The Origin Of The Name “Ya Shi Xiang” (鸭屎香)

There are two theories concerning the origin of the name “Ya Shi Xiang,” meaning “Duck Shit Fragrance.” The first is that the original tea farmer of this variety introduced the first tea plants from Wudong (乌岽) and planted it in his tea garden in which the soil type was the local “yellow soil,” also known as "duck dung soil." 

The other origin story states that the tea farmers who cultivated this variety, realizing its high quality and desirability, gave it this name to keep attention away from their tea gardens. They feared that their tea plants would be stolen, so the tea farmers created the name “Duck Shit Fragrance,” to discourage any potential tea tree thieves. Others still ended up getting their hands on the tea trees which later started to expand its production. 

In May 2014, "Ya Shi Xiang" was renamed to "Yin Hua Xiang 银花香 (Silver Flower Incense)" to give it a more pleasing name, but tea farmers and the tea community were already used to the original name, so it persists.

Main Production Areas

Ya Shi Xiang originated in the tea garden named Houyuan (后垸) in Pingkeng Tou Village(坪坑头), Feng Xi Guan District (凤溪管区), in Chao An County, Guangdong Province. “Houyuan” means “the little hill out back.” The tea mother tree grows on a high mountain at an altitude of 900 meters and is around 80 years old. 

Compared to the more widespread Dan Cong tea called Milan Xiang, the planting area of Ya Shi Xiang is smaller and not as widespread. This makes Ya Shi Xiang a rarity in the market, and due to its popularity, its price has been steadily rising. 

Unique Characteristics

Ya Shi Xiang tea plants have dark blue tea leaves that are shaped like the leaves of a Schefflera plant which is called “E Zhang Chai” in Chinese and means “Goosefoot Wood.” Of the different Dan Cong fragrance classifications, Ya Shi Xiang belongs to the Huang Zhi Xiang (黄芝香型) category which translates to “Yellow Gardenia Aroma.” 

Dan Cong Tea Category

“Dan Cong” (单 枞) literally means “single bush,” as these are oolong teas that are made from the leaves that are picked from a single tea tree. After processing, the tea leaves have a strip-shaped appearance. Tea producers noted that each tea tree produced a unique taste. Each tea was named after the unique fragrance that the finished tea leaves exhibited. It is said that all Dan Cong cultivars are descendants from the Shui Xian (水仙) cultivar. 

Dan Cong History

Dan Cong has a long history. According to "Song History, Ji" (宋史.纪) from the collection of Chinese historical books known as the “Twenty-Five Histories'' (二十五史), in the second year of Jingyan in the Southern Song Dynasty (1278), Emperor Song Bingnan (宋帝昺) fled to Chaozhou (潮州) in Guangdong Province. The story goes that he passed through Fenghuang Wudong Mountain (凤凰乌岽山) and his thirst was unbearable. His servants picked leaves from a tea tree that had leaves that looked like the tip of a wren’s mouth and brewed them. The tea quenched his thirst and he was pleased, so he gave the tea the names “Wren beak” (鹪嘴) tea or “Song Species'' (宋种). People in the area began to take these tea trees and cultivate them in their back yards and in the mountains. The teas were grown naturally in a way similar to how they grew in the wild.  

Tea Growing Region

To be considered authentic Dan Cong, the tea must be grown in the Phoenix Mountain (凤凰山) area in Guangdong’s Chao An County (潮安县) and must be one of the well-known cultivars. 

The Phoenix Mountain tea area has a subtropical monsoon climate. It does not get too cold in the winter nor too hot in the summer. It is a mountainous region and has a complex topography and a large disparity of altitude from one region to the next. Many areas get short sunshine, abundant clouds and rain, early winter cold, late spring cold, and no sweltering heat in midsummer. There is a dry season that lasts from October to January and a rainy season that lasts from February to September. The spring season has heavy fog and high humidity, and the rainfall during the rainy season accounts for 91.25% of the rainfall for the entire year. 

