug 25, 2020 1:55 am

Hi, does anyone have any particular opinions on where the best vendor for purchasing mao feng is and what constitutes a "true" version of this tea? I recently purchased 20g of this to try as I've had minimal experience with this green and was surprised that it was among the best greens I've ever had, particularly appealing flavour profile to me similar to a high quality anji bai cha with complex herbal and notes and taro.

https://meileaf.com/tea/fur-peak/

I have also had this in the past which is much cheaper and from Yunnan rather than Anhui, an enjoyable tea but very different overall and lacked the level complexity, mouthfeel and especially aftertaste. More straightforward, a little less subtle.

https://www.teaguardian.com/quality-var ... n-maofeng/

This resource isn't great but it shows 3 very different looking leaves all labeled huangshan maofeng, and again the Yunnan version looked totally different. Doesn't say what is considered the real deal.

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1576&p=26277&hilit ... eng#p26277

I did a quick search on this forum and this came up, which again looks quite different to what I'm seeing elsewhere.

https://tea-drunk.com/green-tea/mao-feng

I was considering sampling this but have no experience with the vendor, the price is very high and the leaves look different.
polezaivsani
Posts: 191
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2019 4:43 pm
Location: Kaliningrad, RU

Tue Aug 25, 2020 5:16 am

There's also @Sweetestdew having pretty much only Mao Feng on offer. And it was so good as to suck me into green teas this summer for good.
LuckyMe
Posts: 110
Joined: Thu May 02, 2019 3:17 pm
Location: Chicago
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Tue Aug 25, 2020 8:17 pm

Teavivre has huang shan mao feng. Both regular grade and “nonpareil”. I liked it it but it isn’t really my cup of tea. I prefer grassier Japanese greens and Laoshan green tea. I know Mei Leaf has a well curated selection but no idea how it compares to Teavivre.
TeaZero
Posts: 57
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 12:44 pm

Wed Aug 26, 2020 4:49 am

Teasenz is my go to vendor for mao feng. It's fairly light, like an anji bai.
Sweetestdew
Vendor
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:33 pm
Location: Huang Shan, China
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Thu Aug 27, 2020 5:19 am

Glad to see some interest in Mao Feng.
I live in Huang Shan and have been focusing on this tea.
I would love to talk with you to help you better understand this tea and help you learn what to look for as you search.
There's a lot of bad Mao Feng out there and to be honest they are usually pretty easy to spot
Jeanbb
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:13 am

Thu Aug 27, 2020 6:06 am

polezaivsani wrote:
Tue Aug 25, 2020 5:16 am
There's also Sweetestdew having pretty much only Mao Feng on offer. And it was so good as to suck me into green teas this summer for good.
This looks interesting, ended up buying a sampler from them. Any favourites from him?

https://sweetestdew.com/products/mao-feng-sample-pack
Jeanbb
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:13 am

Thu Aug 27, 2020 6:08 am

Sweetestdew wrote:
Thu Aug 27, 2020 5:19 am
I would love to talk with you to help you better understand this tea and help you learn what to look for as you search.
This would be good, I'd actually just purchased the sampler pack from you before I read this too :)
Last edited by Victoria on Thu Aug 27, 2020 4:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
polezaivsani
Posts: 191
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2019 4:43 pm
Location: Kaliningrad, RU

Thu Aug 27, 2020 6:29 am

Jeanbb wrote:
Thu Aug 27, 2020 6:06 am
This looks interesting, ended up buying a sampler from them. Any favourites from him?
I've been long out of the only one i tried but am now couple days away from receiving a resupply and will share how i'll find those, here or in the 'what green are you drinking' thread :)
Sweetestdew
Vendor
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:33 pm
Location: Huang Shan, China
Contact:

Sat Aug 29, 2020 11:04 pm

Jeanbb wrote:
Thu Aug 27, 2020 6:08 am
Sweetestdew wrote:
Thu Aug 27, 2020 5:19 am
I would love to talk with you to help you better understand this tea and help you learn what to look for as you search.
This would be good, I'd actually just purchased the sampler pack from you before I read this too :)
Haha well you'll be happy to let you know it went out yesterday. I'll send you the tracking number.
This post also inspired me to write an article that is way over due.

