Dan Cong Xin Ren Xiang (\u5355\u679e\u674f\u4ec1\u9999), also known as Almond Fragrance Oolong, comes from a fully certified organic tea garden of Master Huang. It is hand picked from the local Xin Ren Xiang cultivar trees that are about 15 years old and are grown under perfect organic conditions near Gaoyuan Village at an altitude of approximately 600 metres. This tea produces a sweet aromatic liquor with a syrupy mouthfeel and a lasting fruity aftertaste. This current batch was harvested and processed in April 2021.<\/p>\n
You may be interested in our other Dan Cong teas from Master Huang<\/a>, which are available in our usual packaging or in two tea flight boxes<\/a> that contain 6 different teas each.<\/p>\n The Xin Ren Xiang name comes from the aroma and the flavour that oolong tea made from these plants develops. While it is translated into English as almond fragrance<\/em>, it is quite different to the type of roasted almond aroma and taste that the taste buds in the West are used to. Instead this refers to the apricot kernel, which, while is similar to the almond, is quite different in flavour and aroma. It is definitely far removed from the taste association with roasted almonds. As with so many other Dan Cong cultivars, or varietals, the original mother bushes are descended from the ubiquitous Shui Xian (\u6c34\u4ed9) cultivar trees. The farmers have then taken cuttings from these trees to preserve the unique nature of the mother bushes in the descendent trees. This has allowed careful selection process to occur over time, which allowed for the desired plant’s features to pass to the newly planted trees. The Xin Ren Xiang plants are specifically noted for the ability to produce teas with a complex sweet flavour, lasting aftertaste and a syrupy mouthfeel.<\/p>\n The leaves of this Organic Xin Ren Xiang Oolong are smaller in size as the cultivar does not produce very large leaves. It is also less oxidised in order to preserve the delicate flavours. The wet leaf is particularly aromatic with a lightly roasted aroma and a warmly spiced note of apricots. The liquor produced is delicate with a sweet aroma of raw almonds. The predominately fruity profile is floral, gently baked, a touch mineral and creamy. It has a sweet syrupy mouthfeel that also leads to acacia honey notes. The aftertaste has more sweet and fruity notes that are quite clean but very persisting on your palate. As the liquor cools down, it brings out more honeyed notes.<\/p>\n Brew western style, at 90\u00b0C for 3 minutes 3+ times. For best results we highly recommend gongfu<\/em> style brewing. For gongfu<\/em>, we recommend using traditional glass or ceramic teaware or a gaiwan. Or you can use your favourite yixing or chaozhou tea pot that already performs well with Dan Cong teas. Make sure to preheat all teaware thoroughly. Use water brought to 100\u00b0C and a very high tea to water ratio of 1g per 10ml. We find anywhere between 7g (more conventional gongfu<\/em>) and 10g (more local chaozhou gongfu<\/em> style) per 100ml to be a good measure, depending on your taste. As an alternative visual guide, your brewing vessel should be about 75% full with leaves. Start with 10 second infusions for the first 4 infusions. Then start slowly increasing the infusion time after that. You can adjust the quantity of leaf and infusion time to your taste, however the bittersweet complexity that comes through when using the traditional method is very much a desired feature in Chaozhou.<\/p>\n Location of the organic tea garden of Master Huang:<\/p>\n