Phoenix Dan Cong Tea – History, Processing & 10 Fragrance Types

 Tea originated in China, drinking tea is a part of Chinese life. Even though there were vast types of tea, and different places prefer different tastes. But among them, oolong tea is no doubt has most fans. Phoenix Dan Cong tea, a kind of famous Oolong from Chaozhou city, is becoming a trend in recent years.

In my impression, Chaozhou has the most drinking tea atmosphere in China. In the previous post(here), we’ve talked about the Chinese Gongfu Tea Culture. Which was birth in Chaoshan, tea drinking has become a part of Chaoshan people’s life at all. They even can not imagine not having tea in a day. 

One of my friends, from a traditional Chaozhou family, every day, the first thing he wakes up to do is not washing but brewing a pot of Oolong, then drink. “All our people doing like this,” he said.

Phoenix Dan Cong tea is a famous type of Oolong teas

What Is Phoenix Dan Cong Tea

History

There is a Phoenix village in Chaozhou city, all the teas produced from here are called phoenix tea. About 1000 years ago, only two types of tea trees grew here; one called Oolong, another called Hongyin. The tea made from the Hongyin tea tree’s fresh leaves is called Beak Tea, because of its taper looks. Later, it changed in a well-knows name Phoenix Narcissus tea, in 1956.

Phoenix Narcissus tea is close related to Phoenix Dan Cong tea. Dan Cong in Chinese means the single plant. And Phoenix Dan Cong means the tea, made from the best single plant from the Hongyin tea tree. So, in the beginning, Dan Cong referred to the grade and type of Phoenix Narcissus tea.

Later, tea masters learned agricultural technology such as grafting and vegetative propagation. They started to cultivate these best single plants in batch. After the yield growth, these teas are no longer a rarity. In the processing method, there are some differences between narcissus and Dan Cong; it makes them have different flavors and aroma. Therefore, Dan Cong independences from phoenix narcissus and become one type of Oolong tea.

Types

Typically, tea trees for making Oolong are shrub plants; and which for making Phoenix Narcissus tea is the arbor plants. At the old times, local people named each best single tea tree they found; and they gave the name at will, with their rustic local language. Like Sky-watching tree, Big Bone tree, Big Butterfly, and other so many baffling names. The types of Phoenix Dan Cong, also classified according to these names, more than dozens.

After batch cultivating the best single plants, the yield also grows. But various unreadable and baffling names make Phoenix Dan Cong tea hard to be promoted. Therefore, tea masters turn to classify the teas by their fragrance type. Now the Phoenix Dan Cong tea products, all with one aroma adjective in their name, like orchids fragrance and cinnamon fragrance.

Of course, even though named by the fragrance type, Phoenix Dan Cong is still classified into more than a dozen types. Fortunately, these names finally easy to understand, and the promoting problem was solved. 

But there still some tea merchants, insist on using the tea tree type to name the products and even adopt the “types+fragrance” combination. So, if you are interested in Phoenix Dan Cong tea, you don’t need to care about the type of it, each one is worth to have a try.

Feature

Appearance. All Phoenix Dan Cong tea is sold in loose tea way, and its leaves show strip shape. The surface of the leaves is glossy due to the baking drying. After brewing, they spread utterly, you can see the edge is red. That’s the saying “green leaf with a red edge” about Oolong.

The high-grade Phoenix Dan Cong tea leaves are green leaf with a red edge

Fragrance. Phoenix Dan Cong tea is honored as “the perfume in tea.” Because it not only got lots of fragrance types but a huge aroma sends when brewing. The Phoenix Dan Cong fresh leaves are rich in various aromatic substances, such as many alcohol and hemiterpenes. During the processing, tea masters would make these aromatic substances transform by temperature control, lead to creating various fragrances.

Taste. Tea lovers like to use the word “sweet return” to describe Phoenix Dan Song tea’s taste. This tea is rich in tea polyphenol and caffeine, so taste a little bitter the first sip. But soon the astringent feeling will disappear, then some sweet feeling on your tongue comes. It will stimulate more saliva secretion and solve your thirst. 

Scientists thought that maybe the tea polyphenol and caffeine just reach the right amount, making the taste buds experience the sweet taste the amino acid in tea brings.

