Notes of quince, honey, and chamomile.

Oolong tea from Guangdong, China・April 2022・老叢茉莉香・EU standard conventional

This rare oolong comes from the Phoenix mountain range in eastern Guangdong Province, China. The garden sits atop a 1100m peak called Wudong Shan, the most prized oolong producing area in the Phoenix range.

This tea’s unique aromatic character is an expression of a particular mother tree. Once identified, the plant is cloned for its particular characteristics and propagated to ensure that the genetic make-up of the plant does not change with each successive generation. In China, these oolongs are called dancong, meaning single grove or single origin, a term that refers to this method of cultivar isolation and propagation. Today, over 100 aromatic profiles exist.

The most distinctive characteristic of this cultivar is in its name. Though this tea tastes as if it were scented with summer jasmine flowers, it isn’t. The sweet jasmine fragrance comes solely from its leaves and skilled processing that accentuates that scent.

The source garden is over a century old, and the particular plants that produced this tea are over 80 years old. These older trees have deep root structures that allow the plant to absorb more complex nutrients, while the garden’s higher elevation climate slows leaf development. Both factors contribute to this tea’s texture, sweetness, and complexity.

Delivery is smooth and viscous without upfront astringency. The tea brews with both aromatic and flavor clarity and maintains intensity through multiple steeps.

Brew: 5 grams・150 ml・208° F・2 min

This tea likes to be brewed hot at 208F or higher. High temperature brews bring out a distinct aromatic clarity with a balanced and intense finish.