Huangshan Maofeng Tea - COLORFULTEA

It is said that long ago a man arid a woman, madly in love with, each other, saw their happiness destroyed by a lord who took the woman as a concubine. Driven half triad by this separation, the woman ran away to rejoin her lover only to find that the lord had had him killed. When she found the body of her lover in the mountains, she wept so much that her tears formed a torrent and her petrified body was transformed into a tea tree. Even today, that is the explanation given for the year-long humidity and cloudiness of the area. Huangshan Maofeng: One of the top ten famous tea in China, is a kind of green tea. The tea is originated from Huangshan, Anhui province, where climate is mild, the number of rainfall is abundant and the soil texture is great, so there is very suitable for the growth of tea tree. As for Huangshan Maofeng tea, the technology of picking tea-tea leaves and drying tea is very delicate, purely manual making. In fact, the tea appearance present small and has a little intertangaling, cords fatness, and tea heart like sparrow’s tongue. After brewing, the tea leaves present limpid blue light, tea water taste glycol, and the aroma smelling like orchid, lasting long times. Due to the new drying tea leaves with pekoe, the tea buds are also very different, and the fresh leaves are all picked from Huangshan Mountain Peak, hence its named Huangshan Maofeng tea. The tea is the curiosa in green tea, which through four working procedure: editing, rolling drying and baking. As we all know that the efficacy of Huangshan Maofeng are very rich, not only for one’s body, also for health care.

Quality Guarantee Period: 24 Months.

Huangshan Maofeng tea was made by Xie Zheng'an in 1875 in the Qing Dynasty. Because of its Pekoe body, bud tip like spike, and the fresh leaves collected from the peak of Huangshan, it was called Huangshan Maofeng. There are the super-grade and grade one, two, and three of Huangshan Maofeng. The super-grade is harvested before Tomb-sweeping Day. One bud in one shoot is picked early, describing as "the sparrow mouth slightly open," Other grades of tea is picked from a bud in 1 to 2 shoots or in 2 to 3 shoots. Huangshan Maofeng is categorized into baked green tea. Thanks to "extremely fragrant, pure taste, clear soup, and embellish color", it is well-known as the tea boutique and one of China's top ten kinds of tea.

Translation: Downy point of the yellow mountain

Region: The massif of Huang Shan, the Yellow Mountain, in Anhui Province

Harvest season: April

Cultivar: Huang Shan Da Ye Zhong

Home: Anhui

Leaf: Alternatively known as "swallow tongue" tea for its shape, with an earthy aroma.

Brew: Brew 5g (0.18oz) in 200ml (7fl oz) water at 82°C (180°F) and infuse for 2 minutes. Strain and add more water for two farther infusions. Deep yellow and green, not unpleasingly bitter.

Brewing difficulty: Easy.

Best Season to taste: Summer

Origin: Huangshan, Shexian County, Anhui Province

Shape: thin, flat, slightly curled,and shaped like "sparrow tongue". Silver pekoe reveals and shoots resembles spikes.

Liquid: green and slightly yellow.

Aroma: smelling strong like orchid.

Taste: sweet and mellow.

Brewed tea leaves: bright green, fresh and tender, and clustered.

Recognizing: The super-grade Huangshan Maofeng is distinguished for golden leaves and ivory color. The genuine Huangshan Maofeng liquid is clear, highly fragrant, fresh, and mellow. Brewed tea leaves are yellow and clustered.

Brewing method: Middle-putting brewing method. First put 30% water of the cup, then tea, and finally water from above.

Water temperature: 80℃ - 90℃ is appropriate.

Infusion time: normally 3 minutes. The inclusion of tea can extract about 55% with average aroma. It's the right time to drink.

Scoop: Traditionally the number three on favorite lists, after Dragon Well and Bi Luo Chun, 'hairy mountain' tea is famed for the stringent process of withering and hand rolling it undergoes during processing. Mao feng also benefits from growing in the phosphate-rich soil of Yellow Mountain.

