Phoenix Dancong Zhi Lan Xiang

That rocky soil really comes through in the minerality—each sip has this clean, stone-fruit edge under the orchid notes. I’ve been brewing it gongfu style and the layers keep shifting, which is exactly what I hoped for from a single-cultivar Phoenix oolong.

Steeped it three times across the evening and the orchid notes stayed vivid, with a soft mineral edge that makes me think of that rocky Phoenix Mountain soil. The dry leaves smell almost fruity before water even touches them, and the liquor turns silky and layered as it cools.

The orchid aroma hits you the second the hot water touches the leaves, and the liquor stays sweet and floral through three steepings without fading. I've had a lot of oolongs, but this one's minerality from those rocky soils makes the finish feel clean and almost salty, which I wasn't expecting. A g