An Introduction to Judging Mao Feng by Appearance
https://sweetestdew.com/blogs/tea-educa ... appearance
Jeanbb
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:13 am

Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:09 am

The package came and sooner than I expected, tried both the charcoal and the wood fire. The charcoal has a definite smoky note in the earlier steepings and on the aroma but its not offputting. Similar bean, peas and overall vegetable notes to the Mei Leaf maofeng and that definitely taro sweetness but without any of the long jingseque nuttiness. It does have some brightness especially on the early steepings. Very nice velvety texture, lightly creamy. Definitely a subtle tea, I think I'm getting a light cha qi coming from it too.

The woodfired currently drinking, I still find it very enjoyable but not as evenly balanced overall. Those nutty notes are definitely similar to what I'd get in a long jing and they probably prevail over some of the more subtle savory and taro notes upon first tasting. Very nice baked warmth on the finish with the nuttiness still prevalent. Less creamy, slightly softer texture and sharper profile overall. Definitely overall a lot of complexity. There's a lot in the softer notes and on the finish that I enjoy, almost a kind of juiciness on the second steeping. Less flavour on the vegetal/savory side and more on the nuttiness and a hard to describe juiciness. Probably the most enjoyable thing about this tea is the very lengthy and warming finish.

Need to try the third and probably the second session of the others but so far my preference would likely be on the charcoal baked example. Both are extremely drinkable though, if not for the price I'd probably drink them at least 2-3 times a week. I've been craving more subtle green teas lately and these are basically perfectly on that end. Both are good enough to draw you in, enough individuality and complexity to grant attention but subtle enough that there's nothing in the flavour profile leaning too much in one direction to make it feel like a novelty.

@Sweetestdew

How many steepings do you usually expect and what brewing parameters do you typically use? I felt from the charcoal baked for example I got about 5-6 very high quality steepings and a drop off beyond that. Roughly 120ml of water for 4g.
polezaivsani
Posts: 191
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2019 4:43 pm
Location: Kaliningrad, RU

Wed Sep 16, 2020 1:35 pm

@Jeanbb, i'm interested in how you'd find the last one, which i believe would be Hou Gu - i liked it to no end (or should i say to the bottom of the bag :)). Posted my notes in the sibling thread, viewtopic.php?p=28580#p28580.

I've had about the same longevity. The Hou Gu though lasts almost for twice as the Cha Shan or She Xian exemplars. I could go raving about that one whenever i get a chance, hah!

p.s. plain @username doesn't result in username receiving a mention notification, though autosuggestion should offer to change it to a proper mention.
Jeanbb
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:13 am

Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:38 pm

polezaivsani wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 1:35 pm
Jeanbb, i'm interested in how you'd find the last one, which i believe would be Hou Gu - i liked it to no end (or should i say to the bottom of the bag :)). Posted my notes in the sibling thread, viewtopic.php?p=28580#p28580.

I've had about the same longevity. The Hou Gu though lasts almost for twice as the Cha Shan or She Xian exemplars. I could go raving about that one whenever i get a chance, hah!

p.s. plain @username doesn't result in username receiving a mention notification, though autosuggestion should offer to change it to a proper mention.
I actually meant the Hou Gu by the woodfire, I initially was surprised by it and found I enjoyed it more over the course of the session. Definitely found it to be the most complex and least balanced overall. I couldn't pick the note initially but like you mention in your review it really does have a light passion fruit, juicy pungency in addition to the nuttiness. It seemed to pull in a variety of different directions, with subtle vegetable and sweet taro notes, but also qualities of nuttiness in the realm of a long jing and those juicy notes. Quite crisp and the longest on the finish. Also found your comments about number of steeps in the 8-9 range to be accurate, I brewed it at 100 degrees c for about 5 minutes on the final steeping and still got something enjoyable out of it. I got the impression each of these teas are quite difficult to overbrew but I went quite gently on all of them.

