Mao Feng
Huangshan Mao Feng (fur peak) is a classic Chinese green from the Yellow Mountains of Anhui, made from a bud and one or two tender leaves with visible white down. It is prized for a clean, fresh, orchid-like fragrance and a smooth, gently sweet cup, and it sits among China's ten famous teas. High-mountain mist and early picking define the best grades.
Slender, slightly curved leaf sets with a clear bud and fine white down, the fur the name refers to; the more even and downy, the higher the grade. The aroma should be fresh and orchid-like, the cup smooth and lightly sweet with little astringency. Genuine Huangshan material is the benchmark, though Mao Feng style green is now made widely. Early-spring picking before Qingming yields the finest lots.
The most celebrated Mao Feng is Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) Mao Feng from Anhui, where high-altitude mist and cool nights slow growth and concentrate aroma. Mao Feng as a name and shaping style is also produced in other provinces with varying quality, so the Huangshan origin distinction matters. The cultivar and the high-mountain terroir together produce the signature orchid fragrance.
Western: 80-85°C, 3 g per 200 ml, 2 minutes. Glass or gaiwan brewing shows the leaf well. Gongfu: 80°C, 4 g per 120 ml, 20-30 seconds ascending, 3-4 infusions. Keep the water off the boil to protect the fragrance.
Everyday Mao Feng style green runs €12-30 (about $13-32) per 100 g. Authentic early-spring Huangshan Mao Feng reaches €40-90 (about $43-97) per 100 g.
Prices reviewed June 2026
Huangshan Mao Feng was developed in the late 19th century and named for the fine white down on its tender buds and the mist-shrouded peaks where it grows. The Yellow Mountains' near-constant cloud cover is credited with the slow growth and concentrated aroma that distinguish the top grades.
The steps overlap in practice; this is a reading order, not a set of separate stages.
Longjing (Dragon Well)
The pan-flattened Jiangnan benchmark, nuttier and rounder than Mao Feng's orchid-fresh profile.
Bi Luo Chun
The spiral-rolled, fruitier downy green; both are delicate, but the shape and aroma diverge.
Taiping Houkui
The other famous Anhui green, with dramatic large flat leaves and a related orchid note.