Fenghuang Dan Cong – Rou Gui Xiang

If you rarely enjoy Fenghuang Dan Cong tea (sometimes called Phoenix Oolong tea) or straight up don’t care for them, you may want to try out this tea. On the otherhand, if you love Fenghuang Dan Cong, I would still recommend this Phoenix Oolong Rou Gui! But be sure to spend plenty of time tasting the tea carefully, using all the tips and tricks from our How To Taste Tea Like a Pro video! This tea is FULL of excitement, but you will want to bring your A-game. The dry leaf is a sensory delight, with an immediate cocoa-like sweetness, then, once placed into a warm and humid gaiwan, a roasty element emerges with fleating, delicate hints of floral. It’s not at all an overwhelming floral, it’s the slightest hint, similar to a really high-end rock tea. The liquor color renders a luminescent gold liquor with a very reserved aroma. That is to say I got almost no aroma off the liquor and instead found all the aroma and flavor packed into the liquor! Up until now I could’ve almost missed that this was even a dancong except in the liquor is that distinct ‘dancong phoenix oolong’ flavor of the tea itself. This is combined with a gorgeously silky caramel-mineral flavor (the Rou Gui xiang elements) and all of it lasts forever in the mouth, so don’t rush your sips. Take lots of breaths over the liquor and take your time swallowing. And don’t be shy to slurp and aerate the tea for full effect! The mouthfeel is thick and full and adds nicely to the long lingering, complex flavors. As with many phoenix oolong teas, the gaiwan lid and bottom cup of this rou gui xiang both offer exciting insigts into the tea, with the high, subtle florals on the lid and a sugary goodness in the bottom cup.