Off to Phoenix Mountain in a week or so, and hoping that the rain gods have mercy on the harvest this year, I am hoping to be able to procure another batch of that sublime Phoenix Ya Sai oolong, which literally means Duck Poop in the local dialect. The fact that the family who owns the tree complained that neighbors have been stealing clippings to plant in their own gardens for decades, if not…
80% of the population depends on tea for a livelihood in one way…
80% of the population depends on tea for a livelihood in one way or another here in Anxi, the birthplace of Tieguanyin, world renown oolong. To be sure fads come and go every year and a Tieguanyin is not always the most fashionable tea every year. Since the mountain range is so huge, all this raw material has to go someplace. They can get sold to Wuyi to be made into Dahongpao, or Phoenix Mountain to make ‘Phoenix tea’, or even green teas. For most people, they are not going to taste the terroir difference. For Americans, forget terroir- there’s just green tea or black tea in a teabag. Actually, the best example ever- once I was in a restaurant in SOHO, NYC, billing itself as a tea house restaurant. On the menu was: Hot Tea. That’s it. The wine list was a book and coffees were a dozen choices, but this ‘tea house’ had only one option for tea. Phew, glad it was hot. Now, why did I just spend my whole life getting terroir specific tea from the indigenous varietals picked on the perfect day made by the best artisans in the villages, again?
One more treat not to be missed: Mr. Wei has successfully…
One more treat not to be missed: Mr. Wei has successfully produced an amazing Gongfu Red tea, oxidized for 48 hours naturally, made with the very top of the line Phoenix Almond leaves. I will have just about 10 lbs of this and will make it available for pre- order soon. I am highly motivated to do these Gongfu Red teas justice- from now on, Black teas are black teas made by machine. Gongfu Hongcha or Red tea made by hand, will have its own category. You wouldn’t call a diamond glass, champagne a beverage, nor poetry the alphabet, right?
The name of this tea will be Phoenix Almond Gongfu Red. There is really, nothing black tea about it. Once you have all tried it, (should be online under Pre-order soon) hopefully you’ll know why it must be a different category!
It’s all in the hands. Mr. Wei says that rough, large hands with…
It’s all in the hands. Mr. Wei says that rough, large hands with crude hand motions will not make nuanced, elegant tea. The secret to his superior quality lies in his ability to sensitively drive all the astringency out of the leaves in its initial withering and tumbling- fluffing, as he calls it. Takes 5-6 hours repeatedly to fluff the leaves, bring the aromas up to the surface, remove the bitter juices, all by touch. One taste of his tea in comparison to other artisans at the same village and you’ll be convinced.
This year’s Ya Sai, or Duck Poop Phoenix Oolong made by Mr. Wei, is an aficionado’s dream. Any oolong fan must put this on the bucket list.
Phoenix Mountain Single Grove trees, producing some of the most…
Phoenix Mountain Single Grove trees, producing some of the most unique Oolongs in the world. There is no other tea that tastes anything close to it. Tall trees that require being perched precariously on branches or on ladders in order to harvest, and inherently there are more branches than leaves as the trees age, which makes the skill and labor requirements all the more demanding. Many of these trees exceed a century or more in age at the top of Wudong Peak, with some of the oldest exceeding 500 years old. Of course, the older the root stock, the deeper and complex the taste. And the tea pickers? The older the age, the faster and lighter the touch. This morning, I watched a bunch of 60 year olds get atop these century old trees at harvest, in the gently swaying wind, loud swallows buzzing about, an intense tea fragrance surrounding everything. Trekking all the way here from California doesn’t seem like much effort in comparison.
The name Ya Sai, or Duck Poop, has to be the best name in the…
The name Ya Sai, or Duck Poop, has to be the best name in the history of tea. Mr. Wei says their tree was constantly being clipped by fellow villagers once upon a time centuries ago, because the fragrance of its leaves was superior above all other Phoenix tea varietals. The family thought of a clever idea: they named their tree ‘Duck Poop ’ after the multitudes of ducks resting beneathe the tree. Other villagers, in hearing this gross out name, stopped coming around to steal the tea branches. It is the greatest reverse marketing idea ever thought of.
I think it’s a great name. The tea, with its deprecatingly down to earth name, was anything but- superbly elegant in its mango peel and ripe apple flower aroma, light yet memorable front notes on the palate of almonds and honey water, a salivating middle, and a long lingering finish. Not a trace of astringency. It is nothing short of heavenly levels, attributed to not only the trees themselves, but Mr. Wei’s expert handiwork. After all, a Rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, and Duck Poop oolong is one such example.