Different styles of tea follow different naming conventions. Some teas are named for their picking grade (like white teas) or terroir (like Pu Er Sheng Cha), while others are named for historic folklore (e.g., Long Jing). Some names have little to do with the teas themselves.
The tangy, ostentatious Wu Longs from Feng Huang Shan go by many names on today’s tea market, from Honey Orchid to Duck Shit. It’s hard to tell when the name is truthful to a tea’s flavor or a play on sentiment. Even the category name, ”Phoenix Tea”, “Guangdong Oolong”, or, perhaps most commonly, “Dan Cong”, can be a contentious point. What are the rules? Is there a standard naming convention for Phoenix Wu Long? Today, we’re getting to the bottom of what these different names mean, where they come from, and how most Feng Huang Wu Longs get their names today.
Matters of Geography
Some of the names for Feng Huang Wu Long have to do with the teas’ place of origin. According to myth, these Wu Longs—and, in fact, all Wu Longs—originated with the She people in Feng Huang Shan. The English translation of this mountain—”Phoenix Mountain”—is where the names “Phoenix tea” and “Phoenix Oolong” come from.
Feng Huang Shan (Phoenix Mountain) is a mountain north of Chao Zhou, a city near the coast in southeastern Guangdong province. As Feng Huang-style Wu Long has become more popular, more farmers are growing it outside its historic terroir. This is especially prevalent in Rao Ping, a city neighboring Chao Zhou, which is now one of the largest peripheral Wu Long regions, and is often considered a hub for knock-off Feng Huang Wu Long. As more Feng Huang-style teas are made further from its historical terroir, some refer to this style of tea simply as “Guangdong Oolong”. Academically, the style of wu long, including Dan Cong, is called Chao Shan* Wu Long.
*While Chao Zhou is the historic city where Feng Huang Shan situated in, Chao Shan is the name of the official city comprised by the twin cities Chao Zhou and Shan Tou.
Origin of the name “Dan Cong”
“Dan Cong”—probably the most common name for Feng Huang-style Wu Longs on the market today—means "single bush." Historically, “Dan Cong” referred to a specific grade of Feng Huang Wu Long, tracing back to the communal farming era, when teas were harvested and centrally produced, then blended and graded. Dan Cong was the highest grade harvested from massive, ancient trees that would be individually picked, then individually processed, then blended.
Dan Cong is what made Feng Huang Wu Long famous, so the name became very well known. However, most "Dan Congs" nowadays are not technically Dan Cong. This unique historical processing method has nearly been abandoned now that the tea trees and activities have become privatized. The common practice nowadays is the following: the teas from giant trees are processed into Dan Zhu (single tree), which means that the entire batch comes from a single tree, and they are never blended; other teas, either big old trees or young trees, are picked and blended before processing, which gives us single varietals, but not Dan Cong. However, the name has quickly become so commonly used in the market as synonymous to Feng Huang Wu Long that any tea that resembles the style is usually referred to as Dan Cong.
Naming Conventions Today: Cultivar and Aroma
Cultivar
In the 1980’s, it became more popular to make Feng Huang Wu Long using single cultivars. Through selective farming, farmers distinguished and stabilized varietals through transplanting, cloning, and, their specialization, grafting, thus starting the era of single varietals.
Today, all traditional and classic Wu Longs are named after their cultivars. A Rou Gui is referring to a Yan Cha made from Rou Gui Cultivar. A Ba Xian is referring to a Dan Cong made from Ba Xian. This is very simliar to naming a Chardonnay made from Chardonnay grapes, Chardonnay. In all Wu Long regions, there are hundreds of varietals. Some of the most common ones for Feng Huang Wu Long are:
- Song Zhong: Song Zhong is a descendant varietal of the old tree rumored to be from the Song Dynasty. It's bold, blunt, floral with subtle herbal notes.