Resistant To Brew. People usually brew oolong tea in the Gongfu tea way. One most significant feature of oolong tea is after making many infusions, it can still send aroma hugely. To the Tie Guanyin, which is an oolong tea too, it can make more than 7 infusions. And to Phoenix Dan Cong, typically can reach more than 15 rounds; some particular types even can endure repeated brewing over 20 shots.

How Phoenix Dan Cong Tea Processing

Picking

Just like most other types of tea, Phoenix Dan Cong tea was made from the tender leaves. The tea masters insist on picking the leaves in old-fashioned ways, protecting the century-old trees, and the integrity of leaves. But the hard thing is that the Phoenix Dan Cong tea trees are arbor type, it is tall, and tea masters have to use a ladder for picking. It also increases the cost.

The best picking season is spring. But due to there are various types of single plants, each of them has its own best time for picking. So all the year-round can be a harvest. Some Phoenix Dan Cong tea products are also classified according to the picking season.

People need a ladder for help picking

Withering

The withering job of Phoenix Dan Cong needs to do twice. The first is to take sun-withering. Place the fresh leaves outdoor, evaporate the moisture in leaves preliminarily by the insolation, softer the bodies. And increase the leaves temperature, make it fermented a little. The component of leaves will have some change, to form the fragrance basic. Sun-withering also helps remove the herbaceous smell.

After sun-withering, the leaves will be taken to inhouse, a ventilate place, for indoor-withering. The purpose is to low down the leaves’ temperature and further evaporate the moisture.

Laying

Laying also called making green, is the important step of oolong tea processing. Tea masters put the leaves in a big bamboo sieve, then shaking. The leaves will crush each other, break the edge; thus, the edge part fermented speed will increase. Some juice will outflow from the broken edge and cover the leaves’ surface; it can make more taste when brewing. This laying method is called tossing.

To process Phoenix Dan Cong tea usually needs to be several tossing, and let the leaves setting for a while during the job, to make the leaves fermenting better. This processing step has high demands for the tea masters, who only can judge the fermented degree by watching. After finishing the laying job, setting the leaves for several hours, waiting for the next fixation job.

Tossing is an important job of Oolong tea processing

Fixation

Fixation is for stopping leaves from fermenting by heating high. Tea masters typically doing this job with a machine, frying is the traditional way. During fixation, the different temperature will make the component in tea got different transform, to create various aroma. The leaves after fixation have lower water content and softer bodies suitable for the following rolling job.

Rolling

Rolling is for shaping the leaves. In tradition, tea masters rolling the leaves with hands by continually rubbing, nowadays they will use a machine. To oolong tea, rolling except for shaping, also can let more juice outflow from the broken edge and cover the leaves’ surface.

Drying

Drying is the final step of Phoenix Dan Cong processing, the local traditional way is drying by carbon roasting. Tea masters need to pay attention to the charcoal fire during drying all the time. To avoid making the leaves get too much smoky smell by the high temperature, which will cover up the tea aroma. In modern times, tea masters also do the drying job by a machine. In this way, the cost will down, but also the flavor depth.

10 Phoenix Dan Cong Tea Fragrance Type

Although there are many types of Phoenix Dan Cong, the most accepted by people, are classified according to the fragrance. On the whole, there are 3 main types, flower, fruit, and medicine. Among them, here come 10 types that are the most popular.

1. Yellow Gardenia Fragrance

The yellow gardenia fragrance type is the most famous of Phoenix Dan Cong tea, also called Huangzhi fragrance. The oldest single plant lives over 600 years, but it has been destroyed by people. Forturnly, tea masters retained it through the vegetative propagation technology. The tea will send a strong yellow gardenia aroma when brewing, and got a so-called “mountain charm.”

2. Orchid Fragrance

This type is also called Zhilan fragrance, with a strong and lasting orchid aroma. One sub-type of it called “The Eight Immortals Crossing The Sea” was so famous. It is said that 100 years ago, a tea master found a good single plant, he broke the branch and bring it back for cultivation. As a result, only 8 plants survive. Hence, people call it “The Eight Immortals Crossing The Sea,” a story from Chinese myth, talking about 8 immortals crossing the sea successfully by casting their special magic.

