Phoenix Monoplex Honey Orchid Incense 2023 No.1

The biggest feature of this product is its gorgeous fragrance, with a strong sweet lychee-like scent. Of course, this fragrance is not due to flavoring or fragrance, but is brought out by the characteristics of the tea variety, fermentation, and long-term charcoal roasting techniques. The finishing touch is called the second firing, and the charcoal roasting is done twice, for more than six hours each.

This tea has a very strong, sweet lychee-like aroma and a gorgeous fragrance. It is the first tea we would like people who have never tried Phoenix Single Cong to try.

Characteristics of high-quality Phoenix single cone

High-quality Fenghuang Dancong is cultivated in a style called 'taibo', which means that the tea plant is not pruned at the growing point, allowing the branches to spread out like a mountain tree and grow large (see the photo below).

An old tea tree from Houou Dancong and me, Kitajo (from behind)

On the other hand, tea trees in conventional tea farms, such as those in Japan, Taiwan, India, and Sri Lanka, are pruned low and have a more compact and controlled form. In conventional tea farms, tea trees are densely packed, allowing for efficient harvesting, and there are economic advantages in terms of high production volume. On the other hand, tall tea trees grow in a natural growing environment, and although it takes a lot of effort to harvest the tea leaves, the tall tree style has better flavor and quality.
If you go to Fenghuang Town, where Fenghuang Dancong Oolong tea is produced, you will see that the tea trees in the high altitude areas are managed using the high tree method. On the other hand, in the lower altitude areas, including the surrounding areas, tea plantations are managed using the general tea plantation method.

The tea trees in the high altitude areas are all tall trees. The photo is from the area around Wujia Village.

Some people think that Fenghuang Dancong has an astringent or bitter taste, but this is due in part to the fact that this type of tea is grown using a lot of fertilizer in general tea plantations in lowlands, and that the killing and roasting temperatures are high. Also, in high altitude areas, tea is basically only harvested in the spring, but in lowland general tea plantations, which are grown on a more commercial basis, it is not uncommon for tea to be harvested in the spring, summer, or autumn, and these types of tea can sometimes be the cause of the astringent taste.

On the other hand, high-quality Phoenix Dancong tea grown at high altitudes has almost no bitterness or astringency even when brewed with hot water.