Character: This small-leafed yellow tea is made from one leaf and one silvery bud and the dry leaf has a faintly herbal note. As it brews, it gives a very pale yellow liquor that has a rich peachy aroma and a uniquely rich, fruity, slightly nutty flavour.

Clever Infusion of Huangshan Maofeng during a trip
It is inconvenient to fetch boiled water during a trip, so the cold water brewing method is adopted. Put the spring water into the refrigerator and take it out for brewing tea to appreciate a cooling taste in hot summer.
Preparation of tea sets / tea sets for travelling
Preparation of water / cold water
Selection of tea / Huangshan Maofeng
1 Wash the tureen, fair cup and tea cup. Pour water into tureen, fair cup, and tea cup for warming, and then pour the water into the tea tray.
2 Put some tea into the tureen.
3 Pour clean and cold water such as purified water and spring water, and soak the tea for half an hour.
4 Put the filter onto the fair cup.
5 Put tea liquid into fair cup.
6 Pour tea liquid into the tea cups.
7 Invite the guests to drink the tea.

Tasting notes: The beautiful tender green leaves of Mao Feng tea are a delight to the eye. Whole and tipped by fine buds, they are slightly twisted, as if performing an elegant dance. Their infusion releases delicate aromas of sorrel and raw vegetables. The silky liquid delights with its extremely delicate notes of green bean and artichoke heart. The light finish leaves a gentle vegetal impression in the mouth.

Tea about
1 Water at room temperature can also be used for cold tea, and it's better after refrigerating.
2 It's for outdoor journey and summer drinking.
3 In general, green tea is most suitable for cold tea. The longer the fermentation is, the more phosphorus the tea contains. Try to choose the low-phosphorus and low-fermented tea. In terms of the degree of fermentation, green tea is comparatively lowest, followed by Oolong tea, and black tea is the highest.
The advantage of using glass to brew tea is to watch the tea leaves showing its dance in the process, so glass is the most suitable set for such unique tea presenting "tea dance" as green tea, yellow tea and white tea.

Recommended infusion accessory: A zhong or small teapot.

Infusing Huangshan Maofeng in the middle-putting brewing method with glass

Preparation of tea sets / glass, tea props, tea holder, tea basin, and tea towel.
Preparation of water / about 80℃ boiled water after cooling.
Selection of tea / Huangshan Maofeng

1. Take tea from tea caddy into tea holder.

2. Inject a small amount of hot water into glass, hold the bottom of the cup, slowly rotate the cup to keep the same temperature up and down, and then pour waste water into tea basin.

3. With a teaspoon put dry tea gently into the glass.

4. Pour boiling water to 1/3 cup.

5. Rotate the glass, slowly sip and taste its fragrance.

6. Rise the pot, let the water flow straight, and pull water up and down for three times with the use of wrist force till 7/10 cup to make tea rotating in the water.

7. Watch the tea fuzzes turning up and down through the glass, feeling lively and refreshing.

8. Smell its fragrance, watch its color, and then taste tea soup.

Maofeng is of good quality

Huangshan Maofeng is located in peach peak, Yungu Temple, Songgu Nunnery, and Ciguang Pavilion of Huangshan Mountain. And its good quality is attributed to the favorable natural conditions, high mountains, dense forests, lots of clouds and short sunshine.

The wonder of Huangshan Maofeng

In the Qing Dynasty,a tea merchant named Xie Zheng'an opened Xie Yu Tai tea shop in Shexian County. He led some people to Chongchuan and Tangkou and other tea gardens to choose such juicy shoots and after fine baking, he created the excellent flavor of high quality tea. The tea is filled with Pekoe, and the bud is like spike, named "Maofeng". There comes the real Huangshan Maofeng. It is said that if Huangshan Maofeng is brewed with Huangshan spring water, there will be a fabulous view of white lotu flowers.