Today's tea is 鸭屎香茶 (Yāshǐ Xiāng Chá, Duck Shit Fragrance Tea). And yes, the original name is exactly that crass. The term is "duck shit" not something clinical and "polite" as, say "duck fæces" or the like. There are a lot of stories¹ behind the name, but there's really no way to find the truth. It's just a name that took hold, caught the public fancy, and now despite several attempts to rename it (its official name is something like "Silver Orchid" or "Golden Duck" or something else I forget because I don't care), it remains "duck shit fragrance tea" or, shorter, "duck shit tea". And I'm here for it. Duck shit tea is a toasted wulong that, like many wulongs, is an extreme marathon runner in flavour. Even this mid-grade variety of it—emphatically *not* a 单丛 (dān cóng, single bush)—shares that trait. Indeed it shares most of the traits this tea style is famous for, to wit: - a complex, sweet aroma with notes of ripe fruit (to my nose ... I want to say longans? – it has that diesel-like overtone) and honey, growing to orchid-like scents and even mineral notes as the brews mount; - a forgiving nature, with only a hint of astringency, even if overbrewed, with a buttery mouthfeel and a clean, sweet, lasting aftertaste; - an ever-changing palate as you drink and brew starting to develop nutty notes and even hints of spice. It is the first wulong that I'm thinking of inserting into my daily-drinker rotation. Most other wulongs, as much as I love the taste, are way too finicky for a daily-drinker; the are better instead for special treat days. As usual more information can be found in the alt text, and as usual users on Mastodon will have to click through to see all photos. #茶 #中国茶 #凤凰山茶 #鸭屎香茶 #乌龙茶 #Tea #ChineseTea #PhoenixMountainTea #DuckShitTea #WulongTea --- ¹ https://www.teaformeplease.com/ya-shi-xiang-duck-shit-oolong/