Wu Dong Song Zhong5CSZ Harvest: April 2012
Origin: China / Guangdong / Chaozhou / Zhongxinyan
Height: 1100 m.a.s.l
Tea plant varietal: Shui Xian Song Zhong (> 50jährige Teebäume)
A very beautiful Fenghuang Dandong of outstanding quality, that needs much attention. The leaves come from over fifty year old bushes that grow at high altitude on Mount Wudong. They are of the sub-varietal Songzhong. The tea is carfully crafted and moderately roasted above charcoal from litchi-wood. Songzhong, Song (dynasty) Varietal means, that cuttings were taken from a tea trea from the Song dynasty, i.e. which is at least 700 years old. New tea gardens were grown from these cuttings. The tea bushes themselves are not so old, their genetic material, however, is, which is reflected in its taste. Such genuine Wudong Sonzhong are also called Dongfanghong (The east is red) in honour of Mao Zedong.
Category:
Phoenix Single Bush (Feng Huang Dan Cong) Phoenix Single Bush, Feng Huang Dan Cong in Chinese, are being produced near the village Fenghuang on the slopes of Mount Wudong that culminates at 1200m above sea level, as well as in the neighbouring village Shiguping. The region is situated in the very east of Guangdong province. It was probably there that the method of producing Oolong was invented in the 16th century. Still today, the local teas are produced in a very traditional way, and up on Mount Wudong there are still many tea trees which are several hundred years old. In the present case, the term Single Bush does not refer to a literal single tea bush, but to a multitude of bushes that all stem from cuttings of one single so-called mother bush, which makes them all genetically identical. All of these tea plants are sub-varietal of the Shui Xian varietal. The individual teas differ from each other through the sub-varietal, the age of the tea plants, the exact location, respectively height above sea level, and of course, through the manufacturing and finishing, particularly the blending of different sub-varietals and the degree and quality of the roasting. Phoenix Single Bush teas always have a taste composed of two parts: on the one hand fruity and sweet, on the other hand bitter and tart while the roasting creates a balanced, round aroma.