Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
The historic Huang Shan Mao Feng is well-known as one of the ten famous Chinese tea. This Ming QianHuang Shan Mao Feng was picked on March 23, 2013, is a kind of pre-ming green tea. Pre-ming tea has strict requirement of the picking time and its making standard, thus the bird-tongue appearance could been perfect formed, as well as the brisk flavor. Both of which are favored by tea lovers.
Our Nonpareil Huang Shan Mao Feng Green tea is Te Gong grade. Te Gong refers to two Chinese words: 特(tè) and 贡(gòng). 特 is short for 特级, which means the tea’s grade is nonpareil; while 贡 is short for 贡品, meaning that the tea was used to be paid as tribute to the emperor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had the opportunity to try many different Mao Feng Green Teas, but this Nonpareil Te Gong Huang Shan from Teavivre is one of the very best that I’ve ever encountered. It has an outstanding flavor.
These gorgeous green leaves produce a clear, soft green liquid that tastes earthy and sweet at first, and then as I continue to sip, I notice different flavors develop. The taste and texture is soft and creamy, with the cream notes falling somewhere between milk and butter with slight vanilla-like tones.
By the time I’m at mid-cup, I begin to notice a crisp apple-y taste that is sweet with hints of tang. The tangy note develops further into something that is more savory than tangy toward the bottom of the cup. It’s a nice, well-rounded tea.
I really enjoyed this Mao Feng from Teavivre . Be sure to take this tea through its paces because it can deliver several flavorful infusions! A true delight to drink.
Pre Rain Huang Shan Mao Feng Green Tea from Driftwood Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Driftwood Tea
Tea Description:
Our Huang Shan Mao Feng comes from the first picking in early spring, when the finest teas are selected, and is a beautiful example of one of China’s ‘Ten Famous Teas.’ A real Champagne tea and one every Chinese and green tea lover should really experience fresh.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ah … lovely! This Pre Rain Huang Shan Mao Feng Green Tea from Driftwood Tea is really a wonderful tea to experience.
The leaves are long and fluffy, and their shape and fluffy/bulky kind of quality reminds me a bit of a Silver Needle tea, but the color is a darker green color than the typical Silver Needle tea. They also do not feel as soft to the touch as a typical Silver Needle tea. But that’s OK, of course, because this is NOT a Silver Needle tea … it’s a Mao Feng.
And this is truly a lovely example of a Mao Feng. It is light and delicate, with notes of a fresh “grassy” kind of taste … but this grassy/vegetative taste is not a strong note. It is light, and there is an overture of sweetness that is almost nut-like, and this sweetness keeps the grassy tone from tasting ‘bitter’ or off. It’s a very pleasing, delicate balance between sweet and vegetative.
There is also a very enjoyable floral note that is almost indistinguishable with the first few sips, but as I continue to sip, this delightful floral note develops.
Mao Feng is a classic Chinese green tea, and as the above description states, it’s one of the famous ten teas. What makes Mao Feng teas so special to me is their simplicity. But even though I tend to call Mao Feng teas a “simple” green, there is complexity to them too. They have lovely layers of flavor, very soothing, and very pleasing to the palate. Sweet, nutty notes together with a brothy, vegetative grassy tone that is delicate yet lush, and the floral note that builds as one continues to sip.
A truly lovely tea, this Huang Shan Mao Feng Green Tea from Driftwood Tea! If you are a green tea lover, this is one for you to add to your must try list!
Mrs. Li’s Shi Feng Dragonwell Green Tea from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
True Shi Feng Dragonwell is one of the most admired teas in the world, officially endorsed by Emperor Qianlong as the archetypal green tea. We sourced this limited batch from an old friend, Mrs. Li, whose family has a plot of land at the heights of Shi Feng (Lion’s Peak). Tea lovers make the long hike up gravel and dirt roads to reach Mrs. Li’s farm and buy a bit of her precious harvest. Because of our unique friendship, we were able to secure a few pounds to share.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My review of this Mrs. Li’s Shi Feng Dragonwell Green Tea from Verdant Tea is somewhat bittersweet because … this is easily the finest Dragonwell green tea I’ve ever tasted but unfortunately, this tea is not available for purchase at this time. On the Verdant Tea website it reads:
This special edition tea has sold out. We are hoping that Mrs. Li will let us have more of her Dragonwell later this year or in the spring.
Sadness!
But also … JOY! Because I do feel very fortunate that I’ve this opportunity to be tasting this tea now. As I said before, this Dragonwell is the finest that I’ve tried. I love Dragonwell tea, and sure, I’ll still enjoy other Dragonwell teas that are from Mrs. Li’s tea farm. But this one … this tea stands alone in a class by itself.
