One bush
This is my favorite oolong. It has complex flavors that really are satisfying. This tea was my favorite for a while and is part of my pandemic survival tactics.
Our One Bush, a Fenghuang Dan Cong or Tan Chung style oolong, is made from a single tree of the famous "Chao An" cultivar. A cultivar local to the Fenghuang area of Guangdong Province, this lot was harvested in 2002. The Chao An cultivar has been farmed for hundreds of years in the steep mountainous region on terraced gardens at elevations of approximately 1300-1600 meters. The Phoenix Mountains are shrouded in fog with a slowly warming trend each day as the tea harvest draws near. The soils in this area are red-to-yellow clays, the oolong trees send their roots deep into the subsurface to tap into mineral-rich springs. The leaves are harvested in the afternoon and processing begins as the evening draws in.
Lot Notes.
Our lot was harvested in 2002. It has been stored in special steel cans in our temperature-controlled warehouse. This lot offers a comparatively large leaf - perhaps more characteristic of this style of tea in earlier years and the fact the oolong tree is believed to be over 200 years old.
Tasting Notes.
Aromatically complex, One Bush offers fruit-sweet notes and flavors of lightly toasted almond, multi-layered and distinct. Rich flavors come through in the 2nd steep. The finish is lasting and very pleasantly sweet. The leaves will yield multiple steeps.
Steeping Suggestions
Use one tablespoon for 8 ounces of water. Water temperature at 205 right up to boiling. Briefly rinse the leaves and then discard the infusion. Re-infuse and steep for approximately 1.5 minutes and taste. First steep releases aromas. The second steep the flavor will come through more fully. Use brief steep times adding some time with each subsequent steep to ensure flavor.