Phoenix Town “Fenghuang Zhen” (凤凰镇) is surrounded by high mountains on all sides with 8 peaks that exceed 1000 meters above sea level:

• Fengniao Ji Mountain (凤鸟髻山) - 1498 m (the highest in eastern Guangdong Province)

• Wudao Mountain (乌岽山) - 1391 m (an area rich in famous tea)

• Dashi Mountain (大质山)

• Baihua Mountain (百花山) - 1144 m

• Chicken God Mountain “Ji Shen Shan” (鸡神山) 1181 m

• Jigongji (鸡公髻) - 1409 m

• Bijia Mountain (笔架山) - 1135 m

• Wanfeng Mountain (万峰山) - 1316 m

• Lion Head (狮子头岽) - 1161 m

The tea-planting soil in the Phoenix Mountain region can be divided into four categories: yellow soil (黄壤), red soil (红壤), crimson soil (赤红壤), and “rice paddy soil” (水稻土). The natural soil parent material is mostly weathered granite. 

Dan Cong Classification Types

Dan Cong teas can be named and classified based on various criteria including tea bush shape, leaf appearance, origin location, origin stories, and tea aroma. There are over 80 varieties of Dan Cong tea on the market. In particular, tea aroma is a very common way to classify and name Dan Congs. 

Some of the most common aroma types are:

• Milan Xiang “Honey Orchid Fragrance” (蜜兰香)

• Huang Zhi Xiang “Yellow Gardenia Aroma” (黄栀香)

• Gui Hua Xiang “Osmanthus Aroma” (桂花香)

• Xing Ren Xiang “Almond Fragrance” (杏仁香)

• Jiang Hua Xiang “Ginger Flower Fragrance” (姜花香)

• Yu Lan Xiang “Magnolia Aroma” (玉兰香)

• Rou Gui Xiang “Cinnamon Aroma” (肉桂香)

• Ye Lai Xiang “Tuberose Aroma” (夜来香)

Shan Yun (山韵)

The Dan Cong counterpart to the well-known “yan yun” (嚴韵) quality of Wuyi Rock Oolongs would be what is called “shan yun” (山韵). Similar to yan yun, the term could be translated as “mountain rhyme” or “mountain rhythm,” the essence of the mountains from which the tea came that gives it high-quality characteristics such as a sweet and unique taste, floral fragrance, resistance to oversteeping, a memorable aftertaste, and the ability to last for many infusions. 

Shan yun is said to be determined mostly by three characteristics: special environmental conditions, special tea tree species, and special tree age selection. Each tea has what is called “di yu xiang” (地域香), meaning “regional fragrance” due to each growing region’s unique terroir. Important factors include the mineral composition of the soil and the climate of the growing region. In the Phoenix Mountains, Dan Cong tea trees grow on rocky terrain, with dense fog, mostly diffuse light and little direct sunlight, lots of rainfall, and moderate temperatures. The soil is rich in trace minerals, and the tea tree’s roots, which stretch to great depths (generally exceeding the four to five meter height of the tree) absorb the minerals and convert them into tea polyphenols, alkaloids, linalool, theanine, and various vitamins. 

Phoenix Mountain Dan Congs are said to be descendants of Shui Xian of which there is variation in tree characteristics such as maturity dates, leaf shapes, etc. A single plant with unique characteristics is selected and propagated. The Phoenix Shui Xian is said to have strong adaptability and resistance to stress, and produces tea with a natural floral fragrance and sweet honey taste. 

The old tea trees (more than 70 or 80 years old) growing in the high mountain regions (600 to 700 meters above sea level) are said to produce teas with the most “shan yun” qualities. 

Dan Cong Tea Processing

There is a saying among Phoenix Mountain tea farmers “cai cha buguo ri, zuo (zao) cha nao guoshi,” which means “when picking - there’s not enough time, when processing - the tea is already out-dated” (采茶不过日，做（造）茶孬过时). In other words, to produce the best Phoenix Mountain Dan Cong you need to pick the tea leaves at just the right time, and then nothing can go wrong to delay the following steps during tea processing, otherwise the resulting quality will suffer. If the tea is not picked at just the right time, it may lose its “shan yun” quality. 

Dan Cong processing has several steps including: picking (采摘), sun-drying (晒青), air-drying (晾青), bruising (碰青), shaking (摇青), resting (静置), fixing (杀青), rolling (到揉捻), and baking (烘焙). The tea may be charcoal roasted up to three times. After the first roast it is necessary to pick through and select out the best tea leaves. As with unlucky climatic conditions, if the craftsmanship is not up to par, or an issue arises at any step in the tea-making process, the finished product will no longer display the sought-after “shan yun” of a high-quality Phoenix Mountain Dan Cong.