Old Bush Shui Xian Dancong

About the tea

OG-20 is a rare high-mountain Shui Xian Dancong from old bushes. It combines floral and honeyed aromatics with deeper fruit, spice, and wood nuances. The opening feels bright and fragrant, while successive infusions bring a more mature and composed character. Its 90–100-year-old bushes and long, changing development make OG-20 rewarding for an attentive introduction to the classical Fenghuang tradition.

Origin and production

OG-20 was harvested in mid-spring 2026 in the Fenghuang Mountains of Chaozhou, eastern Guangdong. The garden lies at approximately 1,100 metres, and the bushes are 90–100 years old. Shui Xian stands near the foundation of local tea cultivation: generations of makers selected plants with stable aromatic traits from the broader Fenghuang Shui Xian population, shaping the diversity of Dancong teas known today.

The Fenghuang tradition is associated with a legend about Zhao Bing, the last emperor of the Southern Song. Local people are said to have offered him tea from the mountain's native trees during an exhausting journey in 1278. The story became part of the region's cultural memory and presents its old tea bushes as a living connection to a centuries-old tradition.

Taste and aroma

The dry leaves are long and curved, dark brown with greenish nuances. Warming them in the brewing vessel brings a sweet, expansive fragrance: orchid flowers meet honey, ripe autumn fruit, and fine cinnamon spice. Once wet, the leaves add fresh coniferous nuances and the aroma of steeped blackcurrant leaf.

The liquor is clear and amber, resembling the colour of buckwheat honey. Early infusions open with a delicate floral and honeyed taste of orchid, sweet fruit, and gentle spice. The profile then deepens: vivid florals gradually move into the background while ripe fruit, cinnamon, and warm wood come forward.

In the middle and later part of the session, the woodiness recalls living cherry bark rather than dry timber — lightly astringent, fruity, and fragrant. Pine freshness keeps the liquor clear, while blackcurrant leaf leaves a green, spicy echo. The finish is long, warm, and changing: honeyed sweetness returns after the sip, flowers remain in the aroma, and cherry bark with cinnamon 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 95–100 °C. Rinsing is optional; begin with a drinkable infusion of 5–8 seconds and extend the time gradually. Less leaf emphasizes floral clarity, while a larger dose brings greater depth to the fruit, honey, and wood nuances. OG-20 can sustain up to ten infusions.

Simple steeping. Use 3 g per 250 ml with water at approximately 95 °C. Steep for 2.5–3 minutes and separate the leaf completely. Extend the second infusion to approximately 3.5–4 minutes. If woody astringency becomes too prominent, shorten the next steep.

Session impression

OG-20 is especially well suited to an unhurried ceremony centred not only on aromatic power, but on transformation. Orchid and floral honey create a welcoming opening, ripe fruit adds fullness, and cherry bark, cinnamon, and coniferous freshness form a more intricate close. This is a warm, deep tea for guests with whom one would like to share a long session and follow its changes together.

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, honeyed, woody, and spicy nuances.