Honey Orchid, Phoenix Dancong Oolong is bright & refreshing with a buttery aroma, high notes of floral honey & accents of high altitude moss & sweet roots. Tinkling bites of tangerine peel are apparent along with accents of molasses & ripe peaches. There is a distinctly refreshing, malty aftertaste & floral honey after aroma. Rich, deep & round, it finishes with a deep woodsy sweetness that is the classic ideal of high altitude Milan Xiang Dancong.
Ingredients: Artisan Milan Xiang Dancong Oolong
Origin: Wudong, Fenghuang (i.e. Phoenix), Guangdong, China
Milan Xiang Dancong -- The fine mastery that produces our Honey Orchid Phoenix Oolong has to be coupled with select first flush harvests from high grown tea bushes in order to deliver the kind of quality only a restricted circle of tea aficionados have known and kept as their prized secret. The overall production volume for such quality in the whole Phoenix region is only a few thousand kilos after all. Most will go to local elites, and the rest to the few hardcore Phoenix oolong fans that are also tea merchants, like us.
Our Honey Orchid Dancong Oolong is bright and refreshing with a buttery aroma, high notes of floral honey and accents of high altitude moss and sweet roots. The lively, full bodied infusion has the same consistent notes of malt and lightly toasted cereal. Tinkling bites of tangerine peel are apparent along with accents of molasses and ripe peaches. There is a distinctly refreshing, malty aftertaste and floral honey after aroma.
This 2011 batch is of an amazing quality! Rich, deep and round, it finishes with a deep woodsy sweetness that is the classic ideal of high altitude Milan Xiang Dancong. Like most Phoenix oolongs, given proper storage conditions, Honey Orchid should age beautifully. After two years it should mature to a fuller, rounder body and the already faint astringency should mellow. Prepared gongfu style, Honey Orchid should give you up to 10 exceptional infusions.
Dancong Oolong, also called Phoenix Oolong, teas are made from fresh leaf plucked from tea trees (not tea bushes) which are known as 'single trunk' tea trees. The teas are identified by flavor and aroma profile (floral, spicy, etc) that are classified as 'fragrances'. Over 30 different fragrances have been classified and each fragrance corresponds to the genetic lineage of the tea trees. The most delicious teas are from the oldest tea trees ( 100-300 years in age ) which have individual characteristics, growth habits, shapes and fragrances.
Brewing Instructions
Water Temperature: 192-205 degrees
Water Quality: Best with Spring Water
Amount of Leaf (per 3 fl oz water): 2-3 Tbl. (5 grams)
Steep Time: 20 seconds to 1 minute
Number of Infusions: 10-20
Oolong tea is best brewed gongfu style using an earthenware Yixing pot or a lidded gaiwan using a high leaf to water ratio. We recommend using 5 grams (approximately 2-3 Tbl.) per 3 ounces of water. Bring the water to approximately 192 degrees--just below the boiling point. Put the tea into a pre-warmed pot or gaiwan and pour the water directly over the tea leaves. After about 10 seconds pour out and discard the first infusion and refill the pot. Steep for approximately 20 seconds to 1 minute. If using a pot with a mesh infuser, remove the leaves and set aside for the second infusion. If using a pot without an infuser, decant the tea into a serving pitcher or directly into the cups, but do not leave the leaves in the water. We strongly encourage our customers to use teapots with large mesh infusers to allow the leaves to fully expand in the water. The infuser can then be removed after the preferred steeping time and then re-used for subsequent infusions. Failing that, we recommend decanting the tea into a clean warm pot or serving pitcher. This tea can be infused as many as 10 to 20 times increasing temperature and steeping time with each infusion.
