Is Ya Shi Xiang green tea? Ya Shi Xiang is a tea tree variety originating from Guangdong, China. Theoretically, its leaves can be made into green tea, black tea, or oolong tea. In practice, however, the vast majority is processed into medium-fermented Fenghuang Dancong Ya Shi Xiang. Therefore, Ya Shi Xiang is neither green tea nor black tea; it belongs to the oolong tea category.
Is Ya Shi Xiang green tea?
As mentioned earlier, Ya Shi Xiang is not green tea. Once harvested, the majority of Ya Shi Xiang leaves are crafted into “Ya Shi Xiang Dancong,” which is a type of oolong tea. It is made into oolong because its tea plant characteristics (high aroma, low bitterness and astringency) are exceptionally well-suited for oolong processing. While it can be made into Ya Shi Xiang green tea or black tea, the quality does not match that of the oolong version. Coupled with the surging demand for Ya Shi Xiang in recent years, naturally, most of the leaves are dedicated to producing Ya Shi Xiang Dancong oolong.
Origins of Ya Shi Xiang
It is a unique oolong tea produced in the Phoenix Mountain region of Chaozhou, Guangdong, China, renowned for its distinct aroma and deep tea character. The reason this tea is called “Duck Shit Fragrance” actually stems from an interesting story. The soil in Kengtou Village of the Phoenix Mountain area is called “duck shit soil” by the locals. Tea grown in this soil has an exceptionally intense aroma. Worried that the tea would be stolen, local tea farmers gave it this strange name—Duck Shit Fragrance—hoping to make people think the tea was unappealing and thus abandon any thoughts of taking cuttings to grow it or stealing the harvest.
However, over time, the aroma of the tea leaves produced by these tea trees proved to be simply too captivating, eventually catching the attention of others and leading to widespread propagation and cultivation. Moreover, the ironic name “Duck Shit Fragrance” leaves an even deeper impression on people. In 2018, a beverage company in Guangzhou introduced Duck Shit Fragrance as the tea base for lemon tea. Its unique aroma paired exceptionally well with lemon drinks, propelling Duck Shit Fragrance to viral tea status and making it the most popular aroma variety of Phoenix Dancong tea ever since.