Snowflakes Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Collection
“Feng Huang Dan Cong” Phoenix Oolong Tea can be classified according to different harvest season, commonly known as Spring Tea, Summer Tea, Autumn Tea, and Winter Tea. Winter Tea, also being called as “Xue Pian”, which means “Snowflake”. Winter Dan Cong is the last harvesting season throughout the year, which is also the season with the lowest harvest quantity .The tea buds and tea leaves of Winter Harvest is also bigger than Spring harvest, which make it relatively difficult in the making process. Winter harvest Dan Cong is considered as the rare and limited batch when comparing with other season Dan Cong.
The very limited Winter batch of Snowflakes Dan Cong Tea always going very fast. This year, six new limited winter batch of Snowflakes Dan Cong Oolong Tea is curated in the box, each one with a unique Winter aroma!
What’s included in the Snowflake Phoenix Dan Cong Collection?
Snowflake Duck Sh*t Aroma “Ya Shi Xiang” Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea 2022 ( 15g )
Snowflake Honey Orchid Aroma “Mi Lan Xiang” Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea 2022( 15g )
Snowflake “Gong Xiang” Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea 2022 (15g)
Snowflake Pomelo Flower Aroma “You Hua Xiang” Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea 2022 (15g)
Snowflake Almond Aroma “Ju Duo Zai” Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea 2022 (15g)
Snowflake Magnolia Aroma “Yu Lan Xiang” Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea 2022 (15g)
Highlights of THE month’s box
This month we’re focusing on tasting the unique flavor of the Snowflakes Dan Cong Tea, You can taste-test the unique Winter aroma among 6 kinds of Snowflake Dan Cong , which is the lowest quantity of Dan Cong throughout the year. Let’s find out the differences between Spring harvest and Winter harvest Dan Cong Tea!
What's so special about the Winter Batch of Dan Cong Oolong Tea?
In the late Autumn and early Winter, the temperature begins to decrease, tea leaves start to grow slowly. The cooler temperature helps the tea leaves to transform its inner chemical structure, the Amino acid and aromatic element starts to be accumulated, so the unique “winter aroma” will become strong and long-lasting. Many tea lovers love the unique high aroma of the Winter harvest.
When comparing the differences with the Spring or Autumn Dan Cong, the Winter Dan Cong is distinctive in its relatively strong taste and prominent aroma. You can already find the floral notes and sweetness when sniffing the dry leaves. The dry leaves usually looks “ugly” when comparing with the the Spring/ Autumn Tea, as the tea leaves grown bigger during Winter, the leaves looks bigger, looser and more yellow in colour, but it still won’t disappoint us when it come to tasting it. The Winter harvest of Dan Cong is usually made into light oxidation. The liquor is in golden yellow. When you start brewing it, strong aroma will appear immediately. It taste strong with apparent floral and honey note with hint of orchid flavor and it is consistently sweet from the first steep to the last steep.
Brewing Tips: As it is relatively strong in taste when comparing with the Spring/ Autumn batch, you can use less tea (5-7g) if you do not want it to be too strong. Keep the steeping time short to avoid astringency.
Recommended Brewing Method : (Gaiwan Style) 5-7g Tea| 150-200ml water (95-100°c) | 1-3 infusion : less than 5’s, After : Add 5’s each (Adjust with your own taste)
TASTE-TEST 6 KINDS OF SNOWFLAKES DAN CONG TEA FROM THIS WINTER
SNOWFLAKE DUCK SH*T AROMA – YA SHI XIANG
Ya Shi Xiang is one of the most famous kind of aroma among the Dan Cong Tea, which is originated in Ping Keng Tou Village in Wu Dong mountain in Chao Zhou, China. Its name is based on the story that the tea is having a distinctive and extraordinarily high aroma, so the farmer named it as “Duck Sh*t aroma” to prevent the tea tree from being stolen. Nowadays, people also call it as “Yin Hua Xiang”. This Winter harvest Ya Shi Xiang is also very aromatic, but the aroma is more subtle, like a very natural floral notes.
