Ba Xian八仙

Ba Xian is a Dan Cong oolong from Phoenix Mountains (Fenghuang Shan), Chaozhou, Guangdong. Brew it at 95°C with 7g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 10 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. A quick rinse is recommended.

Tasting notes

Ba Xian is the Dancong that doesn't shout. Where Mi Lan Xiang floods the room with honey and Ya Shi Xiang trades on novelty, Eight Immortals sits back — orchid and magnolia up front, but restrained, almost dry. The first steep tastes like peach blossom rubbed between fingers. By the third infusion the florals give way to something woodier: toasted chestnut, raw honey over warm bread. The huigan arrives slowly, kumquat and apricot rising from the back of the throat a few seconds after you swallow. Brew it hot but not boiling — 95°C — in a small gaiwan, and pour fast. Dancong forgives nothing: two seconds too long and the florals collapse into bitterness that grips the sides of the tongue and stays. Stop the session when the sweetness thins; pushing through dead steeps just teaches your mouth what exhausted leaves taste like.

Flavor profile

A deeply floral Dan Cong with an orchid-magnolia character that avoids being perfumy. Opens with peach blossom and raw honey, develops into woodsy chestnut notes by the third infusion. Pronounced returning sweetness with kumquat and apricot undertones.

Terroir

High elevation Wu Dong Shan, mineral-rich volcanic soil

Cultivar: Ba Xian

Brewing

Rinse: Quick 5-second rinse to open the tightly rolled leaves.

1. Quick rinse — pour off immediately.
2. Steep 1: 10 seconds
3. Steep 2: 10 seconds
4. Steep 3: 12 seconds
5. Steep 4: 15 seconds
6. Steep 5: 20 seconds
7. Steep 6: 25 seconds
8. Steep 7: 30 seconds
9. Steep 8: 40 seconds
10. Steep 9: 50 seconds
11. Steep 10: 60 seconds

Fill the gaiwan about two-thirds full with leaf. Dan Cong is sensitive to oversteeping — keep early infusions fast to avoid bitterness.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• withered
• semi-oxidized
• rolled
• roasted

Sources

• https://verdanttea.com/ba-xian-eight-immortals-dancong-oolong
• https://www.teahong.com/product/dancong-oolong-eight-immortals-wudong/
• https://www.teatrekker.com/product/fenghuang-dan-cong-ba-xian-2017/
• https://yunnansourcing.com/pages/brewing-guide-for-green-black-oolong-and-pu-erh-teas