Notes of sauternes, honey, and peach.

Old grove olong tea from Guangdong・2015・老叢宋種

Picked by hand the last week of March 2015 from a grove of 80-year-old tea trees grown at 1100m on Wudong Shan, Chaozhou, China, this Song cultivar is a liquid representation of our eponymous tea company.

Phoenix mountain oolongs are called “Dan Cong” - meaning single grove, or single origin. This term refers to a generations-old cultivation method that isolates and propagates distinct aromatic characteristics from a mother tea plant. Once a particular profile is isolated and propagated, it is given a descriptive name that often corresponds to that aromatic profile. Today, over 100 distinct aromatic profiles exist. It’s important to keep in mind that Dan Cong types do not represent distinct tea varieties, per se. Rather, each type is a unique expression of the genetic make-up of a particular tree.

Amongst the 80+ Phoenix Oolong cultivars, the Song cultivar is the most revered. Its lineage dates back 900 years to trees planted during the Southern Song Dynasty, hence its name. This particular Song Cultivar is particularly fine due to the tea trees’ age, and the elevation of the source garden. Older trees have deep root structures that allow the plant to absorb a more complex set of nutrients, while higher elevation climate slows the rate of leaf development.

This small batch tea was crafted entirely by hand. Once picked, these leaves are first withered outdoors, then gently oxidized for over ten hours to develop distinct fruit and honey notes. The finished tea was given three rounds of post-production charcoal roasting to deepen and intensify its flavor.

The result is extraordinarily complex, balanced, and aromatic. Delivery is smooth and viscous. The tea brews with both aromatic and flavor clarity through 8+ infusions, each infusion yielding notes of sauternes, honey and peach.

This limited release celebrates Song Tea & Ceramic's 10th anniversary

Brew: 5 grams・150 ml・205° F・1.5 min

Phoenix dan cong oolongs offer considerable range. Traditionally, this type of tea is brewed to the brink of bitterness - it’s not unusual to see 7 grams used in a 80ml brewing vessel. We suggest a gentler approach that extracts aroma and sweetness, with a lighter finish. Once comfortable with this approach, try adding a few more grams of tea.