Yang'ai Mao Feng

Yang'ai Mao Feng

　　Yang'ai Mao Feng is a newly developed specialty famous tea, classified as green tea, produced at the Yang'ai Tea Farm.

　　 The tea cultivars at Yang'ai Tea Farm belong to the early-sprouting, small-to-medium leaf type group known as "Shi Li Xiang" from northern Yunnan, which begins its spring harvest about eight days earlier than surrounding tea varieties. This cultivar has dense downy hairs on the back of its new shoots, resulting in dry tea leaves that are covered in visible silver tips, adding boundless beauty to their appearance.

　　 The processing technique of Yang'ai Mao Feng is meticulous, requiring fine craftsmanship. Each year around the Qingming Festival, tender one-bud-one-leaf sprouts are handpicked as raw material. These are first spread thinly in a bamboo tray to naturally wither until they lose about 15% of their moisture, after which processing begins. The manual processing of Yang'ai Mao Feng includes fixation, rolling, initial drying, and final drying. Fixation is done at around 140°C; when the leaves are nearly fixed, the temperature is lowered to 100–110°C to begin rolling. The leaves are handled using a grasping and rolling technique, ensuring the tea strips are well-formed while clearing as much as possible from the bottom of the wok. When about 80% dry, the tea is removed from the wok and immediately lightly rolled while still warm. The rolling motion should be gentle and slow to preserve the tips, downy hairs, and green color. The rolled tea strips then undergo initial drying at 70°C. When 90% dry, the temperature is reduced to 60°C for low-temperature slow drying until fully dried. After drying, the tea is slightly spread out, then sorted to remove any impurities before being packaged and stored. The mechanical processing of Yang'ai Mao Feng includes withering, fixation, rolling, initial drying for shaping, and final drying.

　　 Yang'ai Mao Feng features a delicate, uniform appearance with tightly twisted strips, densely covered in silver downy hairs, and sharp, visible buds. Its color is fresh and vibrant, appearing lush and dewy green. The internal quality is fragrant and rich, with a pure, refreshing taste. The liquor and leaves are tender, bright green, and vivid, fresh and tender as if just picked. Yang'ai Mao Feng excels in quality, shape, and character, with unique color, aroma, flavor, and form—truly a fine tea treasure.

　　 Yang'ai Mao Feng offers rich nutritional value and health benefits for the human body. Containing various amino acids, caffeine, tea polyphenols, and other compounds, it helps regulate overall physiological functions, lower blood sugar and lipid levels, prevent arteriosclerosis, enhance detoxification, and provide anti-cancer effects. The tea is rich in beneficial trace elements for the human body, especially selenium (Se) and strontium (Sr). These elements, when bound with organic compounds, are more readily absorbed by the body.

　　 Since 1975, this tea has been exported to over ten countries and regions including Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, and the United States, where it has been well received by customers. In recent years, Yang'ai Mao Feng has shown strong sales momentum in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Guangdong, Beijing, and other areas, winning widespread popularity among consumers.

　　 Since 1998, Yang'ai Tea Farm has systematically expanded its high-quality tea gardens at a rate of 300 acres per year. It is believed that in the near future, both the quality and yield of Yang'ai Mao Feng will reach new heights. Before 1997, Yang'ai Mao Feng was mainly produced in small quantities according to plan, with output hovering around 3,000 kg. In recent years, through product structure adjustments and increased focus on producing famous teas, the farm has significantly expanded production scale and improved overall efficiency. In 2001, Yang'ai Mao Feng had a production and sales volume of nearly 17,000 kg, and in 2002, it reached nearly 25,000 kg. In 2003, based on the raw materials and processing methods of Mao Feng tea, the farm adjusted its premium tea product structure and created a new, more tightly curled variety called Yang'ai Bilüchun Tea. Together, these two varieties achieved a combined production and sales volume of 30,000 kg. The farm plans to reach an annual production of 40–45 tons of Yang'ai Mao Feng (including Bilüchun Tea) by 2005.

　　 Product Honors:

　　 ▲ Yang'ai Mao Feng was first created in 1960;

　　 ▲ In 1984, it was named one of Guizhou Province’s Four Famous Local Teas;

　　　　▲ In October 1986, the Ministry of Commerce awarded it the title “National Famous Tea”;

　　　　▲ In March 1988, the People's Government of Guizhou Province awarded it “Local Famous Tea”;

　　　　▲ In December 1988, it won the Gold Award at the First National Food Expo;

　　　　▲ In 2000, the China National Food Industry Association awarded it “Safe and High-Quality Assured Food”;

　　　　▲ In June 2001, the Tea Branch of the Guizhou Provincial Food Industry Association awarded it “Guizhou Famous and High-Quality Tea”;

　　　　▲ In August 2001, the Publicity Department of Guiyang Municipal Committee and the Municipal Tourism Bureau awarded it “Guiyang Tourism Specialty Product”;

　　　　▲ In November 2003, the Guizhou Provincial Food Industry Office awarded it “Famous Brand in the Food Industry”;

　　 ▲ In November 2004, it passed the National Quality Inspection Administration’s origin mark registration certification;

　　　　▲ In December 2004, the Tea Branch of the Guizhou Provincial Food Industry Association awarded it “Famous Brand in the Tea Industry”;

　　　　▲ In May 2005, the Tea Branch of the Guizhou Provincial Food Industry Association awarded it “Top Ten Famous Teas of Guizhou”;

　　　　▲ In November 2005, the China Tea Marketing Association awarded it “China’s Three-Green Project Trusted Tea Recommended Brand”;

　　　　▲ In December 2007, the Guizhou Provincial Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision awarded it “Guizhou Famous-Brand Product”.