Aura of the Night, bouquet Phoenix oolong
USD 31.20
Yelai Xiang Dancong
The complex, yet bright and lively floral aroma of this tea is associated with a native flower, yelai xiang, aka Chinese violet. It is a vine yielding light yellow small flowers that are especially fragrant at night, hence the name, yelai xiang — the fragrance that comes in the night, from which we have derived our product name. The plant is native in Guangdong province and neighbouring areas. It is the province where the Phoenix region situates.
It has taken us some work to get to Lion Head Peak ( see below for more about the origin ) to acquire this best quality representation of the variety. Please enjoy.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack
In stock
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Telosma cordata – flowers of Chinese violet, aka ye-lai-xiang, send out their fragrance more prominently upon nightfall, hence the Chinese name, which translates to Aura of the Night. Their aroma is akin to that of this tea. The flower buds are edible, and a seasonal cooking ingredient in the Guangdong area and neighbouring regions.
鳳凰單欉 獅頭 夜來香
Taste Profile
Refreshing blooms of fresh flowers with an undertone of nectar and hints of mints. Accents of magnolia alba and Chinese liquorice. Clear, gold colour liquor. Smooth, yet vibrant body that is florally sweet with accents of mint and chrysanthemum. Hints of honey and sugar cane, with touches of almond. Quenching and cooling sensations. Aftertaste comes slowly with touches of almond, Chinese liquorice and mint. Floral after-aroma.
Infusion Tip
Like any other Phoenix Dancong, Aura of the Night has to be treated with respect. A poorly executed infusion may distort the full spectrum of this rare selection. Under brewed, some of the floral wonders maybe revealed but missing some of the full taste profile. Over brewed, the tea is simply destroyed. When in doubt, always use a weight scale, a thermometer and know the capacity of the infusion vessel.
To begin understanding this tea, start with a smaller infusion vessel, between 100 to 300 ml. For novices or those who prefer lighter taste, use 1.5 g to 100 ml of water at 95°C, brew for 5 minutes and always drain the liquor when time is up. Otherwise use 2 g to 100 ml as in the international tasting standard. Once you have acquired the profile, you can then have a baseline to interpret the tea in other infusion conditions. As always with a great floral Fenghuang Dancong, using the gaiwan, a lot of leaves in shorter infusion time gives wonderful experiences.
Origin of this selection
The mother tree of this Yelai Xiang cultivar originates in Shi Tou ( Lion Head ), which is a mount next to Wudong. While Wudong has been known as the mecca of Phoenix oolongs, Fenghuang dancongs from Shi Tou has been known to diehard aficionados for their prominent and unique taste profiles. Two of the most sought after teas from this area are Huangzhi Xiang and this one, Yelai Xiang. We are happy to be able to offer this top quality first flush from the origin.
Medium baked for maturity
Although rumour has it that bouquet style oolongs do not store well. Indeed some don’t. They have to be cold stored. Some do. Some actually mature to become better. This one is rested for almost 9 months before release. We do so for teas that we have baked deeper to extend the tea’s taste profile. For bouquet style teas it is a highly skilled art that hopefully will be revived for more people to enjoy.
Additional information
Weight | 150 g |
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Dimensions | 18 × 9 × 5 cm |
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