Maocha is any tea that is not yet ready for sale. It could be an Oolong tea not yet fully roasted or sorted, or a dark tea up until the moment of pressing. In this case, it is an unsorted Oolong made from wild shrubs located in Western Hubei Province's Enshi Prefecture and Shennongjia Forest Zone. These leaves are larger than those found in modern varietals, but do not provide the same fruity notes that can be found in Assamica cultivars. The maker, Xiao Jun(肖俊), is a young Enshi tea master that feels he has almost cracked the code of Dancong, but not yet enough to start selling it. The contents of this box are two batches of his experimental tea from last Autumn. You will find:
-25 Grams Unroasted 2024 Oolong
-25 Grams Roasted 2024 Oolong
Both picked in Fall 2024 and roasted in Winter 2025, the roasted version has now been allowed to sit for almost half a year, while the unroasted version has been mellowing even longer. This unroasted version is no longer the flower bomb it was at first, but is instead a softer, fragrant Oolong with notes of fennel and Chinese medicinal herbs. It has not taken a sour turn like some greener Oolongs do over time, nor has it lost all of its aroma. Both teas have a woody bottom, but the roasted version is overall more muted, offering notes of cedar and pine sap, but without the smoky or vibrant aromas that can be usually be expected in a roasted tea.
Compared to most of our proper Dancong teas, both of these teas are lighter in color, less tightly rolled, larger in leaf, and softer in aroma.
The unroasted version is good enough that you can choose 50 grams of just that and enjoy for what it is: a unique but calm green oolong from material that has never before been made into this style. The roasted version should be understood as an affordable, educational experience of how a roast can turn sometimes turn down the volume on a tea, without necessarily making it bad. These teas should be had side-by-side, ideally Gongfu style.
