This tea comes from Gui Zhu Hu Village in Wu Dong, at an altitude of 1200m, from a tree about 150 years old. If you think of a Phoenix Oolong with an unusual name, Ya Shi Xiang is surely the one that comes to mind.Ya Shi Xiang means Duck Shit Aroma.
There is a legend that its flavor was so good that people deliberately gave it a terrible name, fearing it would be stolen.
In recent years, some people have felt that the name Ya Shi Xiang sounds rather unpleasant, so Yin Hua Xiang is sometimes used instead. The name Yin Hua Xiang was reportedly introduced around 2014 because the tea's fragrance resembles that of Jin Yin Hua (honeysuckle) flowers.
However, the original name Ya Shi Xiang is still widely used. Some producers prefer Yin Hua Xiang, while others continue to use Ya Shi Xiang.
Yin Hua Xiang refers to a flavor profile rather than a specific cultivar. Several different cultivars can produce this characteristic flavor, and teas displaying it may be sold as Yin Hua Xiang, regardless of the cultivar used.
For example, Shi Ye is another cultivar that can produce the Yin Hua Xiang flavor. Even when the cultivar is not specified, a tea may be sold as Yin Hua Xiang if it exhibits this characteristic flavor profile.
A single tree tea is harvested from one specific tree. This tea was harvested from a seed-grown old tree 150 years old and has a Yin Hua Xiang type aroma. It has a long lingering finish and a rich flavor with depth.
We frequently visit Fenghuang Town in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, to source high-quality Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong tea directly.
An old Phoenix Dan Cong tree on Wu Dong Shan and me, Akira Hojo
Tea trees growing on the steep, rocky slopes of Wu Dong Shan
Among Dan Cong teas, tea harvested from especially old trees is called "Lao Cong."
Single tree tea (Dan Zhu Cha), as the name suggests, is harvested from a single tree.
