Lily Eccentric, Wuyi yancha oolong, 40 g
US$27.8
excluding tax and tariff
珍藏 慧苑奇蘭
Wuyi Qi Lan Premium
Originated in the south, Qi Lan cultivars attain new characters growing in the more rugged landscape of Wuyi. Since late last century, traders have taken advantage of its distinctive and pleasing aroma to mislabel it as the much demanded, but hugely misrepresented Red Cloak, Iron Buddha, or other famous Wuyi oolongs. Some blend it in other varieties for the same disguise purpose. Tea Hong’s Qi Lan is a premium single batch production that is optimally fermented and baked to allow the full, glorious taste profile of the tea. Some say if one has not experienced Qi Lan, one will never know what Wuyi teas really are. We’d say this eccentric lily has its unique place in the great family of oolongs.
This tea is also available in a small portion as a part of Tea Taster’s Box: Nine Oolong Samplers.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack
In stock
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Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
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Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Red Cloak Grande, Wuyi yancha oolong, 40 g
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Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack -
Hirotaka Umehara: Kiln Change Striated Chakkiri Kyūsu
Japanese chachū (kyūsu), TeawareUS$73.0梅原 廣隆 玉光火窯変線段茶っ切り急須
Artist: Hirotaka Umehara Pot capacity: 350 ml Pot diameter: 9.5 cm Pot opening diameter: 7.5 cm Pot height, including the lid button: 8.5 cm Material: high temperature fired red clay Net weight: 279 g Origin: Tokoname, Aichi, Japan Packing: Cushioned carton box*note: the photo with a hand holding the teapot is intended for the viewer to relate to the size of the piece. It is not meant as a reference for any proper handling style.
Taste profile
Nose: Tones of lily blossoms, nectarine, and spices mingle to one smooth aroma on a creamy undertone, accented with touches of nectar in a warm, woodsy sensation. Palate: Velvety texture. Deep, dry body with slight bites of cinnamon and other wood spices. Light tingle of orange peel holds together the floral, spicy and buttery characters. Finish: Mouth watering after taste. Sweetness at the throat comes much later.
Infusion tip
Unlike most other Wuyi oolongs, Lily Eccentric is relatively easy to infuse. It is also more tolerant of longer infusion. As a matter of fact, steeping it longer will render a more intense and impressive taste profile. Our preference is to use a normal leaf to water ratio but brew for 15% more time. Veteran drinkers may want an even higher leaf to water ratio and even more time. Minimum water temperature 95°C if you want more of the aroma.
A little note about the translation of Qi Lan as Lily Eccentric
There are many different translations of the original name that romanises as Qi Lan. We have picked “eccentric” for the word “qi”, but one can argue that “fantastic”, “unique”, “amazing” etc are equally suitable.
However, those who understand the traditional literary context of the making of such and other poetic names may appreciate that the long tradition of the use of the word qi in referring to something or someone that is admirably different from others.
In the long history of Old China, eccentricity has been a virtue especially in dark times, when power and money corrupt to the core of the soul of a society. When all that we build our believes on are dying, such as now, a little eccentricity — a bit of holding on to the old virtues and not falling with the flock — helps to keep us sane.
Additional information
| Shipping Weight | 90 g |
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| Dimensions | 18 × 9 × 5 cm |
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3 reviews for Lily Eccentric, Wuyi yancha oolong, 40 g
Lily Eccentric, Wuyi yancha oolong, 40 g
White Peony Classic Floral, traditional white tea, 40 g
Cool Energy, Home, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Minnan/ Mindong, Fujian, Tea, White teas明前 福鼎牡丹王
Finest Fuding Bai Mudan
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 
Tieguanyin Floral, bouquet oolong, 80 g
Cold Energy, Floral Aromas, Milder Tastes, Minnan/ Mindong, Fujian, Oolongs, Tea花香滿樓 頭春金觀音
A very fragrant Jin Guanyin
While some people like their Tieguanyin subtle and long like it used to be traditionally, some others want it to be more floral. So we give you Tieguanyin Floral, a very bouquet version of this popular oolong. The cultivar is Jin Guanyin ( aka Golden Tieguanyin ), a child between the traditional Tieguanyin plant and a relatively newer bleed, Huangjin Gui *. While the latter is widely used as a substitute for the genuine Tieguanyin for its pleasing nose, it lacks the body and length of the real thing. The resultant hybrid, however, has the best of both parents. The terroir is in Xianghua, a mountainous area in the Anxi county in the subtropical southern part of Fujian, where the best Tieguanyin is produced. This tea is also available in a small portion as a part of Tea Taster’s Box: Nine Oolong Samplers.
Net weight: 80 g (2.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Honey Orchid, Phoenix dancong oolong, 40 g
Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy, Oolongs, Tea鳳凰單樅、烏崠蜜蘭香
Milan Xiang Dancong:
The fine mastery that produces Tea Hong’s Honey Orchid has to be coupled with select first flush harvests from high grown tea bushes in order to deliver the kind of quality only a restricted circle of tea aficionados have known and kept to their secret. The overall production volume for such quality in the whole Phoenix region is only a few thousand kilos after all. Most will go to local elites, and the rest to the few hardcore Phoenix oolong fans that are also tea merchants, like us. This tea is also available in a small portion as a part of Tea Taster’s Box: Nine Oolong Samplers.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Luan Guapian Traditional, handcrafted green tea, 50 g
Cold Energy, Green teas, Huangshan & Anhui, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Tea珍品、六安瓜片
The sweetness in a unique bitter green
Unlike other green teas that are prized for plucking early in Spring, leaves of Da Guazi need to be quite grown and spread in order to make a fine Luan Guapian. This gives the proper biochemistry that yields enough pectin for the tea's signature velvety texture and unique bitter character. This is possible only with a special local cultivar — Da Guazi — Big Melon Seed, hence the funny name. Some say it takes enough experience in life for a person to appreciate the bitterness in a food or drink. We think maybe it only takes a person with a truly sensitive taste faculty to understand and prize such a wonderful tea.
Net weight: 50 g (1.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack
As brilliantly pointed out by Tea Hong, eccentricity is an often misunderstood quality. This tea represents eccentricity at its best. Dry leaf is fragrant of flowers and subtle vegetal hints. Adding hot water, the tea releases a pleasantly fragrant and silky liquor. Continued steeping yields many more unique, exhilarating, eccentric cups of floral, woody, mineral, velvety tea. Budmo.
This is good Qi Lan, I really enjoy the way it opens up and the way it maintains its composure across multiple brews. It needs to be pushed hard, but has a lot of flavors to give, and the whole experience ends up being very enjoyable because every cup has great flavors and leaves some amazing sensations in the body & mind.
The flavor profile is complex, and immediately bursts out with perfectly-intertwined notes of florals and spices, along with a creamy-smooth sensation and a deep earthiness that is characteristic of zhengyan yancha.
The aftertaste is persistent, the sweetness is apparent, and the charm of this yancha lingers in the throat pleasantly for a while. Hui Yuan is one of the most expensive micro-terroirs in all of Wuyi, as it is one of the original “three pits and two streams” which define the most historically-accurate, and inner-most production regions in all of Wuyi.
This is a very good price for what is undoubtedly very good yancha.
Usually Qi Lan either too little fire or too much fire. This one is just right and very good smell. Excellent Wuyishan taste and after taste. Good for Zen tea for one person drinking. Also good for me and my family for breakfast tea.