Many people often confuse Mao Feng and Mao Jian, often equating the two, thinking that these two types of Tea are the same, just with different names.
Such an understanding is completely incorrect. The differences between Mao Feng and Mao Jian are quite distinct; it's just that people don't usually take the time to carefully compare them.
Mao Feng and Mao Jian are fundamentally not the same type of tea.
Why are these two types of tea frequently mistaken for one another?
Today, I will clear up any confusion and explain the differences between the two.
The following comparison will be made using Huangshan Mao Feng and Xinyang Mao Jian, the most representative teas of their kinds.
I. Different Origins
1. Huangshan Mao Feng is produced in the Huangshan (Huizhou) area of Anhui Province, so it is also known as Huizhou tea. It has been produced since the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, with a long history and exquisite craftsmanship, making it one of China's Top Ten Famous Teas.
The unique geographical conditions of Huangshan are very suitable for the growth of tea trees, with high mountains, dense forests, fertile soil, and perpetual mists, leading to the saying, “When it's sunny, there is mist everywhere morning and evening; when it's cloudy or rainy, there are clouds covering the mountains all day.”
Since the freshly made Huangshan Mao Feng tea leaves have white down covering them, sharp buds, and are picked from the peaks of Huangshan, the tea was named “Huangshan Mao Feng.”
The quality characteristics of Huangshan Mao Feng can be described with eight words: fragrant, flavorful, clear broth, and lustrous color.
2. Xinyang Mao Jian is one of China's Top Ten Famous Teas and is known as the King of Green Tea. It has a history dating back more than 2,000 years. In the Tang Dynasty, Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea, listed Xinyang among the eight major tea-producing areas in his book “The Classic of Tea.”
In general, the name Mao Jian is based on the appearance of the dry tea leaves. Because the leaves are small and compact with pointed tips or covered with white down, they are named “Mao Jian” based on their appearance. As it is produced in Xinyang, Henan, it is called Xinyang Mao Jian.
Xinyang Mao Jian is also called “Yu Mao Feng,” a peculiar name that uses both “Jian” and “Feng.”
Many tea enthusiasts are confused by this, which leads to the misunderstanding that Xinyang Mao Jian and Huangshan Mao Feng are the same type of tea.
Xinyang Mao Jian was once described with the term “Xiao Hun Dan,” which refers to three characteristics of Xinyang Mao Jian.
1. “Xiao” means small and tender shoots.
2. “Hun” refers to the excessive white down on Xinyang Mao Jian, which can be seen in the tea broth after steeping, making the broth appear very cloudy.
3. “Dan” means that compared to Longjing and other teas, Xinyang Mao Jian has a light fragrance. On the other hand, it also means that the tea is not very robust and tastes light.
II. Different Tea Plant Varieties
Huangshan Mao Feng is made from the fresh leaves of large- and medium-leaf tea plants, with visible white down on the finished product.
Xinyang Mao Jian is made from the fresh leaves of small-leaf tea plants, with visible but not prominent white down on the finished product.
III. Different Appearances
1. Generally speaking, high-quality Huangshan Mao Feng has an attractive appearance, with each leaf about half an inch long, thin and slightly curled, with a light yellowish-green color, a glossy and bright appearance, the buds tightly nestled among the leaves, resembling a sparrow's tongue, covered with fine white down, uniform and robust, with sharp buds and exposed down, a color like ivory, and golden-yellow fish leaves.
It is important to note that golden-yellow fish leaves and a color like ivory are the two distinctive features of top-grade Huangshan Mao Feng that distinguish it from other Mao Feng teas. These refer specifically to the fresh leaves picked during the first spring flush, consisting of one bud and one leaf at the initial stage of development, processed into Huangshan Mao Feng.
Fish leaves are the small leaves at the edge of the tea bud. After a winter of accumulation, these fish leaves turn golden-yellow, hence the term “golden-yellow fish leaves.” The buds have many downy hairs, giving them a velvety-white appearance, with a faint yellow-green color on the outside, which is why they are said to be “color like ivory.”
There are mainly two types of Huangshan Mao Feng commonly found on the market: one is the straightened shape, and the other is the rolled shape. Although they are the same type of tea, due to differences in production techniques, there are subtle variations in taste.
The straightened shape of Mao Feng looks good and has a lighter taste, while the rolled Mao Feng, after being kneaded into a curled shape, has a richer flavor and stronger aroma.
Both are neither better nor worse, but rather depend on personal preference.
2. Xinyang Mao Jian is thin and straight, with a twisted shape, round and smooth, green in color, covered with a layer of green “clothing,” and dotted with Silver down.
3. Xinyang Mao Jian is thin, straight, round, smooth, and tight, with abundant white down and a green color, while Huangshan Mao Feng has slightly looser twists and a shape resembling a sparrow's tongue that is slightly curved. These are the most minute differences between the two types of tea.
4. Finished Huangshan Mao Feng primarily consists of leaves, with only a small portion containing buds. Xinyang Mao Jian primarily consists of buds, including pure buds, one bud and one leaf, and one bud and two leaves. Therefore, buds and leaves can also be used to distinguish between these two types of tea.
IV. Different Harvest Times and Standards
1. Huangshan Mao Feng
There is a saying about tea in the Huangshan region: “Tea before summer, grass after summer.”
Huangshan Mao Feng generally only harvests spring tea and does not pick summer or autumn tea.
The spring tea harvest typically occurs around the Qingming and Guyu periods, ending at the beginning of summer.
The first harvest of Huangshan Mao Feng occurs around the Qingming Festival. At this time, buds with abundant down and one bud and one leaf are selected to make premium tea, which is referred to as top-grade Mao Feng.
The second harvest occurs around the Guyu Festival. At this time, the harvested tea leaves mostly consist of one bud and two leaves in the initial stages of development or one bud and two to three leaves, used to produce first to third-grade Huangshan Mao Feng.
2. According to the growth season of Xinyang Mao Jian, locals traditionally use the harvest period of fresh leaves as a standard to divide the tea into spring tea, summer tea, and autumn tea (Bailu tea).
The harvest times vary each year and are generally not far apart, but Xinyang Mao Jian has many classifications based on harvest periods:
Early Garden Tea (harvested around mid-March on the solar calendar).
Qingming Tea (harvested before April 5th on the solar calendar).
Yuqian Tea (harvested before April 20th on the solar calendar).
Spring Tail Tea (harvested before June on the solar calendar).
Summer Tea (harvested in the summer).
Autumn Tea, also known as Bailu Tea (harvested around the Bailu period).
In other words, the harvest period for Xinyang Mao Jian extends from mid-March to late September.
Premium Xinyang Mao Jian primarily consists of one bud and one leaf or one bud and two leaves. Mid-range teas primarily consist of one bud and two to three leaves.
V. Different Processing Techniques
1. Huangshan Mao Feng belongs to the category of baked green tea (the drying method for the tea is baking). The production process is relatively simple, mainly including the following steps: fresh leaf picking, pan-firing and kneading, preliminary baking, tip lifting, and final baking.
2. Xinyang Mao Jian belongs to the