Dayuling Jin Xuan "Rising Phoenix" Oolong Tea - Winter 2017
Dayuling Jin Xuan "Rising Phoenix" Oolong Tea - Winter 2017 Dayuling Jin Xuan "Rising Phoenix" Oolong Tea - Winter 2017 Dayuling Jin Xuan "Rising Phoenix" Oolong Tea - Winter 2017 Dayuling Jin Xuan "Rising Phoenix" Oolong Tea - Winter 2017
$ 30.00

Dayuling used to be called "the Saddle of Hehuan" which is located in the area of Lishan.  Dayuling (being the highest elevation tea growing area in Taiwan) has earned its fame from tea lovers who are looking to quench their thirst with the ultimate tonic of "High Mountain Qi" (高山氣).  It got the name "Dayuling" (大禹嶺) from the former president of Republic of China - Ching-Kuo Chiang to describe its fragile geological character which made infrastructural development extremely difficult. 

 

Most High Mountain Oolong (especially Dayuling) tea experiences a lack of "withering" due to it's extremely high elevation growing condition, giving it a uniquely grassy and bean flavor. However, this is a totally different concept of "Dayuling." This is a Jin Xuan Varietal Wild Tea from Dayuling, but will taste nothing like anything you have ever tasted before.

 

First of all, you might be wondering: "Are you f#@$ing me? You told us there are no more Dayuling tea anymore, but now you are saying this a Dayuling tea, and it's a Jin Xuan?"

 

Yes, this is a Jin Xuan varietal, and the tea tress are hidden below in the field along with all other trees, making the tea trees extremely short. Moreover, thanks to it not being managed at all, the tea now carries a wild character, and thanks to that character, this tea was processed into a very special type of oolong.  It was processed into something very similar to a Phoenix Dan Cong (鳳凰單欉).

 

The second part we would like to discuss is that the tea is very different from anything from the past, meanwhile feeling very ancient. Thanks to the tea master who understood the potential of the raw material, the tea did not become another common jade oolong in the market. This tea plantation was found in an abandoned tea field, and now reborn with a heavy oxidation and careful withering character that is similar to the famous Feng Huang Dan Cong (鳳凰單欉). So we named it "Rising Phoenix", a tea that was reborn from the abandoned past, which also marked the reborn of the nature in Dayuling.

 

Year 2017 is a year for rebirth, and unlimited opportunities! 

 

 

Harvest:  Winter 2017 / 冬 貳零壹柒

Varietal:  Jin Xuan / 金萱

Elevation:  2550 M / 貳伍伍零 公尺

Region:  Dayuling / 大禹嶺

Oxidation Level:  35% / 分之 卅伍

Roast Level:  0 / 無

 

 

 Imagine a ultra high mountain Phoenix Dan Cong... and then imagine Da Yu Ling beauty!  A perfect marriage of varietal, altitude and processing!  I love how the roasting takes the hyper green edge off this tea and gives it something powerful and deeply satisfying.  Hard to describe this tea, other than it's really good and totally unique!

 

  You can easily observe there is a slight bit more oxidation than standard jade oolongs. The jinxuan ancestry and dayuling pedigree inspires quite a bit of intrigue in me. The initial dry and wet leaf aromatics are soaring sweet beautiful florals It was kind of funny to actually taste something similar to a Phoenix mtn dancong oolong. But true enough, you can easily call this "honey orchid". I wasn't expecting such a clear similarity. I decided on 6 grams in a 100ml shiboridashi and steeped it around 7 times. The long steeps were stronger and bit harder, but had lots of character. What an interesting and fun tea to drink!

 

 Water is still boiling......