Laocong Phoenix Eight Immortals (Gushu 100+ Old Tree Ba Xian)

Tea Type: Oolong Tea

Tea Region: Da'an Village, Wudong Shan, Guangdong Province, China

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Transluscent, bright, gold coloured liquor.  
• Aroma: Soft, creamy gardenia and sweet nectarine notes evolve into more zesty floral (osmanthus, orange blossom), stone fruits (quince, apricot), freshly squeezed orange notes. 
• Flavour: Milky, Floral (magnolia, rose), tropical fruit (papaya, coconut), vegetal (cooked asparagus) flavours on a milky, creamy background. 
• Mouthfeel: Supple, mellow liquor with a velvety mouthfeel. Persistent floral sweetness in the finish.

Our Phoenix Eight Immortals Dancong oolong tea is made by Mr. Huang, the 8th generation great tea master. In Mr. Huang's tea garden (1100m above sea level), there are many old tea trees (gushu) with their age up to 600 years old and he only produces the very finest, top of the cream phoenix dancong oolong tea from these rare, precious gushu trees. 

When brewed, the tea offers a fragrant liquor with distinctively white floral notes (magnolia, frangipani) on a creamy, milky background. The tea is really floral and milky, which reminds of light Taiwanese high mountain jade oolongs made from milky and creamy Jin Xuan cultivar, but with lighter body and more sweetness. On the fruity note, tropical fruits with pronouced floral notes such as papaya and coconut notes are present in the brewed liquor. In terms of mouthfeel, the liquor is really so mellow and supple with a velvety texture and the distinctive floral sweetness lingers long in the finish. 

Brewing Guidance

• Measure 1g of tea per 100ml water. Boil water to 90℃. Steep for 4-5 minutes.

Reference: Op. 122

Tips for Tea Connoisseurs

Phoenix Eight Immortals, also known as "Feng Huang Ba Xian" in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary Dancong oolong tea from Guangdong Province, China.  "Dancong", translated into "single shrub" or "single bush" in Chinese, refers to an individual tea plant cultivated from a variety of Shui Xian cultivar. As the sub-varietals of Shui Xian cultivars grown on the region have very different characteristics in terms of leaf and tree shape, teas made from different individual shrubs happened to develop very distinctive aroma and flavour profile from one to the other, which explains why the oolong teas produced in the region are called as "Dancong Oolong". 

Our Phoenix Eight Immortals Dancong oolong tea is made from the early spring harvest of the old gushu tea trees grown by Mr. Huang, the 8th generation great tea master in Da'an Village in Wu Dong Shan, 1100m above sea level, which forms the Phoenix Mountain Range (Feng Huang Shan) in eastern Guangdong Province.

In Mr. Huang's tea garden, there are many old tea trees (gushu) with their age up to 600 years old and he only produces the very finest, top of the cream phoenix dancong oolong tea from these rare, precious gushu trees. Also, as these gushu tea trees are strictly protected by the Chinese government, they are not allowed to use any pesticide either. We were really impressed by the diversity of tea cultivars in their tea garden and the quality of their phoenix oolongs during our visit in 2018. 

When brewed, the tea offers a fragrant liquor with distinctively white floral notes (magnolia, frangipani) on a creamy, milky background. The tea is really floral and milky, which reminds of light Taiwanese high mountain jade oolongs made from milky and creamy Jin Xuan cultivar, but with lighter body and more sweetness. On the fruity note, tropical fruits with pronouced floral notes such as papaya and coconut notes are present in the brewed liquor. In terms of mouthfeel, the liquor is really so mellow and supple with a velvety texture and the distinctive floral sweetness lingers long in the finish. 

The tea aroma and flavour really evolve along the multiple steepings of gong fu session. As this Phoenix Eight Immortals is very complex and less sweet than other phoenix oolongs, we highly recommend this for Chinese and Taiwanese oolong tea connoisseurs. 

As with all the teas, oolong tea also offers us health benefits to increase our sense of well-being. Several studies indicate that oolong tea is a rich source of antioxidant polyphenols and it may well be just as beneficial as green tea to promote weight loss and cardiovascular health by reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol.

If you like this product you may also like Phoenix Almond Fragrance.