Jin Mu Dan金牡丹

Jin Mu Dan is a oolong from Wuyishan, Fujian. Brew it at 100°C with 6g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 9 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. A quick rinse is recommended.

Tasting notes

Jin Mu Dan is a newer cultivar — Huang Dan crossed with Huang Guan Yin, bred by the Fujian Tea Research Institute for bright aromatics — and the multi-stage charcoal roast gives it a split personality. Early steeps come out dark and resinous: baked tangerine peel, gingerbread, something that smells like a warm bakery in winter. Then around steep three the floral side blooms and gardenia and violet push through the roast, and the cup starts feeling thick and coating in a way the early steeps don't predict. Cherry liqueur and faint vanilla ride underneath. Full boiling water is essential — at 95°C the roast just sits on top and the bloom never happens. Fast pours early, slightly longer from steep four onward. This one rewards aging: fresh off the firing it can be a little aggressive, but a year in the jar smooths the gingerbread into something more integrated.

Flavor profile

A relatively new cultivar bred for bright aromatics and sweet taste, but the multi-stage charcoal roast gives it serious depth. Opens dark and resinous — baked tangerine peel, gingerbread — then blooms into floral sweetness with gardenia and violet. The thick mouthfeel and pleasant qi make it a session tea that improves with age.

Terroir

Wuyi rock mineral soil

Cultivar: Jin Mu Dan (Huang Dan x Huang Guan Yin cross, developed by Fujian Tea Research Institute)

Brewing

Rinse: Rinse to wash off charcoal dust from the heavy roast.

1. Quick rinse — pour off immediately.
2. Steep 1: 10 seconds
3. Steep 2: 8 seconds
4. Steep 3: 8 seconds
5. Steep 4: 10 seconds
6. Steep 5: 15 seconds
7. Steep 6: 20 seconds
8. Steep 7: 25 seconds
9. Steep 8: 30 seconds
10. Steep 9: 45 seconds

The heavy roast means full boiling water is essential — it unlocks the resinous depth without turning bitter. The floral bloom emerges around steeps 3-4 as the roast notes soften.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• withered
• semi-oxidized
• twisted
• multi-stage charcoal roast

Sources

• https://yunnansourcing.com/products/gold-mudan-jin-mu-dan-wu-yi-rock-oolong-tea
• https://teadb.org/wuyi-oolong-compendium/
• https://meileaf.com/tea/cookie-fruit-barrel/