- Bai Ye: Peachy and straightforward, this is one of the most common varietals for Feng Huang Wu Long. Bai Ye has a high yield; it buds early and is reliable. The delightful notes also make it one of the most popular teas on the market. However, Bai Ye is often mistakenly sold as Mi Lan Xiang (honey orchid) but is a more economical varietal. (Note that this is not the same as a varietal called Da Bai Ye.)
- Ya Shi Xiang (aka Duck Shit Fragrance): Few teas gain their attention for their unusually foul name, and Duck Shit is undoubtedly one of them. There were efforts to change the name to a more sophisticated one, such as Silver Flower Fragrance, but Duck Shit remains. There's also a varietal in the region called Zei Shi, which means thief shit. Ya Shi Xiang is buttery, bright, jasmine, and very aromatic with a pleasant sweetness.
- Ju Duo Zai: Technically, the translation is Apricot Kernel Fragrance, which in the West gets commonly translated as Almond. Ju Duo Zai is a cute oddball among Feng Huang Wu Long and easily distinguishable by appearance and taste. Its leaves are tiny with very fuzzy edges. While Wu Longs tend to be floral, Ju Duo Zai is nuttier and has a weighty mouthfeel. It is considered a prized varietal.
- Zhi Lan Xiang: Zhi Lan Xiang is named after an orchid. This prized varietal is elegant, with subtle fruitiness and a bright metallic taste.
- Wu Ye: Another very common varietal for Feng Huang Wu Long, Wu Ye, is grassy, refreshing with prominent floral notes. Wu Ye is often sold as Ya Shi Xiang and is also an economical varietal. (Note that this is not the same as a varietal called Da Wu Ye.)
- Mi Lan Xiang: This tea is named not after the sweetness people usually associate with honey but the weighty waxy notes farmers associate with honeycomb. Mi Lan Xiang is a varietal that is not as easy to harvest and make as Bai Ye is. Due to the confusion, other varietals are sold or marketed as "Mi Lan Xiang," however, the actual Mi Lan Xiang varietal is still highly desired.
- Ba Xian: Supposedly named because there were only eight tea trees of this kind left at one point. Ba Xian is one of the most prized varietals of Feng Huang Wu Long. Its subtle, sweet, floral aroma is crisp and not overly showy, with substantial long lingering tannins. When made well, the varietal also gives a passion fruit/citrusy note.
Aroma
Due to the complexity of Feng Huang varietals and the frustrating breadth of characteristics the teas can have due to processing techniques (not to mention the inherent uncertainty that comes with handmade teas), efforts were made to standardize the names of the teas solely based on their signature notes. This practice gave birth to the 10 Signature Fragrances of Dan Cong. However, since not everyone is on board with this newly proposed naming convention, and since aroma often overlaps with varietal names, the debut of these naming conventions complicated the already-confusing Dan Cong nomenclature even more. In general, teas named after the fragrance are considered less desirable than the ones named after varietals. Nevertheless, these are the signature fragrances, after which many Feng Huang Wu Longs on the market are named:
- Huang Zhi Xiang
- Zhi Lan Xiang
- Mi Lan Xiang (Honey Orchid)
- Gui Hua Xiang
- Yu Lan Xiang
- Xing Ren Xiang (Almond)
- Ye Lai Xiang
- Jiang Hua Xiang (Ginger Flower)
- Mo Li Xiang (Jasmine)
- Rou Gui Xiang (Cinnamon)
Note that although some of the fragrances look similar to the varietal names, they are not synonymous with varietal names. See the confusion?
Because varietal is a significant factor in Wu Long's price and perceived quality, tea named after its varietal is generally considered better than the ones named after their aroma.
In Conclusion
We hope this article has provided some clarity regarding the many ways in which Feng Huang Wu Longs have historically gotten their names, and why there are so many different names for these teas on the market today. Most names for this tea are tied to the geographical region in which they’re grown, historical picking/blending practices, aroma, or cultivar.
Have further thoughts or questions about Feng Huang Dan Cong? Email us at hello@teadrunk.com!