Anxi oolong made from Maoxie, a cultivar with conspicuously downy young shoots.
Tight, curled leaf shaped like dried oysters (蚵干状), with visible white down. The aroma is high and clear, likened to jasmine; the taste is mellow (the cultivar record: 香清高，味醇和).
Maoxie is among cultivars reported as substitutes sold under the Tieguanyin name. Downy shoots and leaf shape help describe the plant, but they are not a conclusive test of every rolled or roasted packet. Compare the declared cultivar and traceability rather than treating a single leaf feature as proof.
Anxi’s government cites the Fujian tea institute’s cultivar history, which preserves Zhang Jiaxie’s 1957 recollection: in 1907 (Guangxu 33), he obtained more than 100 seedlings from Gao Xiang at Daqiulun in Fumei village and brought them to Pingzhou (萍州). This is an attributed recollection, distinct from the alternative origin legend also reported by the county.
The county’s figures for 2003 give 75,000 mu and about 8,000 t, highlighting Pingzhou and Daping villages. Its plant description records rapid growth, abundant flowering but little seed set, and suitability as material for high-grade 色种.
The institutional cultivar record describes Maoxie as suitable for oolong, black and green tea. Anxi Maoxie represents an oolong use of this plant; the cultivar name alone does not determine processing. Its notably downy young shoots are a botanical feature, not evidence that the finished tea is white tea.
The record’s seasonal budding observations were made in Fu’an, while Maoxie’s recorded origin is in Anxi. A trial-site calendar or fresh-leaf chemical measurement should not be copied onto every finished Maoxie tea. Maoxie holds the plant detail; Minnan oolong explains the wider regional craft.
Price ranks compare recorded retail offers for the same tea, including offers outside the current delivery filter. Shipping and import charges are excluded.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
Anxi Hairy Crab Mao Xie Fujian Oolong Tea
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Yunnan SourcingSelected destinations |
$5.50 / 50 g | $11.00 ≈ $0.88 a session |
Da Ping Mao Xie
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Jing Tea ShopSelected destinations |
$12.00 / 100 g | $12.00 ≈ $0.96 a session |
| Hairy Crab King Mao Xie Wang Oolong Tea | Yunnan SourcingSelected destinations |
$6.25 / 50 g | $12.50 ≈ $1.00 a session |
1999 Aged Hong Oolong Mao Xie (50 g)
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
50 g pack (variant 44369014948069, product 8389420024037). |
The Chinese Tea CompanyWorldwide |
£45.00 / 50 g | $120.12 £90.00 / 100 g ≈ $9.61 a session |
Prices recorded on the dates checked. Conversions use ECB rates dated 2026-10-20; original prices appear alongside. Origin, age and cultivar are stated by the vendor.
| Product | Vendor | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anxi Hairy Crab Mao Xie Fujian Oolong Tea | Yunnan Sourcing | International retail | $11.00 |
| Da Ping Mao Xie | Jing Tea Shop | International retail | $12.00 |
| Hairy Crab King Mao Xie Wang Oolong Tea | Yunnan Sourcing | International retail | $12.50 |
| 1999 Aged Hong Oolong Mao Xie (50 g) | The Chinese Tea Company | International retail | $120.12 |