3. Honey-Orchid Fragrance

The honey-orchid fragrance type is regarded as the most recommended Phoenix Dan Cong tea for the beginner. From its name, you can see, it has both the orchid aroma and honey-sweet taste; it is easy to accept. And this kind of Dan Cong ever been a mass cultivating, got a high yield and at a low price.

4. Osmanthus Fragrance

This tea name for its close aroma and taste of natural osmanthus. The tea infusion shows a golden color, with osmanthus scent and a little sweet taste.

5. Magnolia Fragrance

Although it belongs to the orchid fragrance type too, the magnolia type is different from the orchid type and honey-orchid type. The aroma of it is light, fresh, and elegant. The tea infusion shows bright yellow, light taste without bitter. Chinese poets often use the word “grace” to describe this tea.

6. Duck Shit Fragrance

I am not kidding. Duck shit fragrance is the most well-known type of Phoenix Dan Cong tea, because of its parodic name. 

The story about this name says that ever a tea master planted an awesome single plant on his loess farm, which produced high-quality and good selling tea. He was afraid that other people would grab his market share. When others ask him what type the tea is, he answered, “duck shit fragrance.”(loess looks like the duck shit) But later, others still steal the branch furtively and back to cultivate. This type of single plant has a high survival rate, so it became a trend soon.

Till to 2012, Chinese tea experts thought this name totally sucks. In fact, the aroma of the tea is closer to honeysuckle. So they decided to change its name into honeysuckle fragrance type. But until today, both the tea merchant and the consumer still called it duck shit fragrance, for fun.

7. Jasmine Fragrance

A type of Phoenix Dan Cong tea with jasmine fragrance. Even though it is an acceptable taste of all people, but one who loves the jasmine aroma, jasmine green tea, or herbal tea may be a better choice.

8. Almond Fragrance

A type of Phoenix Dan Cong tea with almond taste, also a common type.

9. Cinnamon Fragrance

The feature of cinnamon fragrance type Phoenix Dan Cong is mellow taste, and resistant to brew. It is related to its rich tea polyphenol, and fast dissolve speed. So, when making cinnamon Dan Cong, the first 1-3 infusion you can not steep too long or taste very bitter; typically, dozens of seconds is fine. By the brewing rounds growing, you can steep longer gradually.

10. Ginger Fragrance

The ginger fragrance type Phoenix Dan Cong is the more expensive and higher recognition one. The tea infusion sending a ginger aroma and show bright yellow. It tastes a little sweet, with some ginger taste, and it’s a little bit pungent.

Liu Bao Tea – What’s Different Between Raw Tea & Ripe Tea

 Guangxi is a famous resort in China. Even though the modernization is relatively backward, but the natural environment has retained. In the ancient forest, some tea trees grew more than hundreds of years. Here, there is a popular dark tea – Liu Bao tea. This tea is said great benefits to the human body. In the past, Liu Bao tea is loved by people because of its medicinal properties.

Liu Bao tea is a famous type of dark tea

What Is Liu Bao Tea

Liu Bao tea(or cha) originated in Wuzhou City, Guangxi Province. The annual average temperature here is 21.2℃, precipitation about 1500mm, mountains by mountains, which is suitable for various plants growing. In the Ming Dynasty(1368 to 1644), here were set numbers 1 to 6 villages by administrative division, and name with Bao(means fort.) Among them, the number 6 fort produced the best quality tea, so all the tea from here called Liu(6) Bao tea.

Liu Bao tea belongs to the post-fermented dark tea. Most of the time, tea masters will compress them into tea cakes for sale, and a small amount will sell in loose tea way. Teacakes are more convenient for aging and transport, and the longer time they aging, the better taste and high value will get.

In the Qing Dynasty(1644 to 1912), tea drinking is prevalent in folk, especially in Guangdong, the city near Guangxi. Liu Bao tea tastes awesome and can be brewed lots of rounds, so it loved by the Cantonese.

We know that Guangdong is the pivot of international trade and exchange of China. Therefore, Liu Bao tea became famous overseas gradually. At the beginning of the last century, rich tin ore was found in Malaysia, many Cantonese came there for work as miners. But the local climate was humid and hot, plus not acclimatized. The health of Cantonese workers seems not very well; many of them suffered from diarrhea.

