Since 2015, we have started to develop a hybrid tea of Pu-erh tea and Phoenix Oolong tea using naturally cultivated tea from Ma An Shan as a raw material, and this is the third year we continue to product this rare and unique tea. It gives a bold drinking sensation and deep finishing, with rich and multi-layer of dried fruity note; a rare combination of taste and flavor in raw pu-erh tea that you must give it a try!
This product is made by tea master who came from Phoenix mountain (the hub of famous Dan Cong Oolong) and stationed in Yunnan for several years till now. With his skill in making oolong tea, he is able to produce tea that gives an intense dried fruity note with the fresh tea leaf of Yunnan. Its flavor reminiscent Zhi Lang Xiang or Ba Xian Dan Cong of Phoenix oolong. However, sometimes due to the type of water and tea ware used, the flavor is mild. With the right water and tea ware, it gives an intense dried fruity note like raspberry and figs or apricots.
He was the second son of his family and he has been involving in tea production since he was young together with his elder brother. He loves tea very much and he wish to continue his venture in tea production. His elder brother manages the family business of Phoenix oolong in Chaozhou, and he decided to travel around China and sought for better tea ingredients.After going around various regions, he decided to station in Yunnan. No doubt that Yunnan province has many old tea trees and most importantly, the naturally cultivated tea (tea grown from seeds) is available, and he was deeply impressed by the natural taste of fertilizer-free tea. In particular, he focuses on the area around the Myanmar border in Lincang and the area around Ma An Shan in Yunnan province, where old-fashioned agriculture remains, and no fertilizer or pesticide is used, and the tea garden is completely sustainable.
Chaozhou people
Chaozhou is located in Guangdong Province and is known as the birthplace of Gong Fu tea. In my experience, Chaozhou people are very hardworking and very particular about detail. It may be overly surprising, but I often tell my friends that Chaozhou people are more diligent than Japanese. For this reason, there are many people who have been successful in the world, and it is well-known that many of the wealthy people who have been successful in Thailand, including Hong Kong's wealthy Li Ka-shing, are also Chaozhou people.I told this tea producer that I visited Mountain Wu Dong of Phoenix Town every year to purchase Phoenix Dan Cong. He was very pleased when he knew that I have deep interest in Phoenix Oolong tea. After knowing my interest, he suggested an unique type of tea. It is a tea that combines the characteristics of oolong tea and pu-erh tea: using the Yunnan tea and taking in the fermentation style that is the basis of Phoenix Dao Cong tea. Tea that combines the characteristics of Phoenix Dan Cong and raw Pu-erh tea is truly a dreamy tea. I have been trying to make this tea for years. So this year, before the season started, we went to Yunnan to meet the producer and discuss about our various standards for production. This type of unique tea needs to be pre-order, and it is necessary to make a reservation in advance, and set all the parameter in processing including including the timing to collect the fresh tea leaves, the plucking standard, and the handling of tea.
How to make phoenix oolong tea and pu-erh tea hybrid
The production process of this tea is as follows:
1. Tea picking: 1 bud and 2 to 4 leaves according to pu-erh tea standard
2. Withering
3. Pan-frying
4. Sun drying
5. Heating at low temperature
Taiwanese oolong tea is a micro-fermentation, so withering and fermentation is a gentle movement to flip the tea leaves to initiate a slight fermentation on the edges of the tea leaves. For Phoenix oolong tea in Chaozhou, the fermentation is carried out more deeply by conducting more vigorous movement to the tea leaves. In this way, we use the name of "Gong Fu Tea '' because of the tea created by incorporating the tea making technology of Phoenix Oolong Tea, and also this is a new category of tea that has not been found before. Gong Fu is a word used as a pronoun for Chaozhou style tea making, and Gong Fu pu-erh tea means pu-erh tea made by using Chaozhou style tea making technology. Since this tea is made from Ma An Shan tea, the name of the tea was finally made as Ma An Shan Gong Fu Pu-erh.
Four Famous production areas in Ling Cang
I purchase tea mainly at high latitude and high altitude area of Lincang. The famous tea production areas in Lincang is Xi Gui, Bing Dao, Mang Fei and Ma An Shan. Among these four production areas, Bing Dao is nearer to the city of Lincang, and it is relatively easy to access. The price of the Bing Dao and Xi Gui is now unusually high. As a matter of fact, in order for farmers to increase their income, they need to produce more teas, and eventually these two production areas are in a state of fertilizer growing method, and tea plucking is performed many times during the year, so the quality has decreased remarkably. Mang Fei is about 6-7 hours driving distance from Lincang city, and the government officials have opened some tea factories.The price of Mang Fei tea has risen in recent years due to the introduction of this tea area in China documentary program.
Ma An Shan High Quality Tea
It tastes like mango with a sweet fragrance
A typical pu-erh tea is made by several tea masters working under the supervision of one person and collaborating. For this reason, it is possible to produce tea in a relatively efficient manner. But this tea seems to be fully hand-made by only one tea master from Chao Zhou. Of course, there is no other person in Yunnan province who has the fermentation technology of Yao-qing (摇青).Ma An Shan Pu-erh tea is made in a complex process. It has an aroma that is received by all people when you drink it. First of all, it uses the tea leaves from Ma An Shan, and it has rich taste and strong body that spreads on palate and travels deep down the throat. In my first impression, It has a fragrance like white tea, Phoenix oolong, Oriental Beauty, and vintage pu-erh. I thought that it was the fragrance of ripe mango and it smelled like peaches. This tea has a strong sense of the individuality of oolong tea, but at the same time it also has the individuality as a pu-erh tea, and of course, it is a tea that can be expected to mature interestingly even for aging. This tea was made in 2018, and by now, tea has been aged well and it developed more intense sweet fruity note.