Interestingly I found the Cha Shan to be quite different than in your experience, definitely wouldn't go as sharp as lemon and I didn't find the floral notes to dominate. For the most part the vegetal, often umami notes pervailed with some sweet pea and taro. I thought it was was the most velvety, lightly creamy of the three texturally. Perhaps some of that tang and floral quality in the aroma, but not in the cup.

Finally tried the She Xian and found that to be the most balanced overall. Very interesting aromatically, definitely getting some of those cocoa notes and kind of a burnt/charcoal quality in addition to some floral, neither of the first two which seem to pervade in the cup at all. Also has a similar juiciness to the Hou Gu but more subtle. Some of the same crisp, nuttiness as the Hou Gu but again more delicate. Very soft mouthfeel.

Hard to pick favourites but I think the I probably enjoyed the Cha Shan the most overall on its balance. Looking forward to going through the second session on each sample. Interested in the vendors gong mei too just judging from the quality of the greens but the smallest size available is a cake.
Jeanbb
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:13 am

Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:04 pm

I tried the Cha Shan again today, I genuinely think my preference would be entirely mood dependent across these 3 teas. Maybe I buy another few sample packs again at some point.
Sweetestdew
Vendor
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:33 pm
Location: Huang Shan, China
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Thu Nov 12, 2020 9:51 pm

I have been keeping up with this page and loved reading everything. I thought I might share my own thoughts on these teas. All of the tastings where these notes are from are on my instagram @sweetestdew

I used a medium sized gong dao bies (no gaiwan) with about 4 grams of leaves. (I eyed it)
I used water ranging around 94 C

She Xian: This is the tea I was most worried about. What seperated this tea from the others was its super complex floral aroma. Like a field of flowers. As time went on I was afraid that the aroma would fade. Tasting it I found that the aroma faded alittle but there is still a singular flower aroma which is simpler but nice. By Huang Shan market standards (for those who dont know I actually live in Huang Shan) this tea is solid. It gains the respect of people who drink it, but it lacks the complexity to blow them away. The finish is where I find this tea to be the most lacking. While it does have Hui Gan there is a touch of bitterness at the end. It is a solid Mao Feng that you will enjoy drinking.

Cha Shan: The Cha Shan had really bold favors this year. The umami mouth feel is very thick and condenced. In later steeps I got all sorts of bold flavor notes that ranged from lemon to nuts. This is probably the boldest of the three teas, but lacks the structure and balance of the other two. I would like to see more balance in this tea.

Hou Gu: The Hou Gu is my favorite. It gives you unique tasting notes while staying balanced. The flaws in this tea are very minimal. The smokiness that this tea started off having after being freshly made has faded and the chestnut aroma has come out. The maker used a woodfire baking style for this one which may take away from potential brightness and warmth of this tea. Next season I will try to work with him to see if he can change his making style as an expirement and a potential for a better flavor.


After living in Huang Shan for a few years I have gotten to know the standard here, and these teas are all above standard. They all produce something that makes them unique an worth trying. My favorite is the Hou Gu as stated before, my personal least favorite is the She Xian. I think it is the simplest flavor and while the flaws are minimal it doesn't give you enough flavors to really get excited over.

I recently came across a Fu Xi Huang Shan Mao Feng that I like a lot and am currently deciding how to incorperate it.
Sweetestdew
Vendor
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Thu Nov 12, 2020 9:55 pm

Jeanbb wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:09 am
@Sweetestdew

How many steepings do you usually expect and what brewing parameters do you typically use? I felt from the charcoal baked for example I got about 5-6 very high quality steepings and a drop off beyond that. Roughly 120ml of water for 4g.
Loved reading your tasting notes.

I tend to use the gong dao bei, thought I will begin to use the gaiwan so I can make gaiwan suggestions. But In a normal sized gong dao bei (250ml) I do four grams, but remember the gong dao bei style is slower brew so if you are quick brewing I think your parameters are good.
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