Liu Bao tea was popular in Malaysia by Chinese miners

In Chinese Medicine, the humid climate will affect human health, lead to arthralgia, weakness, and dizziness. They called this disease dampness-heat. Besides the delicate taste, Liu Bao tea also has a benefit loved by people – dispelling the dampness. The Chinese worker found that take Liu Bao tea as a daily drink can cure the sick caused by dampness-heat. And, the familiar taste can immensely pacify their homesickness.

As a result, vast Liu Bao tea exported to Malaysia through a path called Ancient Tea-boat Road. Both the Chinese miners and the local Malaysians, all took Liu Bao tea drinking as a daily habit. Soon it became popular in Southeast Asian countries. Now many people in the Kuala Lumpur restaurant will order a cup of Tang tea, which is Liu Bao tea actually.

Even though Liu Bao tea has certain visibility, but limited to Southeast Asia. In the 1980s to 1990s, it even went through a period of decay, most tea plantation fell into disuse, and tea trees were felled. Until the new century came, the Pu-erh tea became a trend, as a kind of dark tea, Liu Bao tea popular again too. Now, most tea trees in the plantations are new grew in recent years.

Fortunately, a few tea trees which several hundred years old were preserved, but the yield is low. So the local tea farmers typically not distinguish between the fresh leaves from the old trees and new trees, but collect them together for processing. 

Moreover, the local tea plants are not in the same variety; some are middle leaves, and some are big leaves. That means the best picking time of them is different, the tea farmers have to pick at different times. It increases the labor and time costs.

Liu Bao Raw Tea & Liu Bao Ripe Tea

Just like Pu-erh tea, Liu Bao tea also exists in two styles: Liu Bao raw tea and Liu Bao ripe tea. The raw tea also called farm tea, produced by the local farmhouse, from picking to processing all in the traditional way. Liu Bao raw tea has not been piling(pile-fermented), just like the Pu-erh raw tea, so their flavor is close. It tastes like green tea, but stronger, the tea infusion shows dark yellow.

Raw tea contains lots of tea polyphenols, so taste bitter, many people do not like it. Of course, after a long time of aging, the taste of Liu Bao raw tea will change because of the internal ingredients transition and fermented. Become mellow, and lost the herbaceous flavor. But this typically costs more than five years. In fact, tea lovers usually not drink new raw tea; they prefer to store them for aging work.

The Liu Bao raw tea

Liu Bao ripe tea also called factory tea, standardization, and volume produced by the local tea factories. In the past time, Liu Bao tea all sold in the raw tea style. After the founding of New China, the tea factory adopted the new piling technology – ” twice steaming and compressing ” and “cold-water piling.” Due to this, the aging time of Liu Bao tea is significantly shortened, so called it ripe tea.

The whole piling processing costs dozens of days. And the unique flavor and fragrance of ripe tea were created during this period. The only problem is, this process has a high demand for the tea master. Because it is actually to create a high-temperature environment for microorganisms to do the fermentation work better. Ever a tea master made a mistake while watching, lead to a dozen tons of tea piling fail, the tea factory lost much money.

How Liu Bao Tea Processing

In ancient times, most Chinese teas were processing similar to the green tea(see how green tea processing.) The productivity was backward at that time, tea leaves can not always be dry in time. Tea masters would put them into a pile in the corner of the room, waiting to dry them the next day; thus, these piles of tea began to ferment. 

People found the tea after piling taste softer, and few bitter, so they retained this step in the processing. This step operates like the sealing-yellow job of yellow tea, but much different in the humidity, temperature, and duration. Fixation – Rolling – Piling – Re-rolling – Drying is the earliest Liu Bao tea processing way; the farm tea is also the same.

Liu Bao raw tea must take a long time aging(typically 5-10 years) to create a new totally different taste. Tea masters thinking about how to cut down the time cost all the time. In 1958, the local tea masters learned the ” twice steaming and compressing ” and “cold-water piling” technology, for Liu Bao tea processing. These two methods will significantly reduce the aging time and not affect the original quality of tea.

“Twice steaming and compressing,” also called hot-fermented, it came earlier. Put the tea leaves after re-rolling in a large bamboo basket, heating them with hot steam, making them soft, and then compressing them. After about 24 hours, break them into pieces, steaming them again, then compress them into a cake, brick, or other shapes, finally drying.

