Mao Feng Green Tea Guide

Trying mao feng for the first time may be the most thrilling experience ever, especially if you love green tea. This refreshing and strong green tea is one of the most popular green teas in the world.

What is Mao Feng tea?

Mao Feng is one of the most popular Chinese green teas with a history of over 200 years. Green tea is an unoxidized type of tea made from the Camellia sinensis tea plant. Not all green teas are the same. Flavor, shape, aroma and scent will depend on many factors, including tea plant type, climate, soil and harvesting and producing methods. Not even all mao feng teas are the same. The most popular mao feng comes from the Huang Shan – Yellow Mountain in Anhui province and it’s called Huang Shan Mao Feng.

Although the Huangshan mao feng tea from the Anhui province is on the top 10 famous Chinese list, it’s not the only mao feng tea in China, or even in the world. This tea is produced in other Chinese provinces too, such as Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang, and even in other countries. In fact, mao feng may be a black tea too – for example Keemun Mao Feng.

What does Mao Feng mean?

Mao Feng means fur peak, and it describes the shape and appearance of the processed tea leaves. It contains new unopened tea buds more or less covered in white hair, and a first and second leaf. The authentic mao feng tea should be processed using traditional methods, but not all of them are. Therefore, Huang Shan Mao Feng is a specific type of tea, while any mao feng tea may only tell the shape and/or the quality of some other tea type.

How is Mao Feng produced?

Mao feng tea usually contains one bud and one or two leaves. The best one is always harvested in the early spring and grown on medium-high to high altitudes. Depending on the harvesting time, harvesting method and processing technique, mao feng can have a different shape and color – from longer and lightly twisted leaves to smaller, more twisted leaf shapes. After harvesting, tea leaves are withered, then baked to stop the oxidation, lightly rolled and dried. Most Chinese green teas are pan-fried and almost all Japanese green teas are steamed to stop the oxidation. The technique tea producers use to stop the oxidation has a big impact on the final flavor. That’s why Japanese teas are more vegetal and green, while the Chinese are slightly nutty and sweet. This is just one of the things that makes mao feng unique in the world of green teas.

Mao Feng green tea

Health benefits and side effects

Mao feng is a green tea, therefore it shares the same health benefits with other green teas. Green tea contains antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, caffeine and chlorophyl. All of them may have a good impact of your health and provide multiple benefits. The amount of beneficial compounds in tea will depend on many factors–from the tea varietal and growing conditions, harvesting and processing methods, storing conditions and even the way you brew it.

The most important benefits of mao feng tea are:

1. Antioxidant activity

Green tea contains catechins that help fight free radicals and reduce oxidative stress that damages body’s cells. Damaged cells may be a cause of many health problems. Camellia sinesis plant is the only plant in the world with very high levels of EGCg. This catechin is the most abundant in green tea.

2. Anti inflammatory activity

Both black and green tea may provide an anti inflammatory activity, but in green tea it may be higher.[1] Therefore, drinking green tea may be very beneficial for people suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases,[2] such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and arthritis[3].

3. Anti aging activity

Studies showed that green tea may have an anti-wrinkle effect and help repair damaged caused by the sun[4]. But the skin benefits don’t stop here. Other studies showed that drinking green tea may help promote wound healing, reduce sebum and acne vulgaris[5].

4. Regulating high blood pressure

Drinking green tea may help regulate high blood pressure[6], reduce inflammation of blood vessels and help prevent heart disease.

5. Aiding weight loss

EGCg and caffeine may help with weight loss[7] by reducing calorie intake, increasing fat burn, and preventing the formation of new fat cells[8]. However, it’s important to know that green tea may offer the best benefits only when combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

6. Promoting hair growth

The first step towards great hair may be brewing yourself a cup of green tea. A study on mice showed that green tea polyphenolic compounds may help regrow lost hair[9] and even prevent losing hair in the first place.[10]

7. Promoting bone health

Bone health depends on many factors- from Vitamin D and calcium to regular exerice. Drinking green tea may help to keep them healthy too. A Chinese study on mao feng tea showed that it may help reduce oxidative stress in elderly people and prevent bone loss that may lead to osteoporosis[11].

Mao Feng Green Tea

Are there any side effects?

Drinking 3-5 cups of green tea tea should not cause any side effects. However, mao feng is a green tea, so it contains caffeine and EGCg. Both compounds may cause side effects in excessive amounts. If you are sensitive to caffeine avoid drinking too much green tea. Although green tea is one of the healthiest drinks in the world, don’t try to self-treat serious health conditions without consulting your doctor.

How do you make Mao Feng green tea?

Mao Feng is a tea with a character and a recognizable flavor. To make the best cup of mao feng tea, use about 3 grams of tea leaves per cup of water. Always use fresh spring water. Bring water to a boil. Water temperature for brewing mao feng tea should be around 167°F -176°F. Preheat the teapot before brewing the tea by pouring hot water in and out of the teapot. Steep the leaves for about 1 minutes. Re-steep. Mao feng has a refreshing and strong flavor with light floral notes. To enjoy all flavor notes, choose loose leaf rather than mao feng tea bags. Drink the tea right after brewing. Alternatively, to get a stronger flavor steep longer, like you would brew other green teas.

Mao feng is best enjoyed without any sweeteners, lemon or milk.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It’s not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Every person is different and may react to different herbs and teas differently. Never use teas or herbs to treat serious medical conditions on your own. Always seek professional medical advice before choosing home remedies.