Honey Orchid XO 1992, matured Phoenix Dancong oolong
$ 27.80
特醇鳳凰單樅 陳年蜜蘭香
A local tea master’s special reserve
In the Phoenix Mountain area, where some superrich and those in powerful positions would send their chauffeurs to collect teas from certain tea farms at hundreds of thousands per kilo even when the tea is barely baked after processing, there are certain farmers whose own personal tea is never this “fresh”. They actually store their tea in tight tins for many years before opening it again for their own private enjoyment. This practice is more common amongst older farmers, and in other oolong regions as well.
It is believed that Phoenix oolongs having been matured for decades are friendlier to the stomach. Although they would not be as as bright, floral or vibrant as younger ones, they are overall a lot more soothing, calming and indeed, comforting.
Tea Hong’s Honey Orchid XO (Extra Old) 1992 delivers a much softer, smoother body with that signature honey sweetness but in the warm humbleness akin to a very fine shu cha Pu’er. If the other fresher Honey Orchid we offer is a Van Gogh, this XO version is a Rothko, metamorphically speaking*.
Net weight: 50 g (1.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack
In stock
Taste profile
Nose: Notes of honey and dried fruits with an earthy, sweet herbal overtone, accented with fresh cut camphor wood and bamboo leaf wrapped steamed sticky rice.
Palate: Silky smooth tactility with a bouquet sweetness hinting apple, dried longan on a warm, roasted and earthy undertone. Hints of slight bitterness from some citrus peel and the Chinese herb huangqi. Light but intricately complex tinkles of minerals.
Finish: Lasting but slight sweetness, soothing and quenching.
Infusion tips
This tea manifests a fuller body when a 90 to 95°C water is used. We recommend on the high side for its delicate aroma. The taste experience using either the shorter duration method, such as gongfu infusion with a smaller vessel half-filled with the dried leaves; or the standard longer brewing style, such as 5 to 6 min with a leaf to water ratio of 1.5g to each 100ml in a 600ml teapot, is similarly enjoyable but different, as in other Phoenix oolongs. Either way, blanching the leaves before infusion is advised.
Because of the softer nature of this selection, it is a good alternative to the fresher Honey Orchid for practicing the more difficult to master gongfu infusion approach, if you still need some learning to understand both the technique, and the nature of this group of tea that is the classic style medium baked Phoenix oolongs.
Read more about infusing Honey Orchid here: Does your Honey Orchid Supreme taste too bitter?
Note:
While Vincent van Gogh is often branded as an Expressionist painter, Mark Rothko is categorised as an Abstract Expressionist. The works of both painters are as mind engaging and spiritually absorbing but in very different ways. Somehow their works came to mind when writing this tea description, so they are quoted. Please do let us know if you think there are more appropriate metaphoric representations. We would be most grateful for such ideas.
Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
Deep Ocean by Mark Rothko
Additional information
| Weight | 100 g |
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| Dimensions | 18 × 9 × 5 cm |
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Reviews(1)
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Cassia Extraordinaire, Wuyi yancha oolong
Tea, Oolongs, Wuyi-shan, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy武夷岩茶、清香新品肉桂
Tea Hong’s Most Bouquet Wuyi Oolong
Great discipline in the use of fire distinguishes Cassia Extraordinaire from most other Wuyi varieties with a supple, deliciously floral and delicate scent balanced with a full, lively body. Thanks to this masterful baking, this lighter style Wuyi oolong keeps well and improves with extended storage, as it should traditionally. This is our most “bouquet” style Wuyi oolong, being on the other end of the scale as the deep baked classic style Cassia Classic or Red Cloak Grande in Tea Hong’s proud Wuyi repertoire.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Huangshan Maofeng Classic, traditional green tea
Tea, Green teas, Huangshan & Anhui, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Cool Energy黃山毛峰、雨前翠玉
A quintessential traditional pre-rain green tea
Huangshan Maofeng green tea is a must-have souvenir when one visits Huangshan. However, even if you know the way to real teashops rather than tourist traps, a pack of such quality as Tea Hong's Cuiyu would come at a high price. That is why this pleasant tasting and slightly sweet baked green tea is a most popular item not only for our retail, but also export. To maintain consistent high quality, we employ only harvest before the lunar almanac demarkation of “guyu” — the first rain for seeding, around early to mid-April. "Yuqian" — before the rain — is the traditional term for this.
Net weight: 35 g (1.2 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
White Peony Classic Floral, traditional white tea
Home, Tea, White teas, Minnan/ Mindong, Fujian, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Cool Energy明前 福鼎牡丹王
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Slowly cured in the grand tradition in the origin of white teas, Fuding, Tea Hong's White Peony Classic Floral maintains the original character of floral aroma with a sweet, refreshing taste. White Peony Classic Floral is a first flush from a high altitude garden of pure Fuding Daibai cultivar, ensuring the best possible health potency of white tea. We have matured the current batch since Spring 2019 in our environment to ensure the best possible gastronomic experience.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide kraft-alu wide 
While I’m generally not a fan of aged dancong, this one stands out to me for two reasons.
First; it’s clearly been aged well. The flavors have not faded, but rather become accentuated, with good depth and excellent staying power on the palate. I particularly enjoy how interwoven the flavors are with each other, everything feels cohesive and integrated seamlessly, and I love the added touch of complexity that arises from the way these flavors have been interacting with each other for decades prior to me brewing them out.
The second reason this stands out is the humble price tag. Good luck finding late-80’s / early-90’s dancong with a flavor profile as intact as this, for anywhere near the price Tea Hong is asking. Aged dancong of this caliber is extremely rare, and usually much more expensive.
If you’re a fan of aged oolongs, you’ll find all of the usual suspects here: plum paste, fig jam, cinnamon-raisin bread, and soft undertones of medicinal hardwoods – all accentuated by a powerful minerality that is characteristic of high-quality dancong. It’s retained a surprising amount of its original honey orchid personality as well, with some notes of fermented honey being apparent from the initial sip to the aftertaste.