“Cold-water piling,” also called cold-fermented, came rather late, but the effect is better than “twice steaming and compressing.” Tea masters put the tea leaves after re-rolling in piles, spray cold water on them and add some zymophyte. The cold-water piling typically costs more than a month, needs a veteran tea master watching at side, stir and add water according to the tea leaves status.

Tea master doing the cold-water piling job

The artificial aging makes Liu Bao rough tea into ripe tea. The infusion change from dark yellow to bright red, and almost removes the bitter taste. People don’t need to spend a long time on the aging job anymore. 

Nowadays, each manufacturer has a little different on the processing, not unified. Most of them adopt the cold-water piling method to increase ferment speed, then take steaming and compressing, finally make into a tea cake for sale.

Liu Bao Tea Flavor Types

Long ago, in the Qing Dynasty, Liu Bao tea relies on its unique areca-nut flavor won the prise off one of the 24 Chinese famous tea. About this unique flavor, many tea experts have different comprehension. But what is no doubt, this flavor only comes from the Liu Bao tea, which has been years aging. The charm of dark tea lies in you will get a different taste every time you brew it, even though the same tea cake.

Except for the areca-nut flavor, some Liu Bao tea will also create a smoky flavor. It’s not the same as the smoky flavor of Lapsang Souchong, it is not got by pine-smoke, but a natural transition. So compared with Lapsang Souchong, smoky-flavor Liu Bao tea tastes softer. Of course, some tea masters will take this as a selling point and make a cheat, drying with pine fire to get the smell.

Whether the areca-nut or smoky flavor only comes from the Liu Bao raw tea, the ripe tea can not get. To Liu Bao ripe tea, it has been certain fermented and aging before sales, so the flavor more similar to the wood. Of course, the ripe tea also can keep going aging, to get more abundant flavors. It is widely believed, that the Liu Bao ripe tea after a long time aging, will get herbal medicine flavor, or something tastes like ginseng.

The Unique Benefits

We mentioned a disease called dampness-heat in traditional Chinese medicine, and the most significant benefit of Liu Bao tea is the damp dispelling effect. The symptoms of dampness-heat similar to endocrine dyscrasia, the patient will felt weakness, inappetence, fidgets, even got many acnes. 

In fact, it is not a severe disease, just a moment of physical discomfort, you do not need to treat it, and it will self-healing by time. But during the ill period, you will feel very uncomfortable.

The disease typically caused by two reasons. One is to eat and drink too much, especially hot food. Another reason is influence by the environment; people living in a humid and hot climate place, like Southeast Asia, will easy to get it.

People against the disease usually through dietary therapy. In China, people living in a humid climate will eat pepper, the very hot ones, to dispel the damp in the body by sweating. In most places, where the climate is less humid, people treat the disease by drinking some herbal tea or true tea.

In the past, Liu Bao tea usually sold in loose tea style

According to modern medical research on Liu Bao tea, its treatment on dampness-heat mainly comes from two ways:

• The tea polyphenol in tea can help vasodilation and improve circulation, resulting in accelerating the body detoxification.
• Adjust the intestinal flora, improve the growth of the beneficial bacterium like bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria. Good digestion makes a better appetite.

Besides that, Liu Bao tea belongs to dark tea, which has an excellent effect on losing weight like green tea. Different from other types of tea, Liu Bao tea is rich in theabrownin, it does not taste bitter like the tea polyphenol, and has an outstanding effect on lipolysis, which can effectively reduce cholesterol and triglyceride in the body.

It is worth saying that some Liu Bao tea after aging will grow a few little golden flowers. These little golden flowers are Eurotium cristatum, which can secretion multiple enzymes, increase the ingredients in tea transition speed, form more flavor and benefits. Most of the cases, it appears in the Anhua dark tea, less in the Liu Bao tea case. Some manufacturers will artificially add them into the tea for better selling.

Liu Bao Tea Aging Tips

Aging means a lot to dark tea. After you bring a Liu Bao tea cake back, whether raw or ripe, the right storing way can help them better aging, and get a better taste.

