Lao Cong Shui Xian (Gushu 300+ Old Tree Shui Xian)

£76.00

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

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Transluscent, amber gold coloured liquor.
Aroma: Honey, floral (orange blossom), ripe fruits (apricot, blackberry), baked bread, tobacco, rosewood.
Flavour: Honey, fruity (peach, apple, grapefruit), lightly aromatic woody notes (cedar, rosewood), floral (orange blossom) notes. Lingering citrus note and presence of rocky minerality.
Mouthfeel: Gentle, supple, medium-bodied, smooth but complex liquor. Long lasting fruity finish.

Laocong Shui Xian (水仙) is a Phoenix Dancong oolong made from the oldest mother cultivar of all the Phoenix oolong, Shui Xian, which originates from Wuyi mountain, Fujian province in China. The name Shui Xian means "narcissus," "water sprite," or "water lily" in English, known for its characteristic flowery honey aroma and flavor. The tea offers slightly sweet and fruity notes, accompanied by light woody, roasted and floral notes. It finishes with a clean, tangy aftertaste and minimal astringency.

In comparison to our Laocong Shui Xian made from relatively younger trees (150 years old), this Laocong Shui Xian (Gushu 300+ Old Tree Shui Xian) offers a more pronounced and persistent, brighter floral honey aroma with less woody undertone. Regarding the mouthfeel, there is also much less astringency than the younger counterpart and chewy texture, more presence of minerality in the liquor.

In comparison to all our other Phoenix dancong oolongs, Shui Xian makes a very comforting liquor (very rounded and harmonious flavour than tilted towards a specific flavour profile with more prominent fruity, milky, floral notes). This tea provides a deeply satisfying and comforting experience.

Brewing Guidance

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

Reference: Op. 161

Tips for Tea Connoisseurs

"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 Lao Cong Shui Xian Dancong Oolong Tea comes from Da'an Village, Wudong Mountain, 1100m above sea level, which forms the Phoenix Mountain Range (Feng Huang Shan) in eastern Guangdong Province. It has been meticulously hand-rolled and painstakingly charcoal-roasted over a month. In comparison to our Laocong Shui Xian made from relatively younger trees (150 years old), this Laocong Shui Xian (Gushu 300+ Old Tree Shui Xian) offers a more pronounced and persistent, brighter floral honey aroma with less woody undertone. Regarding the mouthfeel, there is also much less astringency than the younger counterpart and chewy texture, more presence of minerality in the liquor.

Its complexity, depth and versatile flavour profile is somehow reminds of well-aged gushu raw pure (sheng puerh). An absolute must try for oolong and Chinese tea connoisseurs, this will be also a great addition to your oolong tea repertoire.

All our phoenix oolong teas come from the 8th generation tea master, Mr. Huang, who has his tea farm in Da'an village in Wu dong Mountain. Mr. Huang's tea garden is a real diversity of old tea trees (gushu) with their age varying up to 600 years old. Made from rare and precious gushu tea trees, his phoenix oolongs offer the very finest, caliber quality. Also, his oolong teas are all organic, as old gushu tea trees are strictly protected by the Chinese government, any pesticide and fertiliser is prohibited in his tea garden. 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.

If you're serious about Phoenix oolong teas, try our incredible phoenix oolong teas made from gushu tea trees older than 100 years old - Phoenix Laocong Duck Shit Dancong, Phoenix Laocong Honey Orchid, Phoenix Laocong Eight Immortals, Phoenix Eastern Red.

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 Qi Lai Mountain Concubine Oolong, Heavy Roasted Dong Ding, and Nangang Honey Black.