Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: TeaVert
Tea Description:
The leaf has a pleasantly sweet, mildly fragrant aroma, with a hint of apricot.
The brew in the cup usually infuses to a very pale yellow with a hint of green.
The taste is mellow and sweet with a nice hint of subtle grassiness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a lovely Mao Feng!
There was a time when I didn’t really care much for green tea. Back then, I found most “unflavored” green teas to be too grassy for my liking. I drank a few green teas, but most of them were flavored green teas (my favorites were a pear flavored green and a cherry and rose flavored green tea … both of which were teas I flavored myself). I preferred the flavored green teas back then because, well, they flavoring managed to help mask the grassy tones of the green tea.
Since that time, I don’t know if it is due to changing taste buds or the fact that I’ve learned better ways of brewing tea (or perhaps a combination of these two factors), I’ve done an ‘about face’ and I find that I generally prefer unflavored green teas to flavored ones. Don’t get me wrong, I still do enjoy flavored green teas quite a bit, but, there is something about the fresh flavor of an unflavored green tea that has won me over to the “green” side.
And this Mao Feng from TeaVert is a perfect example of what it is I love about green tea. The flavor is sweet, with a mild floral note in the background. It has a light grassy tone to it … although it is no longer off-putting to me the way that grassy tone once was. There is a fruity overtone to this tea, and a subtle nutty background and an undertone of creamy butter-like flavor.
If you are one who finds the grassy flavor of green tea to be a little bit much for you, you might find that you’re not quite ready for a Mao Feng, but if you love green tea, this is one you really should try!
Oliphant Estate Mao Feng from Empire Tea Services
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Empire Tea Services
Tea Description:
One of the very few green teas from Sri Lanka. This tea is harvested from China Jat leaves in the high elevation region of Nuwara Eliya. The dried leaves are large and well twisted and capable of multiple infusions. Liquor is flavorful because of the elevation.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I really like Mao Feng teas, and this Mao Feng from the Oliphant Estate is spectacular.
There is virtually no vegetative taste to this whatsoever (there is just a slight hint of vegetative taste … ever so slight!) and that means none of that grassy undertone that is often part of the flavor profile of a green tea. Instead, this has that sweet, smooth taste that is easily recognizable as a green tea without the grassiness.
Instead, this tastes of sweet cream, fresh mountain air, fruit and flower. These individual notes create a very seamless flavor that entices the taste buds and keep me sipping.
This is the kind of green tea I’d recommend to someone who is new to green tea and has found the vegetative/grassy tones of other green teas to be somewhat off-putting. This one is sure to win them over!
Keemun Mao Feng Supreme from Strand Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Strand Tea
Product Description:
Keemun Mao Feng Supreme from the mountain slopes of Anhui Provence is a great tasting whole leaf black tea. Typically Keemuns are breakfast teas, but the Mao Feng Supreme is a great ‘self drinker’ or stands milk well so can be taken any time of day. A beautiful twisted leaf yeilds a cup with little astringency and the classic toasty/winey notes of a good Keemun. We have 3 grades of Keemun and this is the middle grade. It is a well made tea and well worth the price.
Taster’s Review:
I placed an order a while back with Strand Tea, and received this tea as a free sample with my order (Strand Tea also included a small package of cookies with my order!) I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to try this Keemun – it’s fantastic!
The flavor is robust. It is sweet and slightly smoky. Hints of black currant and I can even taste some cocoa notes in the distance. Just as the description above suggests, there is very little astringency to this cup, and it does finish slightly dry: a wine-like finish. The sweet, wine-like taste lingers in the aftertaste.
This tea has a very autumnal kind of feel for me, and perhaps it’s just the fact that it IS autumn that I say that. But the toasty, slightly smoky character of this tea is a very cozy kind of taste – evoking thoughts of warm, comfy blankets and roaring fires in the fireplace. This is the kind of tea you want to have around to warm you up on a chilly afternoon!
A fabulous Keemun – and it is VERY reasonably priced!
Mao Feng Mountain Green Tea from In Nature
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: In Nature
Product Description:
Alpine Mao Feng is our premium grade green tea. Only the finest and freshest buds find their way into this outstanding product.
This tea brews to give a pale yellow-green colour with a characteristic aroma and rich flavour with a clean and refreshing aftertaste. Words are insufficient to describe its taste, the only way to truly know it is to taste it.
Taster’s Review:
After reading the above description from the In Nature website, I have to say that I completely agree. Words ARE insufficient to describe the taste of this tea. I am struggling as I type this to try to adequately describe what I am experiencing as I sip this tea. Definitely a challenge, this tea!
But I mean that in the best way imaginable. This tea is truly sublime. It brews to a beautiful pale green color that possesses a very faint vegetative aroma, offering only a hint of what is to come with the sip.
The flavor is delicate. Beautifully delicate with a crisp, clean taste. It has a very smooth flavor with a pleasant sweetness. In the background there is a faint whisper of the aforementioned vegetative notes. It doesn’t taste grassy, only lightly vegetable-like. There is also a hint of butter to this cup, but it doesn’t leave your mouth feeling “coated” with butter like some green teas can.
Just before the end of the sip, the faintest note of sour is introduced to the palate. It is a very refreshing note, it perks up the palate and keeps it from feeling too overwhelmed by sweet tones. The astringency here is also quite refreshing – cleaning the palate and leaving it ready for another sip.
I love the soft presentation of this tea. It doesn’t need to be an overwhelming flavor, instead, this tea offers an intriguing mystery that keeps me sipping. I really have enjoyed this experience with In Nature!
Mao Feng Mountain Green Tea from In Nature
Tea Type: Green Tea
Where To Buy: In Nature
Product Description:
Mountain Green – Mao Feng ( Alpine Tea )
Alpine Mao Feng is our premium grade green tea. Only the finest and freshest buds find their way into this outstanding product.
This tea brews to give a pale yellow-green colour with a characteristic aroma and rich flavour with a clean and refreshing aftertaste. Words are insufficient to describe its taste, the only way to truly know it is to taste it.
Pack size: 50g
Servings: 50 cups or more. Full instructions on how to prepare the perfect cup of tea inside each box
Tasters Review:
I love trying different teas from different regions and then learning about the name it’s given and what it means. In this case Mao Feng means Alpine Tea. Alpine just makes me think of fresh air and wonder and beauty.
And just so you know…the box doesn’t lie…this is PURE Green Tea. It has a nice PURE – VERY ‘clean’ and sweet taste with a very slight hint of veggie taste.
It’s more sweet that anything…I would say a SWEET Surprise!
