The alchemist’s masterpiece, balancing mineral 'rock bones' with the dizzying, floral complexity of orchid and honey.
Duck Shit
2020
€145,00
Sale price
€145,00
Regular price
Skip to product information
Duck Shit
€145,00
Sale price
€145,00
Regular price
Unit price
€2.900,00/kg
The Name Arrives First. Then the Tea Does.
Phoenix Dancong oolongs are named, sometimes romantically and 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.
The Tasting Experience
Hold the dry leaf and warm it in your palm. What arrives is not sweetness; it is mineral. The sensation of finding a smooth stone on a mountain path, still holding the heat of the afternoon sun. Scratch the surface and something deeper rises into the air: honeyed warmth, a thin thread of wood smoke, and the unmistakable high note of silver flower incense, Lonicera japonica, the honeysuckle of Chinese classical gardens.
Brew it and that mineral quality expands into a full, sustained fragrance that lingers in the empty cup long after the tea is gone. Dancong tradition prizes this; they call it bei xiang, the cup's fragrance. Here it is exceptional.
Spiritual Character Warm and neutral. A grounding, clarifying presence.
Occasions Calm hours. Time that belongs only to you.
Brewing Guide Tea-to-water ratio: 4g per 200ml Water temperature: 95–100°C Steeps: 10 or more, as Dancong oolongs are among the most enduring of all teas
Available as a 4g single-ceremony tester (one sitting, 10+ steeps) or in the full 50g size.
乌龙茶 Oolong Tea
Oolong is the grand theater of the tea world, a partially fermented leaf that dances gracefully between the freshness of green tea and the depth of red tea. Through meticulous bruising, resting, and roasting, artisans coax an astonishing symphony of aromas from the leaf, evoking wild orchids, sweet honey, blooming osmanthus, toasted walnuts, and deep charcoal.
In traditional Chinese thought, Oolong possesses a perfectly neutral energy, striking a harmonious balance that makes it a grounding companion for any season. The character of Oolong is deeply tied to its homeland. Southern Fujian offers the lyrical Anxi Tieguanyin, while Northern Fujian produces the deeply mineral Wuyi Rock teas. Across the strait, Taiwan yields the creamy, mountainous Dongding and Wenshan Baozhong. Finally, Guangdong is revered for its Phoenix Dancong, a magnificent tea harvested from single, ancient tree lineages to preserve unique floral genetics.
問余何意棲碧山
Why do I live in the green mountains?
笑而不答心自閒
I laugh and answer not, my soul sereneI
唐, 李白 Tang Dynasty, Li Bai
Brewing Guide
Amount: 4g of tea leaves per 200ml vessel
Temperature: 100°C water
Time: 3 to 5 seconds for the first 7 steeps, increasing the time gracefully for subsequent infusions
Technique: Pour the water gently in a slow circle, aiming for the inner wall of your teapot to avoid bruising the leaves
Vessel: Clay Teapots, Gaiwan, Glass Teapots, or a Gongbei
Our Philosophy
We believe that a tea leaf is more than a commodity; it is a tether to a specific moment in time and space. We have traveled to the source to bring you the genuine article, leaves untainted, unforced, and full of life. When you steep these leaves, you are not simply preparing a beverage; you are unfolding a story that began in soil, sun, and rain. Let each infusion be an exploration of what it means for a leaf to be truly, perfectly itself.
The mountain buds are plucked while yet the dew remains, emerald-green, unfurling in the bowl like a forest reborn in the steam.
