Brother’s dancong is one of our favorite names for dancong oolong. This cultivar, in Chinese named Xiongdi, is a reference to the two original mother trees grown in such close proximity to each other and so similar in flavor and expression, that clones from both these trees were chosen to populate the mountain with this cultivar.
Wen Zitong has an impressive amount of second and third generation Xiong Di bushes on his patch of the mountain, with very few younger trees. As a result, the brothers cultivar offered by Wen Zitong is more of a mixed old tree selection, consisting of only a handful of mature trees. We haven’t carried this cultivar before from Wen Zitong because the yield every year is very small.
The dry leaves in a warmed vessel give off a sweet and spicy toasted note reminiscent of cinnamon and even reminding us of Wuyi Shan’s Rougui Yancha (rougui means cinnamon in Chinese after all). On the warmed leaves we also get a rich buttery aroma hinting at future sweetness. There is also a deep minerality already noticeable on the nose of this tea. Once infused with hot water, the leaves show their green side, the lighter to medium roast this tea really complements the more floral nature of the leaves. We get wild orchid and rose on the leaves mixed with a more sappy wood fragrance like cedar of pine.
The mineral notes of this tea are the first thing we notice on the tongue, so sweet and rocky it’s almost saline. This is only made possible when the roots of these tall and unpruned trees reach deep through soil and clay and work hard extracting nutrients. As the session progresses, the sweetness of this tea intensifies and we taste wild orchid on the tongue, resulting in quite a refreshing experience.
Japan