Mao cha (毛茶, máochá)
Mao cha (毛茶, máochá) — "rough tea": sun-dried loose leaf, a semi-finished product later pressed into pu-erh or sorted into finished tea. The stage at which buyers judge the quality of the raw material.
Mao cha literally means "hairy," "rough" tea: leaf that has gone through primary processing but has not yet become the final product. In pu-erh production it is the key stage: fresh leaf goes through sha qing in the wok, rolling, and sun-drying — and out comes loose semi-finished sheng. From there its fate branches: pressing into cakes, dispatch to the wo dui piles to become shu pu-erh, or sale as loose leaf.
It is at the mao cha stage that money and reputations are decided. In spring, buyers travel through the villages of Yunnan and taste the rough tea right at the farmers': loose leaf shows everything — the integrity of the buds, the honesty of the firing, the flaws in the drying. Blending material from an expensive village with cheaper leaf from next door is easiest to do right here, which is why serious producers control mao cha from bush to press. The same term is used outside the pu-erh world too — for example, for the rough leaf of Yunnan's red tea Dian Hong before sorting.
Knowing the term helps the practitioner read the market. "Loose sheng" is, essentially, mao cha, and it is perfectly drinkable: young, it gives up its aroma more brightly and easily than a freshly pressed cake. But for long-term storage loose leaf is the poorer choice: it airs out faster and loses its strength. Want to drink now — take loose leaf; want to raise a tea over the years — take a cake.
Teas where this appears
Chinese tea glossary