Tea: Night Bloom Fragrance (AKA Tuberose Fragrance)
Type: Yelaixiang Dancong Oolong (夜来香单丛乌龙 yelaixiang)
Style: Classic Dancong
Roast: Medium
Harvest: Spring 2024
Region: Da'an Village, Phoenix Mountains, Chaozhou
Producers: Liao and Xiao Zhang
Tasting Notes: Buttered Toast, Stewed Oranges, Honey, Cedar Wood, Mineral
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The Night Bloom Fragrance, or Yelaixiang AKA the Tuberose Aroma, is a dancong cultivar we have been trying to find a good example of for years. The first time we had this cultivar, we were blown away by the sweet mix of spices and flowers in the nose and on the tongue, but a lot of the expressions in years to come were slightly lacking, until now. These past few years, we have been happy to say we have found a beautiful example of this cultivar from our makers up in Da'an just North of Wudong Mountain, their trees are all Laocong, or old bushes, and the garden is governmentally protected from all excesses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
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The leaves are a little larger this year than the Night Bloom Fragrance from the year before, but the fragrance is right on the nose of what we remembered it to be. The smell off the dry leaves in a warm gaiwan is divine, a mix of honey-glazed bread and stewed oranges with something peppery hiding in the background. When brewed the cinnamon notes and vegetal spices rise to the top of the wet leaves with a buttery background of flowers. The brew itself is a rich gold hue.
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While the fragrance of the leaves start off very fruity and sweet, this tea brews up very meaty, mineral rich, thick in the mouth, and savory as a stew. The tea soup is very thick, almost oily on the tongue with rich notes of honey drenched toast and something buttery besides. This deep umami manifests as a quick huigan and eventually levels out back into sweet vegetation by the end of the session. Due to its medium roast, this is a very pleasant tea to drink right away, no need to let it rest anymore!