Liu Bao tea needs aging for some time before sold

Different from other types of tea on storing, the purpose of Liu Bao tea storing is for fermenting and transition, not retain freshness. A low airtightness container may be more suitable. Because of the microorganisms in tea need enough oxygen to keep activity, to do a better job on the ingredients transition. So a ceramic or bamboo tea container may be a good choice.

Related Reading: How To Choose Storage Container For Your Tea.

Due to the low airtightness, tea may be affected with damp by the water in the air during storage, and make it go bad. You need to pack it well with a rice paper, no matter loose tea or tea cake. The rice paper has excellent water absorption performance; under a humid environment, it can significantly help protect the tea from being influenced by water. You’d better check the rice paper whether it has been wet at regular intervals and replace it on time.

About the temperature and humidity of the storage environment, you don’t need to adjust it purposely(such as artificially humidification and warming); just let it nature. And about the storage place choose is like most type of tea, dark, dry, and scentless. Liu Bao tea needs one more condition – ventilation. That doesn’t mean let you store it at a strong-wind place, a long time blowing will take the scent of tea away, and makes it lost value.

 Fujian province is famous in white tea, most of the products originated from there. But Yunnan, the south-west of China, also manufactures a particular type of whiter tea- Moonlight White Tea. It not only got a romance named, but also a unique appearance got both black and white color.

What Is Moonlight White Tea

Moonlight white tea, also called moonlight beauty, originated in Yunnan. Unlike the ordinary Fujian white tea, moonlight white tea was made from the Yunnan big leaf Camellia Sinensis, so there’s a distinct difference in taste between them. Precisely because of this, moonlight white tea is in an awkward position. 

According to the standard of the Chinese products, tea from Yunnan big leaf tea tree can not be classified into white tea. But according to the traditional processing methods and the fermentation degree, it exactly belongs to white tea.

About the tea name, there is a story. When the moon comes at night, young and beautiful local ladies will go to pick the tea leaves all night and then bring them home for processing. The overall process can not let any sunlight on it, leaves will only be withering under the moonlight slowly. So people called this tea moonlight beauty. And it also accords with the “Yin” meaning in Chinese philosophy, because the moon is the symbol of “Yin.”

Of course, it is just a legend. The reason why it called moonlight white tea, just take a look, and you will understand. The leaves are big and bend, what marvelous is, one side is black, and the other side is white, looks like the moon at night.

Moonlight white tea has a bent, big, and two color body

Why the moonlight white tea got both black and white color, such sharp contrast? About this unique appearance, many sayings tell it was from particular processing, which was a secret. That makes the moonlight beauty more mysterious. If fact, it just the marketing tactics of the merchants.

The reason why there are two colors on the moonlight white tea leaves is simple. Because it has not been fixation and rolling during the processing, and the fuzz on the leaves are preserved. The leaves after drying, the pigment has precipitated and makes the color turn dark. So the smooth side looks black, and the other side with fuzz looks white.

Even though the raw material leaves come from different plants, moonlight white tea has the same processing as the ordinary white tea. It has been picking, withering, and drying. And this is the most simple processing in all types of teas. Even you can say white tea is more natural than green tea.  

The picking standard of moonlight white tea is one bud one leaf or two leaves. After picking, the fresh leaves will be placed on a bamboo sieve for withering, and will not take fixation like other teas. The withering typically doing indoor, at an about 28℃-30℃, 50%-53% humidity environment, costs about 2-3 days. In the end, they will be drying by machines, to make the water content reduce to 4%-5%.

A part of the legend is right; during the whole processing, the leaves can not be exposed to direct sunlight. The fermentation degree of moonlight white tea is just about 10%, belongs to slightly-fermented tea. Due to the tea tannin has changed by oxidation, the bitter and herbaceous taste gone. According to the white tea standard, it needs to control the fermentation well to make the brewing infusion show light yellow. Once excessive, like black tea, which been completed-fermented, and that will be failure products.

Compared to the light taste of Fuding white tea, moonlight tea can send out a strong potpourri after brewed because they made from different raw fresh leaves. In the new tea case, it may with a mildly bitter taste, but after a few rounds brewing, the bitter taste will turn to sweet like honey or some fruits unknowingly. And the infusion also turns red from yellow slowly.

After a few rounds the infusion turns red from yellow

The Disputed Point Of Moonlight White Tea

In the tea lover’s group, there is an argument about the moonlight white tea, is it really belongs to white tea? Or Pu-erh tea?

