Duck Shit Dancong Oolong | Phoenix Dan Cong Ya Shi Xiang

Duck Shit Dancong · Yǎ Shǐ Xiāng · 鸭屎香

2020 / 50 g

€92,00

1/19

Duck Shit Dancong · Yǎ Shǐ Xiāng · 鸭屎香

Oolong tea

Year of production 2020 2021 2023 2025

Weight50 g

€92,00

€1.840,00/kg

The name arrives first. Then the tea does.

Phoenix Dancong oolongs are named, sometimes romantically, sometimes practically, for what they evoke. Ya Shi Xiang, the one the world has started calling Duck Shit, earned its name the honest way: from the gnarled, darkened exposed roots of the tree, twisted and low to the ground, and from the long black roasted leaves that emerge from the fire. Someone looked, and someone said what they saw. The name keeps curious people away, which is perhaps why the tea has survived so intact.

mineral · sun-baked rock · honeyed warmth · wood smoke · silver flower incense · honeysuckle · bei xiang

FORMAT · Loose leaf

HARVEST · April - May

ORIGIN · Phoenix Mountain, Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, China

ELEVATION · 500 - 1000 m

CULTIVAR · Ya Shi Xiang (Duck Shit Dancong Old Arbor)

PRODUCER · Guangdong Wujin Tea Roastery

PROCESSING · Hand-plucked down to leaves → Solar-withered → Structural bruising and oxidation → High-temperature fix → Traditional charcoal roasting

BATCH · 75kg

CERTIFICATION · Protected Geographic Indication Origin Standard

STORAGE · Sealed, dry, odour-free environment at ambient temperature

96/100

孤峰 · Gū Fēng Lone Peak | Score: 95 to 100

The first light at its most present. Everything unnecessary has fallen away.

Ya Shi Xiang scores 96 due to its explosive olfactory performance. The bei xiang (empty cup aroma) is incredibly enduring, holding its structural profile across ten separate infusions without breaking into coarse astringency. It stands as a masterclass in high-mountain Chaozhou roasting technique, pushing the absolute upper limits of all five tiers.

more about the Yuan Archive Scoring System

State-Certified National Park & Organic Terroir

This tea is cultivated in an officially designated, state-monitored ecological protection area.

Official Organic Certification: Accredited under national organic standards (GB/T 19630) for both raw agricultural production and artisanal processing. Holds the official Chinese Organic Product Certificates issued by government-accredited certification body (CNAS / China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment).

State-Monitored Ecology: Grown in a strictly protected natural reserve where industrial activity is forbidden, and natural biodiversity creates an optimal microclimate for tea.

Purity Guaranteed: Free from synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or soil additives.

The Dry Leaf

Long, dark, tightly twisted roasted leaves derived from low-slung, gnarled tree roots. When warmed in the palm, it releases an intense mountain mineral aroma.

The Soup

Brilliantly clear, deep golden-amber liquor showing exceptional viscosity along the rim.

Fragrance & Palate

The profile opens not with sweetness, but with pure mineral force, mimicking the sensation of a smooth stone holding afternoon sun on a mountain path. Upon agitation, a deeper matrix rises: honeyed warmth, a thin thread of wood smoke, and the unmistakable high register of silver flower incense, the classical honeysuckle of Chinese gardens. This fragrance lingers powerfully in the mouth and empty vessel.

Spiritual Character

The Energy: Warm and neutral. A grounding, intensely clarifying presence that strips away mental clutter.

The Hour: Reserved for completely calm hours, or time that belongs entirely and exclusively to you.

Lineage & History Ya Shi Xiang earned its infamous name honestly: farmers sought to protect their prized tea from theft by naming it after the gnarled, dark, exposed roots of the old arbor trees and the dark color of the charcoal-roasted leaves. The name kept the curious away, allowing the cultivar to survive intact. It stands as a masterclass in high-mountain Chaozhou craftsmanship, relying on intense structural bruising, high-temperature fixation, and traditional charcoal roasting to forge its legendary aromatic oils.

Terroir & Microclimate This old arbor oolong originates from Phoenix Mountain in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province. The trees are deeply rooted in sun-baked, mineral-dense rock, enduring harsh, rocky conditions that impart a dramatic mineral shield to the tea. This rugged high-altitude terroir is responsible for the intense, enduring bei xiang (empty cup aroma) of honeysuckle and silver flower incense that defines the harvest.

Phoenix oolongs demand high, uncompromising temperatures to unlock their legendary aromatic volatile oils. Avoid a violent rolling boil, but keep the water structurally hot.

Vessel: Traditional Chaozhou clay pot or compact porcelain gaiwan

Ratio: 4g per 200ml

Water Temperature: 95°C - 100°C (203°F - 212°F)

First Rinse: 3-5 seconds then discarded, absolutely vital to flash-awaken the tightly twisted leaves

Steeps: 10 or more successive infusions, with lightning-fast initial pours to prevent over-extraction of bitter elements

Teaware Pairing

Dancong tradition prizes the cup's fragrance, or bei xiang. Pair this oolong with narrow, tall aroma cups or a fine porcelain gaiwan to concentrate the incredible honeysuckle perfume left behind in the vessel.