It has a delicious nutty flavor that is sweet, smooth and offers very little astringency. The tasting notes on the Verdant Tea website suggest a cashew-like flavor for the “nuttiness” that I just mentioned, and I get that. Yeah, that’s quite cashew-like, and I can almost feel that sort of nutty “creaminess” that I experience when I munch on a handful of cashews. Cashews are one of my favorite nuts, and that sweetness that is almost soft and creamy is one of the reasons I find these nuts so enjoyable.
There is a slight grassy tone to the flavor, and I noticed that vegetative tone immediately with my first sip. The vegetal notes fall somewhere between sweet grass and lima bean for me. And as I continue to sip, I notice a mineral-like note toward mid-sip.
What is most remarkable for me with this tea, though, is the creaminess it presents. I usually find Dragonwell teas to be more on the pure, clean tasting side – and this tea does possess that quality as well – but this also has a taste and texture that is creamy and almost vanilla-esque. It is quite dreamy!
I LOVE this Dragonwell. If my cupboard could contain only one Dragonwell tea, this would be the one I’d select. If someone were to ask me for a green tea recommendation to serve to someone with impeccable taste, this would be one of the first teas that would come to mind. This is a tea worth trying – and I do recommend keeping your eye on the Verdant Tea website to see if this tea becomes available again … it’s definitely worth the effort!
Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea is one of the ten famous Chinese teas. This Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea origins in organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain, has passed the organic certification of European, USA and Japan, is a significant base of planting organic dragon well and green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
These leaves are beautiful. So long and slender and wiry. The color is so deeply green on these leaves that they almost appear black. A deep, forest-y green like the color of the evergreen forests here in the Pacific Northwest. Gorgeous!
The brewed tea is very light in color and has a very pleasing flavor. Mao Feng is one of my favorite green teas … quite simply because it tends to be very simple! It tastes like what I expect green tea to taste like. That isn’t to say that there isn’t a complexity to this cup – it certainly has many layers of enjoyable flavors – what I mean to say is that it doesn’t try to be anything that it is not. It is green tea, and that is what it tastes like.
It has a forward vegetative taste that tastes of sweet, broth-y vegetables – sort of like a comforting bowl of vegetable soup but without the chunks of vegetables! It isn’t really “grassy” … it is more like vegetables, but occasionally, I do get a distinctive tone that is more grassy to me than veggie.
When served hot, it becomes a very cozy, relaxing cup of tea. When served iced, it becomes a very refreshing, exhilarating drink. It is sweet and enjoyable served straight, but it also takes the addition of a thin slice of lemon quite nicely. A sprig of mint would also be agreeable.
This is one of those teas that I’d choose for an everyday green tea. A really enjoyable Mao Feng.
Shanlinxi Long Feng Xia Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: T-Oolong Tea
Tea Description:
Our Long Feng Xia Oolong tea is handpicked and handcrafted. The tea is produced from Qingxin Oolong varietal grown in Long Feng Xia district located in the mountain areas of Shanlinxi, frequently covered with fog or clouds. The ideal tea growing environment of the high mountain plantations makes the tea high quality. The brewed Long Feng Xia Oolong has a strong floral and sweet aroma and taste, a long-lasting flavor and a strong sweet aftertaste. It is very smooth and delectable.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from this company, and it’s absolutely delightful!
I steeped this in my gaiwan, starting with a quick 10 second rinse, and then infusing for 1 minute for the first infusion, and adding 15 seconds to each subsequent infusion. I combined the first two infusions for my first cup, then the third and fourth infusion combined made up my second cup, and finally, the combination of infusions five and six made my third and final cup.
With my first cup: the flavor is intense! A lovely sweetness that reminds me of honeysuckle. The floral notes start off very strong and begin to mellow toward the end of the sip. There is a mild fruit-tone to this tea as well, starting off with a peach-like flavor that tapers into a citrus-y tone which complements the light, tangy astringency at the tail. The mouthfeel is very creamy and smooth, and the aftertaste is sweet.
My second cup delivered a stronger floral taste, tasting almost like orchid and honeysuckle. The fruit notes that I noticed in my first cup seem to be overwhelmed by the floral notes. The mouthfeel seems a little less creamy, but it is still thick and silky.
My third cup was milder than the second with softer floral notes; and more of a unified flavor than the first with the floral notes and re-emerging fruit tones becoming more of a seamless flavor. The astringency is lighter, as is the mouthfeel.
I am so pleased with this tea, and it has piqued my interest in this company. I can’t wait to try some of their other offerings … and be sure to stay tuned for more reviews!