Notes of orchid, spruce, and ghee.

Oolong from Taiwan・2022・龍鳳峽軟枝・EU standard conventional

Dragon Phoenix Tender Heart is an unusual find, as it’s one of the few high mountain oolongs that is still traditionally crafted. It comes from Shan Lin Xi’s Dragon Phoenix Gorge, where the cooler temperatures and mist-shrouded gardens produce tea with clarity, aromatics, and texture. But only those crafted with care retain these qualities through production.

This tea is produced by a farm operated by the Zhang family. Two generations work together during the harvest, the older generation influencing the younger to produce rich, bold teas using traditional methods. The family uses traditional “cloth globes”, a process of rolling oolongs that takes significantly longer than modern techniques, but that develops more flavor and character. Heritage crafting techniques subject the tea to longer periods of oxidation, and retains essential oils, a fundamental component of flavor, that are pressed away by modern machinery.

Dragon Phoenix Tender Heart is crafted from a variety called ruan zhi, or soft stem. Ruan zhi predates the more common qing xin (green heart) cultivar. Though it’s more difficult to grow than a green heart, ruan zhi delivers a more persistent and structured finish.

The Zhang’s ship this tea to us raw, almost immediately after production. We then finished the maocha in-house, lightly baking it at our studio in San Francisco, removing excess moisture from the leaves, and further concentrating the tea’s floral notes.

Brew: 6 grams・150 ml・203° F・2 min

This tea accommodates a range of brew styles. Our brewing guide highlights this tea’s long, structured finish. Decreasing steep time will result in a sweeter, milder tea.