Ao Fu Hou

About the tea

OG-19 is a rare high-mountain Phoenix Dancong and one of the sweetest oolongs in our collection. Ao Fu Hou does not unfold around a single loud note: fruit, flowers, and honey continually change their balance from cup to cup. This is a fine, multidimensional tea that rewards attention with a broad palette of aromas and flavours. It is especially compelling in an unhurried ceremony, where its development can be followed across the entire session.

Origin and production

OG-19 was harvested in 2026 in the Fenghuang mountains, Chaozhou's traditional heartland of Dancong production in Guangdong. The garden lies at approximately 800 metres, and the bushes are about 60 years old. The tea received a medium roast over natural wood charcoal. This adds warmth and volume, supports its fruit and honeyed sweetness, and leaves the floral nuances clear and expressive.

Ao Fu Hou is traditionally placed within the Huang Zhi Xiang fragrance family, associated with the natural aroma of gardenia flowers. The variety takes its name from a local place: tradition holds that its original mother tree grew behind a small hollow or depression. Chaozhou pronunciation produced several similar written forms, while “Ao Fu Hou” became the name most widely recognized outside the region.

Taste and aroma

The dry leaf has a warm, sweet fragrance. Warming it in the brewing vessel brings greater depth: ripe fruit, apricot, and a suggestion of candied fruit join the honey and flowers. The gardenia theme feels clear and lifted, while soft creamy and spicy nuances form a background without weighing down the composition.

The liquor is clear and golden-orange. Pronounced natural sweetness leads on the palate. Fruit, honey, and floral notes take turns in the foreground: the opening may feel brighter and more floral, the middle fuller and more honeyed, and later infusions bring warm fruit and delicate spice. The texture is smooth yet structured enough to hold the aroma on the tongue and palate.

The defining quality of OG-19 is its movement throughout the session. The tea does not simply repeat its first cup; it gradually rearranges its accents. The finish is long, clean, and sweet: flowers return after the sip, gentle honey passes into a fruity echo, and fine spice gives the close greater depth. The tea sustains up to ten infusions.

Brewing

Gongfu. Use 5–8 g per 100 ml in a porcelain gaiwan or small teapot with water at 90–95 °C. Rinsing is optional; begin with a drinkable infusion of 5–8 seconds and extend the time gradually. Less leaf emphasizes finesse, while a larger dose makes it easier to follow the fullness and changing aromatic layers. OG-19 can sustain up to ten infusions.

Simple steeping. Use 3 g per 250 ml with water at approximately 90 °C. Steep for 2.5–3 minutes and separate the leaf completely. Extend the second infusion to approximately 3.5–4 minutes. If astringency begins to overtake the sweetness, shorten the next steep.

Session impression

OG-19 shows its finest detail in a quiet, attentive session. It rewards precise brewing, and its subtleties can pass unnoticed when rushed. Given time, floral lightness, juicy fruit, honey, and warm roast tones form a mobile composition. This character makes Ao Fu Hou particularly rewarding in a ceremony centred on close comparison of successive infusions.

Storage

Keep the tea airtight in a dry, dark place at a stable room temperature. Store it away from coffee, spices, incense, perfume, and other strong odours. Refrigeration is unnecessary. Close the package tightly after opening to preserve the clarity of its floral, fruit, and honeyed nuances.