In traditional, white tea is mainly produced in Fujian Province, China. Bai Hao Silver Needle, White Peony, And Shou Mei are famous. And moonlight white tea is from Yunnan Province, the material fresh leaves are the same as the local specialty, Pu-erh tea, from the big leaf Camellia Sinensis.  

So there is a big difference between their appearance. The Fuding white tea leaves are straight, light-green bodies and full of fuzz. And moonlight white loose tea leaves are bent and dark bodies, only one side has white fuzz.

Some people thought it has the same material leaves are the same as Pu-erh tea, and the taste also close. What’s more, most of the moonlight tea is pressed into tea cakes for sale. It seems reasonable to classified into Pu-erh tea; many merchants exactly do like this. 

But they are wrong. Moonlight white tea hasn’t been pile fermentation, which is the core processing of Pu-erh tea. It has only been withering like the traditional white tea, and belongs to white tea ideally. Of course, no matter what type of tea it is, it will not affect you to enjoy its pleasant taste.

Most moonlight white tea is pressed into cake for sale

How To Store Moonlight White Tea

Most moonlight white tea is pressed into cakes for sale. Then you may ask, can moonlight white tea stores for aging like dark tea?

The answer is Yes. But if you have a habit of aging Pu-erh tea, remember never put them with moonlight white tea cakes together. Because they were processing in different methods. 

Pu-er tea belongs to post-fermented tea, it can store for a long time, to let the tea fermenting slowly. The ingredients of it also will be changed, and foam a fragrant and mellow taste. An exacting requirement to the storage environment is high on the temperature and humidity, which is suitable for the go on fermenting. And the change of taste is most from the effect of oxidation.

And moonlight white tea belongs to slightly-fermented tea. The storage environment should be dark, dry, and low temperature, to prevent it from going on fermenting. So the taste change, mostly from the switch of ingredients it contains. If to store in a wrong way, it may lead to excessive fermenting, the teas will go bad and get the sour taste.

Aging moonlight white tea taste more mellow

The moonlight white tea after aging will get special aging-aroma. The taste will become more mellow and can be brewed more rounds. But the original fragrance will be significantly reduced, and easy to spoil due to the improper storage; it seems not worth to do that. So to the moonlight white tea, recommend consuming it when it still new. Besides, the shelf life of moonlight white tea typically is 2-3 years.

Have You Ever Heard About Da Ye Qing Tea?

 Guangdong is a province famous at export trade in China, and tea was exported from there to the world at the beginning. But on tea-producing, it is not as renowned as the other province like Zhejiang and Fujian. The well-know products only Phoenix Dan Cong(Oolong) and Yinghong No.9(black tea.) Da Ye Qing tea, as a local type of tea, used to be popular. Still, due to the reduced yield in recent years, it is going to be forgotten by people gradually.

Few people heard about the Da Ye Qing tea

CONTENT

• What Is Da Ye Qing Tea
• How Da Ye Qing Tea Been Processing
• The Shrinking Market

What Is Da Ye Qing Tea

Da Ye Qing tea also called Guangdong Da Ye Qing. In the Chinese, it means Big Leaf Green; that name makes people confuse a lot. Because in the Chinese context, some kind of green tea, oolong, and the sunning Pu-erh tea also can be called this name. The funny thing is, Da Ye Qing does not belong to one of them; it belongs to a rare type of tea – Yellow tea.

Da Ye Qing originated in Shaoguan, Zhaoqing, and Zhanjiang city, Guangdong. It is said began in Ming Dynasty, more than 400 years from now. Here is south China, tropical climate, the annual average temperature maintained above 22℃, and got more than 1500mm precipitation. Especially in the region of Shaoguan city, geology belongs there is the Danxia landform, rich in soil nutrients, and good for the tea plants growing. The tea is made from the fresh leaves of Yunnan big leaf type Camellia Sinensis. Guangdong people are simple, so they named this tea “Big Leaf Green” simply too.

