Region: Wudong Village, Phoenix Mountains, Chaozhou
Producers: Wen Zitong
Tasting Notes: Rose, Gardenia, Rock Sugar, Jasmine, Honey
This was the first year encountering the Rose Style Dancong Oolong. We are always traveling around China looking for new kinds of teas, and Chaozhou is no exception. With over 200 different types of dancong oolong being cultivated in Wudong alone, there is always something new to find. As we were drinking tea with Wen Zitong on Wudong Shan, he invited us to try this very special cultivar selected and grown exclusively by his family up on Wudong Mountain.
The dry leaves have the faintest fragrance of rose under the buttery roast.The floral bouquet really opens up after infused with hot water, releasing a plethora of floral fragrances; we get gardenia, jasmine, and a faint trace of evening primrose.The taste on the tongue is rock sugar sweet, with a deeply engaging huigan that keeps us locked in the session.
The brew is a nice vibrant gold, suggesting a medium to full roast, and the tea leaves a beautiful fragrance of honey and rose in the empty cup.Although this niche cultivar was a little more expensive than the other teas on offer up at Wudong, it is one of the most interesting teas we tried this year down in Chaozhou, and for us, it embodies everything we look for in dancong oolong: high fragrance, satisfying roast, and an engaging body all of which when brewed properly are easily coaxed from the leaves without much bitterness and with ample sweetness.
Very fragrant tea, sweet with a hint of bitterness. Even my husband, who doesn’t like most of the teas I drink, enjoyed it a lot. It’s not particularly complex, but it brews beautifully and holds up well through many infusions.
