Huangshan Mao Feng (黃山毛峰)

archetype: Young monk on the mountain

A young monk in the morning mist: a mountain freshness, an orchid tenderness, a cool clarity of mind.

History

Huang Shan Mao Feng — 'hairy peaks of the Yellow Mountains' — is one of the ten famous teas of China, from the Huangshan reserve in Anhui. The bush grows among cliffs and waterfalls at 700–1200 m; the leaf is gathered only in spring, before Qingming, and only the buds with their white down. It is dried by hand in three passes — the leaf keeps its faint 'pigeon's tongue' curl.

It is said that an official's daughter had a betrothed who died in the mountains. When she came to the place of his death, her tears fell on a tea bush, and the bush answered: its leaf smelled of orchid, like her beloved's clothes. Ever since, Huang Shan Mao Feng carries 'the voice of a loving heart': it is drunk when one wants to remember someone with love and without grief.

Terroir

700–1200 m. weathered granite and shale, a thin layer of organic matter. dense mists (200+ misty days a year), cool nights, little direct sun. The best gardens are the villages of Tengxi, Fuxi and Gukeng. Leaves from misty slopes above 900 m yield the finest orchid note.

Leaf

dry leaf: thin curving 'tongues' of pale green with a thick white down

warmed: the warmed leaf — wild orchid, steamed pod, a thin coolness

after pour: after the infusion — orchid, wet meadow, a faint honey, a cool freshness

taste: wild orchid, steamed pod, a cool sweetness, a long morning freshness

finish: thin, cool, long for a green tea

Properties

TCM: cool, yin; clears heat, brightens the head, nourishes the lungs

Modern: high theanine and catechin content; gentle stimulation, supports breathing and metabolism

Cha qi: light, rising into the head; felt as a 'window opening' at the temples

Caffeine: moderate (25–40 mg)

Brewing ritual

a glass of 200 ml or a 150 ml gaiwan; 78 °C; 4 g / 200 ml. 40s — the first mist: orchid, coolness; 60s — the peak: a mountain sweetness, a steamed pod; 90s — a long echo, a morning freshness.

When to drink

morning and early day. spring. when you need to stop, for contemplation, on a quiet morning. white pear, steamed rice, light cheeses, green vegetables, white fish. a solitary morning, quiet work

Tea meditation

Close your eyes. The mist is better seen with closed ones.
The orchid is not loud. Listen.
Sit upright, like a young monk.

Questions and answers

How do you brew Huangshan Mao Feng?

a glass of 200 ml or a 150 ml gaiwan; 78 °C; 4 g / 200 ml. 40s — the first mist: orchid, coolness; 60s — the peak: a mountain sweetness, a steamed pod; 90s — a long echo, a morning freshness.

What does Huangshan Mao Feng taste like?

wild orchid, steamed pod, a cool sweetness, a long morning freshness

How much caffeine is in Huangshan Mao Feng?

moderate (25–40 mg)

What are the effects of Huangshan Mao Feng?

high theanine and catechin content; gentle stimulation, supports breathing and metabolism