by Herb_Master » Mar 29th, '10, 16:55
Well - -
If you bought it from a reputable source, and it was fairly expensive, it should indeed be from a single bush (though in Feng Huang the bushes look more like trees!)
The words Dan Cong however are used fairly loosely - one step down from single bush, Dan Cong can also be used to label teas from a single grove, where many supposedly identical clones of the mother tree have been planted.
At the bottom end of the scruples come those who label as Dan Cong the blended products of many bushes and then give the impression that it is either Single Grove or Single Bush.
- - - -
Huang Zhi is indeed often referred to as having an 'Orange Blossom' scent (Xiang) but this can be fleeting or absent in many Huang Zhi products. Huang Zhi is translated in many ways, perhaps the most used is to call it 'Yellow Sprig' defining it's appearance rather than the scent of the tea.
I have tried about 12 Huang Zhi DCs about 5 from Tea Habitat, and some from Hou De, and others. I rarely readily identify an Orange Blossom fragrance, but occasionally mixed in with a woody and minerally notes, I detect some citrus notes - usually when I bury my nose close to the teapot when pouring, not so often when sploshing the tea around the roof of my mouth.
- - - -
The names of the individual tea bushes (which get passed on to their cloned offspring) are an attempt to identify the bush as unique, occasionally an unknown tea bush when it's tea has been sampled will bear such a striking resemblance to one that has already been christened that it will be given the same name. If it has outstanding characteristics it will be given it's own unique name, if it has no truly great merits in it's own right, it may be falsely given the name of a superior DC hoping to cash in on the fame of the other.
- - - -
Imen describes some of her teas on her blog, as not having the usual characteristics of the standard. She attributes this to the effect of different harvests and more importantly the skill and intentions of the tea producers through Mao Cha stage to roasting.
Given the great availability of Huang Zhi (Mi Lan, Yu Lan and others also) it is not hard to tell that these are coming from many many tea bushes. Whether or not they come from an Original Bush over 300 years old, a clone from this, a more recently discovered bush with almost identical properties, or a clone of a clone of a clone of either, or whether it is just opportunistic labelling, you can only hazard a guess by the level of trust that you place in your supplier.
- - - -
But remember that the Orange Blossom Aroma is just one small element of the flavour profile that emerges, the way that you brew your tea can also determine which of the elements come to the fore and which are suppressed.
.