We know that Lapsang Souchong has a unique pine smoky aroma. Likewise, Da Ye Qing tea also got a strong rice crust aroma, because it was processed by special processing called Sealing Yellow. Compared with other teas, it has a distinct feature; the finished product contains tea stems. The leaves and stems of Da Ye Qing tea both need to be big, typically 10-13cm long; this is the quality standard of the product. Whether the loose leaves or the infusion, they both show yellow color and fit with the yellow tea characteristic.

Da Ye Qing tea infusion shows yellow

How Da Ye Qing Tea Been Processing

Although the processing of yellow tea is not as complicated as the other teas like oolong tea, it still not simple. And, the processing of Da Ye Qing also has a little different from other yellow tea. The fresh leaves after picking will not be fixation immediately; they will be withering first. The different sequence of steps makes Da Ye Qing got fewer herbaceous smell. After sealing yellow, it comes stronger pure and mellow aroma.

Withering

The fresh leaves after picking will be laid on the bamboo sieves for the withering job. The weather in Guangdong is clear all the time, and less rainy, so the job is usually doing outdoor. For the leaves better blown by the wind and take the herbaceous smell away, the tea masters will stir the leaves 1 or 2 times during the job. Stirring should be gentle, or the leaves may be broken, and lead to over oxidation; in this case, they only can be made into the oolong.

The outdoor withering usually lasts 1-3 hours. If the weather is too hot, tea masters will choose to withering indoor; it may cost 2-4 hours. To process Da Ye Qing, it just needs mildly oxidized, not as deep as the white tea, which takes withering as the main processing steps and costs a few days.

Fixation

Fixation is the basic step of tea processing, is for leaves to stop from go on oxidizing. After withering, leaves will be sent into a particular machine, or to fixation by traditional handwork. When the leaves and stems turn to dark green, with a sticky feeling and can not be broken off, the job done.

Rolling

Rolling is for tea shaping. One feature of Da Ye Qing tea is the bigger leaf, tea masters typically rolling them into strip shape so that it won’t look obtrusive when it mixes with the stems. Of course, in modern times, the rolling job most will be done by machine too.

Sealing Yellow

Sealing yellow is a special and the most important step of yellow tea processing, it decides the quality very much. In the sealing yellow process of Da Ye Qing, tea masters pile the leaves after rolling together, then pack them with a wet cloth, put them at a dark, moist, and non-wind place. During the processing, the tea leaves pile temperature will be kept at about 35℃, cost about 3-5 hours. They will turn into a yellow color, lose all the herbaceous smell, and send out a strong cooked aroma after finish the job.

Drying

The following job is drying. Yellow tea usually drying in a roasting way, and the finished product has less 6% moisture content. Likewise, most of the drying jobs will be done by a particular machine.

Da Ye Qing loose tea contains the dry tea stem

The Shrinking Market

Most people never heard about the yellow tea, let alone the Da Ye Qing tea. In fact, the yellow tea market keeps shrinking, the well-known products only such as the Huo Moutain Yellow Buds, Mengding Yellow Buds, and Haimagong Tea. And to Da Ye Qing, it has been hard to buy. How come like this?

The biggest reason is the audiences of yellow tea are few. Western tea lovers like green tea and black tea, and Chinese tea lovers prefer oolong and dark tea. About the taste, yellow tea can’t bring a shot to people, and the price also high. That makes yellow tea in an awkward position. The merchants think it is hard to bring profit and do little job on promotion, and it makes a vicious circle.

Even though Da Ye Qing tea is from Guangdong, but more famous oolong and black tea there. The owners of tea plantations prefer to make the fresh leaves into them but not the Da Ye Qing. It is understood, only a tea plantation still produces few Da Ye Qing tea in Zhaoqing city so far, and just for sale on the preorder way.

A Zhaoqing tea plantation still producing a few yield Da Ye Qing tea

Besides that, in modern tea processing, most of the jobs are done by machines, increase the efficiency a lot. But in the yellow tea processing, the sealing yellow step is hard to control with a machine, it’s not good for the mass production. And one feature of Da Ye Qing is the big leaf and big stem, which is different from other teas on raw material chosen. Earlier years, some tea plantations in other places try to produce Da Ye Qing, but give up at the end because they can not reach this standard. 

Imagine you are the tea manufacturer, will you take time and trobles to produce this tea for the poor profit? Just hope the technique of making yellow tea will not be lost. Sometimes, having a try on the unique taste of yellow tea is awesome.