毛茶
Term · Raw material
maocha
Literal meaning
hairy/crude tea
Definition#
Unrefined crude tea as it leaves the primary processing step, before sorting, blending or compression. In pu'er it means sun-dried crude leaf; it may be sold loose as is, pressed into raw pu'er, or pile-fermented into ripe.
Translation and usage#
| Language | Use | Alternatives & cautions |
|---|---|---|
| English | maocha crude (unrefined) tea pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid hairy tea 毛 here means 'rough, unfinished', not hairy buds raw tea in pu'er English 'raw' means sheng; avoid the clash |
| Deutsch | Maocha unverarbeiteter Rohtee pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid haariger Tee mistranslation of 毛 |
| Русский | мао ча необработанное чайное сырьё, рассыпной сырой пуэр pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid волосатый чай mistranslation of 毛 пушистый чай literal misreading of 毛 |
| 简体字繁體字 | 毛茶 | |
| 日本語 | 毛茶 |
Common confusions#
- 毛 is mistranslated as 'hairy' (cf. 毛峰 where it does refer to down).
- Russian retailers sell 'шэн пуэр мао ча' as a product type; readers think mao cha is a variety rather than a stage.
- Also used for pu'er raw material; English 'raw tea' wrongly evokes sheng pu'er.
- Moychay writes «мао ча (полуфабрикат)», a good model.
Terms#
Entries that use this term 6#
武夷岩茶
Wuyi rock tea Wǔyí yánchá
Umbrella entry for the roasted oolongs of Wuyishan, defined by a geographical-indication standard; individual cultivars and named teas are child entries.
sourced
生普
Sheng pu'er shēng pǔ
Pu-er made from sun-dried maocha without the accelerated wet-piling used for shou; its character changes with manufacture and storage.
draft
熟普
Shou pu'er shú pǔ
Pu-er whose sun-dried maocha undergoes controlled wet-piling, producing a distinct ripe style through microbial, moisture and heat-driven changes.
sourced
安溪铁观音
Anxi Tieguanyin Ānxī Tiěguānyīn
Rolled oolong from the Tieguanyin cultivar, protected as a GI for the whole of Anxi County. GB/T 19598-2025 defines three styles: clean (清香), heavy (浓香) and aged (陈香).
sourced
福建
Fujian Fújiàn
Southeastern coastal province where oolong, white, black (red) and jasmine tea all originated; about 602,000 t of tea in 2025 (second in China). Main areas: Minbei, Minnan, Mindong.
draft
云南
Yunnan Yúnnán
Southwestern province, China's largest tea grower by area and output, and the legal home of the pu'er geographical indication (11 prefectures, 75 counties).
draft