Coveted "fuzz tip" is the peak for connoisseurs

Huangshan maofeng is one of the most pricey and sought-after green tea varieties in China. Despite its name, which literally means fuzz tip from Yellow Mountain, a mountain range with an area of 160 square kilometers in east China's Anhui province, it remains a controversy which part of the mountain, characterized by its oddly-shaped peaks, pines and clouds, boasts the best produced example of the tea.

The most common consensus, agreed by both local tea-makers and tea connoisseurs around the country, is that a small town in the southern part of the mountains, called Fuxi, is the birthplace of the tea.

The tender, needle-like infusion is believed to have originated in the late 19th century, when a local merchant tried to make a living in a remote village after becoming a war refugee. By creating a unique tea baking technique, the merchant, Xie Zhengan, managed to turn the leaves of an obscure plant into a beverage coveted in big cities like Shanghai, which even now still takes five hours to reach by road.