What is Phoenix Dancong tea? Is it black tea or green tea? Dancong tea originates from Fenghuang Town, Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province. It is a series of tea tree varieties mostly used to produce medium-fermented and medium-roasted semi-fermented teas, commonly known as Oolong tea. Along with Wuyi Rock Tea and Anxi Tieguanyin, Phoenix Dancong ranks as one of China’s top three Oolong teas.
What is Phoenix Dancong tea? Is it black tea or green tea?
Dancong tea is a variety of tea trees originally from Phoenix Mountain that began selective breeding over a hundred years ago, developing into numerous strains. Currently, more than ten aroma types are still cultivated on a large scale. While these tea trees can be made into black tea, green tea, white tea, and even Pu-erh tea, due to the characteristics of the tea tree strains (high aroma and low astringency), most of these teas are crafted into semi-fermented Oolong tea. Therefore, it can be said that Phoenix Dancong tea is “the vast majority Oolong tea.”
A small portion of Phoenix Dancong tea leaves are still used to make black tea, green tea, white tea, and Pu-erh tea. It is said that Phoenix Dancong black tea is of very high quality.
What Does "Dancong" Mean?
In the past, wild tea trees reproduced naturally, and the aroma and taste produced by every single tea tree seed were different. To improve quality, tea farmers in Phoenix Mountain began selective breeding over a hundred years ago. This involved identifying tea trees with exceptionally good aroma, taste, and yield, and then propagating them through stem cuttings. Every single tea tree propagated using this method will have the identical taste and aroma. To distinguish them from older wild tea trees, these cutting-propagated teas were called “Dancong,” which means harvested and crafted from a single lineage.
What Do Honey Orchid Aroma, Duck Shit Aroma, and Yellow Gardenia Aroma Mean in Dancong Tea?
Selective breeding of tea trees began over a hundred years ago, screening hundreds of excellent strains. Many of these strains are named after their aromas, and to this day there is the concept of the “ten major aroma types.” Honey Orchid Aroma and Yellow Gardenia Aroma are traditional top ten aroma types of Phoenix Dancong tea, while Duck Shit Aroma has become the most popular aroma type in recent years.