2010 Wudong Ginger Flower

Wudong Ginger Flower 2010

the most valued Dancong variety

Harvest: late spring 2010 (Wudong tea is only harvested once a year)
Variety: Jianghua Xiang (ginger flower), also known as Tongtian Xiang (heavenly aroma)
Sea level: 1200 meters
Location: Wudong Village, Fenghuang Mountain, Chaoshan, China
Roast level: medium, roasted once
Degree of oxidation: medium

A matured Dancong Oolong tea is a rarity on the market worldwide as there is still no trend to follow aged Dancong Oolong. I dug this aged Wudong Ginger Flower from Mr. Lin, who has been working with us for almost as long as our shop has existed, because I was surprised by a Mi Lan Xiang that was stored in our shop in Dresden for 3 years. I asked him about old Mi Lan Xiang. He said he didn't have any. Most of his Dancong Oolong sold out very early each year, with the exception of a few very expensive than Ginger Flower, Dancong Shuixian, and Danzhu Fengyuan. I immediately chose the 10-year-old Ginger Flower because our Ginger Flower 2020 received sensational feedback from the teaheads and because aged Ginger Flower is the cheapest, which Mr. Lin named among other things :).

I tasted the ginger 2020 with this 10 year old ginger flower side by side. Here's what I wrote on my tasting notes.

Aroma

The dry leavesr of the Ginger Flower 2020 in a warm Gaiwan smell very fruity, creamy and hot like a moon cake (moon cake, specialty from China) filled with pudding, egg yolk and pieces of ginger; the Ginger Flower from 2010 smells of sweet white wine with weak alcohol, old wood and raisins.

The rinsed wet leaves of the 2020 Ginger Flower smell very creamy, nutty, fruity and spicy, a bit like Duck Shit Oolong with ginger and cardamom. The ginger aroma of 2010 tea is less pungent, but there is also aroma of other very strong spices such as cinnamon, anise, mint and cardamom. The raisin and wood aroma is also very strong in the moist leaves of Aged Oolong, which is what I like about ours 2014 Mingjian Rougui Hong Oolong remind.

taste

The 2010 Ginger Flower tastes good minty, woody, spicy and sweet like red raisins. Compared to the Ginger Flower from 2020, which has a very pronounced ginger sharpness, this aged Dancong Oolong is less sharp, less creamy and less nutty.

The aged, however, is much more complex with Spices such as mint, cardamom, anise (just like the flavors) that cannot be found in the young ginger flower harvest. Both are really cute, but in different directions. The 2010 tea tastes sweet like red raisins, while the young tea tastes sweet like honey and pudding.

The sweetness in both teas lasts up to 15 infusions.

The parallel tasting of the young and old Ginger Flowers is an exclusive pleasure and an unforgettable experience. We can recommend everyone to try it out for themselves.

Preparation of Dancong Oolong

Of course, this oolong tea should be prepared the traditional gongfu way to maximize the taste.

I suggest using a porcelain gaiwan or a Chaozhou teapot to prepare this Gongfucha style Wudong Ginger Flower Dancong.

The first infusion only takes 2 seconds and should not be drunk. For the second infusion, a guideline value of approx. 15 seconds. The amount of tea you add is, however, much higher! Use about 5 - 6 g to 100 ml or 8 g to about 150 ml of tea. Due to the short steeping time, the tea does not become too strong. The aroma and the intensity of the taste are overwhelming.