- Harvest Time: Early November 2022
- Tasting Notes: aromatic, sweet floral notes, subtle orchid and milk note, light hint of ripened fruit and lingering sweet aftertaste
SNOWFLAKE HONEY ORCHID AROMA – MI LAN XIANG
“Mi Lan Xiang” means honey and orchid aroma. Its name fully described its unique taste – well balanced honey and orchid floral notes. It is distinctive in its high sweetness, similar to the sweetness we can find in honey and sweet potatoes. As this favorable sweetness is well-liked by everyone, It is one of the most popular Dan Cong aroma, and is considered to be the first Dan Cong choice when people first get in touch with Dan Cong Tea.
- Harvest Time: Early November 2022
- Tasting Notes: aromatic with rich honey aroma with floral and fruity notes, lingering sweetness2
SNOWFLAKE GONG XIANG
Many tea lovers who like Dancong may not have drunk the ”Gong Xiang“ variety. This variety is rare in the market. It has only become popular in recent years. Because it is so fragrant, many tea lovers think it is a new variety of exotic pollination or cultivation. In fact, this species was found 40 or 50 years ago in Wudong Mountain.
“Gong” means “Tribute”. Does it means that it is a kind of the royal tribute tea? “Gong”, with the local pronunciation of Chaozhou dialect, translated as “high, prominent, gorgeous and domineering”, describes its great aroma and strong taste. The natural floral fragrance is high, so it is famous for its domineering and strong aroma and is named Gong Xiang.
Gong Xiang tea leaves are thinner. Special care must be taken in the process of picking, transporting fresh leaves, sun-drying and green killing, otherwise it will hurt the leaves, resulting in the aroma of tea with a turbid and astringent feeling. Gong Xiang is more difficult to make than most other Dancong types.
The mouthfeel of Gong Xiang is thick and full, it taste mellow and refreshing, sweet and fragrant, with unique charm. The orchid and almond fragrances in the soup is very high, and then slightly bitter with a unique fragrance, which suddenly melts away, and then the mellow and sweet rhyme fills the mouth, forming mutual balance and richness in the taste.
- Harvest Time: Early November 2022
- Tasting Notes: high fragrance, floral, orchid, lingering sweetness
SNOWFLAKE POMELO FLOWER AROMA – YOU HUA XIANG
You Hua Xiang(柚花香), literally means Pomelo Flower Aroma. Pomelo Flower is the flower of the citrus plant similar to citrus or orange flower. It is not made of the plant of Pomelo Flower, It is named because the tea leaves is shaped like the leaves of the Pomelo Flower Plant, and it also has an unique floral notes similar to the Pomelo Flower. It is a very pleasing light-roasted Oolong with natural floral notes and soft mouth-feel.
- Harvest Time: Early November 2022
- Tasting Notes: soft and light-roasted mouthfeel, floral notes, pomelo flower notes, well-balanced sweetness
SNOWFLAKE ALMOND AROMA – JU DUO ZAI
“Ju Duo Zai” , also called Almond aroma. The name is “Ju Duo” means a jigsaw in Chinese. As of its name, Its leaves is small with jigsaw edge. This Dan Cong is having unique flavour. Apart from floral note, Ju Duo Zai is renowned of its nutty taste. It is a kind of Dan Cong with slightly higher taste and buttery in mouthfeel.
- Harvest Time: Early November 2022
- Tasting Notes: well balanced floral and nutty notes with hint of almond, buttery with sustained sweet
SNOWFLAKE MAGNOLIA AROMA – YU LAN XIANG
Yu Lan Xiang(玉蘭香), literally means Magnolia Flower Aroma. It is one of the ten most famous aroma of Phoenix Dan Cong Tea. It is named because the fresh tea leaves is yellow-green in colour, local farmer called it as “Jin Yu Lan”, translated as golden Magnolia. It also has an unique natural floral notes similar to the Magnolia. It is a light-roasted Oolong, apparent in layered floral notes associate with orchid and Magnolia fragrance, and well balance with honey notes.
- Harvest Time: Early November 2022
- Tasting Notes: floral, magnolia, orchid, honey, lingering sweetness
