Dating back to over 900 years ago, when its ancestor’s leaves were offered as an imperial tribute to the Song Dynasty. A true gift. An ideal connoisseur’s tea. Buttery and rich, with caramel and floral notes and a distinctively fruity, woodsy character.
Details
- : Oolong
- : Wudong, China.
- : Medium
- : Hand-harvested from a single garden of tall “Mi Lan” (Honey Orchid) tea trees that are 30 to 40 years old each, and then processed in extremely limited qualities.
- : Persistent aromas of honey, ripe peaches, apricots and nectarines. A mildly gauzy body gives way to the gentle aftertaste of roasted barley and lingering aromas of ripe pitted fruits.
- : Bacon and potato quiche and Samovar’s Salmon Egg Bowl.
More About the Phoenix Oolong:
The origins of Phoenix Oolong date back to an antique varietal referred to as “Feng Huang Shui Xian,” which was offered as an imperial tribute to the Song Dynasty during the 11th and 12th centuries. At that time, soldiers guarded a single group of tea trees, whose harvests were strictly reserved for emperors and leaders of China.
It is believed that in 1278 A.D. the last emperor of the Southern Song Dynasties fled to Chaozhou, Guangdong, where Dancong is cultivated today. His entourage had no water when they were passing through the Feng Huang Mountains, so they picked fresh leaves from a tea plant to chew for their thirst. It is said that the leaves were sweet, fruity and floral with a refreshing energy and a miraculous ability to produce sweet saliva and quench thirst.
The tea plant that quenched the travelers’ thirsts was known as “Song Cha.” It grew into a famous antique tea tree. Although it died in 1928, its seeds were spread throughout the Golden Phoenix Mountain (or Feng Huang Shan) region in Southwest Fujian. Over the centuries, seeds from “Song Cha” and its descendents were selectively bred to create a multigenerational family of Golden Phoenix Mountain tea trees is known collectively as “Feng Huang Dancong.” “Feng Huang” refers to the specific origin of Golden Phoenix Mountain, while “Dancong” refers to the class of oolong that single-strain trees with a common ancestry of “Song Cha” yield.
The location, varietal and age of each tea plant directly impact the resultant tea’s aroma, flavor and ability to withstand multiple infusions. A simple analogy is single-origin, heirloom, old vine wines. Evolutionary responses to microclimates within the mountainous Feng Huang region and the hand-selection of pollinated (rather than hybridized) seeds have both contributed to a multitude of varieties of Golden Phoenix Oolong, each with its own unique fruity, floral character.
Additionally, the age of the harvested plants and the age of its seed source at the time of planting influence the character of the tea and often increase the number of infusions it will yield. The trees that produced our batch of oolong are 30 to 40 years old and were bred from the seeds of a plant that was 70 years old.
It is said that there are between 80 and100 varietals of Feng Huang Dancong currently under cultivation and development. Feng Huang Dancong varietals are typically named after their fruity or floral aromas. Only ten of the varietals produced are considered to be the “famous aroma” types of Dancong. Our Phoenix Oolong is one of those types – “Mi Lan,” which roughly translates to “Honey Orchid,” but is actually the name of a rare type of honey peach blossom that grows only in certain parts of China.
The importance of the characteristics of the tea plants from which this tea was harvested is tantamount, but there is also great skill involved in producing this artisan tea. Fresh, medium-sized tealeaves in the shape of a bird’s mouth are delicately hand-plucked from tall trees with branches that spread open like an umbrella. The best batches of tea are very small, so the utmost care and attention can be provided to these precious heirloom tealeaves. Samovar’s lot of 12 kilograms of Phoenix Oolong was from the first flush of the 2008 season.
Since Samovar’s purchase of this rare Phoenix Oolong, its flavor has slowly begun to evolve and even improve. While some teas’ qualities degrade with time, others (most notably pu-erh and some oolongs) acquire new, desirable characteristics. Fresh Dancong teas have a high ratio of antioxidants known as catechins and polyphenols, which lend them a sharp astringency and persistent, dry finish. However, over time, post-processing oxidation will gradually darken the leaves to a reddish-amber color and develop sharp assertiveness into complex woody and fruity aromas.
Some premium Dancongs get mellower and smoother each year for up to 25 years, especially if they are re-baked every few years, Once a Phoneix Oolong like ours has been aged for about 12 months, it can begin to withstand hotter water and longer infusion times without getting too astringent. This produces a deeper, more nuanced tea.
Along with complexity of flavor, lingering aftertaste and phenomenal aroma, the potential for aging encourages a cult-like following of Phoenix Oolong in China. Each year during harvest season, die-hard tea buyers arrive at farms with large sums of cash in hand to buy Feng Huang Dancong for sale in China’s best teahouses and for luxury gifts from high-end corporate and governmental sectors. The very highest grades of Phoenix Oolong cost about $4,000 to $6,000 per kilogram at the farms that produce them. Our Phoenix Oolong is just below this grade. It cannot be accessed without a solid connection with the family who produced.
To experience the full potential of this inspiring tea, we suggest you use a traditional brewing method, such as a Yixing teapot or a guywan teacup. These methods encourage the use of more leaves and less water, which is the one of the keys to unlocking Phoenix Oolong’s fantastically playful, floral, fruity character, ripened-peach nectar and aromatic qualities that linger on the palate long after your cup has been emptied. Phoenix Oolong can be temperamental and brewing it well requires some skill. However, with focused attentiveness and awareness, brewing this rare, artisanal oolong is a relatively easy ritual to perform.
Brewing the Pheonix Oolong Tea
To prepare Phoenix Oolong, first bring freshly drawn and filtered water to a boil. Unless you have aged the tea, allow the water to cool to no more than 195 degrees Fahrenheit. (Once you have aged this tea for several years, it can withstand higher brew temperatures, as well as longer brew times.)
Fill your guywan or Yixing pot two-thirds of the way with tealeaves. Gently pour the hot water over the leaves to rinse and awaken them and then discard the rinse water immediately. Your leaves are now ready to be infused.
When brewed skillfully, Phoenix Oolong shows great “patience” (ability to evolve and develop complex flavors and aromas over multiple infusions) and can yield upwards of 15 infusions. The first three to five brews should be very quick – 30 seconds at most.
After these initial brews, you may gradually increase the brew time to suit your tastes. Each fresh pour of hot water should just cover the tealeaves, as an imbalance of tea and water will weaken the character of the tea. As you reinfuse the leaves, evaluate your brew times by the results they achieve. A well-brewed Phoenix Oolong has a rich viscosity. The flavor is wildly aromatic and assertive with a lingering, complex aroma and finish.
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