Feng Huang Dan Cong (鳳凰單樅)
archetype: Phoenix
Many fragrances in a single leaf — a regal flame fallen into the cup.
History
'The phoenix of a single mountain' — an oolong from the Phoenix Mountains (Fenghuang Shan) in southern Guangdong. The old bushes (some more than 600 years old) grow apart from one another, and each individual bush yields its own variety with its own name ('mi lan xiang' — honey and orchid; 'ya shi xiang' — duck droppings; 'xing ren xiang' — almond, and so on, more than ten canonical fragrances). The leaf is heavily oxidised (50–70 %), rolled into long thin strands and roasted — all so as to bring out the 'polyphony' of the essential oils of a single bush.
Terroir
'Lao cong' — old bushes more than 100 years old — are considered the standard. Each bush has its own name and character; mixing the harvest of different trees into one batch is forbidden, as it destroys the very idea of 'dan cong'.
Leaf
orchid, mandarin, grapefruit, ginger — each infusion its own; deeper down — honey, tropical fruit, dark caramel long, polyphonic, leaving several aromas in the throat at once; the aftertaste can 'change colour' as the cup cools
Properties
rich in volatile essential oils (terpenes, linalool) and catechins; gives clear soft stimulation, good for breathing and the sense of smell light, rising into the head and the upper chest; felt as 'opening several windows at once' medium (40–55 mg)
Brewing ritual
a Chaoshan-style gaiwan, 100 ml — for short fast pours; 100 °C, soft; 7 g / 100 ml. 5s — the first feather: a citrus altitude, pollen; 4s — the second: orchid, mandarin peel; 5s — the third: grapefruit, ginger, cool nectar; 7s — the fourth: honeyed depth, tropical fruit; 12s — the fifth: dark orchid, roast; 20s — a long trail — every fragrance one by one; 35s — ash of the feathers — the final dryness.
When to drink
day and early evening — when you want attention, not exhaustion. autumn and late spring — when the air is thin and the nose can feel. when you want subtlety and adventure; for comparative tasting; for an experienced guest