Xing Ren Xiang杏仁香
Dan Cong · Phoenix Mountains (Fenghuang Shan), Chaozhou, Guangdong
Xing Ren Xiang 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.
Quick facts
- Origin
- Phoenix Mountains (Fenghuang Shan), Chaozhou, Guangdong
- Category
- Oolong
- Cultivar
- Xing Ren Xiang
- Oxidation
- medium
- Roast
- medium
- Water temp
- 95°C
- Leaf ratio
- 7g / 100ml
- Infusions
- up to 10
- Rinse
- Yes
Tasting notes
Xing Ren Xiang actually smells like almonds during firing — the name isn't poetic cover, it's literal. In the cup that translates to marzipan and amaretto sweetness running alongside a crisp bitterness that resolves into honey and cream if you brew it right. Ruin it and that bitterness is all you get. The trick is keeping the first three steeps fast — the almond character is delicate and front-loaded, and once heavier roast notes take over around steep four it never comes back. Traditional roasting over lychee wood adds a cooling pine thread underneath, running along the top of the palate. 95°C, not boiling, and pour completely between infusions. Savory dancong is rare — most of this category chases florals — so Xing Ren Xiang is worth seeking out for the contrast alone. Good lots hold through steep eight; mediocre ones lose the nut and flatten into generic roasted oolong by steep five.
Flavor profile
A savory, nut-forward Dan Cong that smells of roasted almonds during firing. The cup balances marzipan and amaretto sweetness with crisp bitterness that resolves into honey and cream. Traditional charcoal roast over lychee root adds cooling pine notes underneath.
Terroir
Wu Dong Shan, single-bush harvest from old trees
Cultivar: Xing Ren Xiang
Brewing
Rinse: Quick rinse to wake up the charcoal-roasted leaves.
- Quick rinse — pour off immediately.
- Steep 1: 10 seconds
- Steep 2: 10 seconds
- Steep 3: 12 seconds
- Steep 4: 15 seconds
- Steep 5: 20 seconds
- Steep 6: 25 seconds
- Steep 7: 30 seconds
- Steep 8: 40 seconds
- Steep 9: 50 seconds
- Steep 10: 60 seconds
The almond character emerges most clearly in the first few steeps. Keep those fast — let the nutty sweetness speak before deeper roast notes take over.
Aroma & taste
Aroma
- roasted almond
- marzipan
- white flowers
Taste
- almond
- honey
- cream
- cooling pine
Processing
- withered
- semi-oxidized
- rolled
- charcoal-roasted over lychee wood