Dragon Phoenix Tender Heart

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Airy, Butter, Cream, Floral, Grass, Honeysuckle, Narcissus, Orchid, Pine, Smooth, Spinach, Sweet, Evergreen, Green, Thick, Vanilla
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by derk
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 g 7 oz / 210 ml

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7 Tasting Notes View all

  • “My scale arrived today and it seems to be working okay, but I’m on a roll with these samples from Derk. I steeped 6 g of leaf in 120 ml of 195F water for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120,...” Read full tasting note
    94
  • “Sipdown. Soo good and smooth. Borders between creaminess of green Jin Xuans, but with a little bit of floral notes bordering on jasmine, heavy on orchid. Love it, and sad to see it go. I...” Read full tasting note
    92
  • “A gift from derk, and leaves she esteems highly, so… an honor. I christened my first proper tea bowl with this tea. I was terribly patient in seeking a bowl, and patient to find its first leaves…...” Read full tasting note
    94
  • “Bowl tea again. Will I ever have this leaf any other way? Mellow morning, overcast with a light rain falling straight down. Woke up to the solemn and soulful call of the owl that moved into the...” Read full tasting note
    100

From Song Tea & Ceramics

Notes of orchid, spruce, and ghee.

Oolong from Taiwan・2022・龍鳳峽軟枝・EU standard conventional

Dragon Phoenix Tender Heart is an unusual find, as it’s one of the few high mountain oolongs that is still traditionally crafted. It comes from Shan Lin Xi’s Dragon Phoenix Gorge, where the cooler temperatures and mist-shrouded gardens produce tea with clarity, aromatics, and texture. But only those crafted with care retain these qualities through production.

This tea is produced by a farm operated by the Zhang family. Two generations work together during the harvest, the older generation influencing the younger to produce rich, bold teas using traditional methods. The family uses traditional “cloth globes”, a process of rolling oolongs that takes significantly longer than modern techniques, but that develops more flavor and character. Heritage crafting techniques subject the tea to longer periods of oxidation, and retains essential oils, a fundamental component of flavor, that are pressed away by modern machinery.

Dragon Phoenix Tender Heart is crafted from a variety called ruan zhi, or soft stem. Ruan zhi predates the more common qing xin (green heart) cultivar. Though it’s more difficult to grow than a green heart, ruan zhi delivers a more persistent and structured finish.

The Zhang’s ship this tea to us raw, almost immediately after production. We then finished the maocha in-house, lightly baking it at our studio in San Francisco, removing excess moisture from the leaves, and further concentrating the tea’s floral notes.

Brew: 6 grams・150 ml・203° F・2 min

This tea accommodates a range of brew styles. Our brewing guide highlights this tea’s long, structured finish. Decreasing steep time will result in a sweeter, milder tea.

About Song Tea & Ceramics View company

Company description not available.

7 Tasting Notes

94
414 tasting notes

My scale arrived today and it seems to be working okay, but I’m on a roll with these samples from Derk. I steeped 6 g of leaf in 120 ml of 195F water for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds, plus some long, uncounted steeps.

The dry aroma is of orchids, honeysuckle, other florals, and cream. The first steep has notes of orchid, honeysuckle, narcissus, cream, and grass. The orchid really blooms in the second steep, and I get lots of cream, butter, and pine. You know an oolong is good when you start thinking about misty high mountain forests. The butter and cream are very apparent in the next couple steeps, as are the pine, honeysuckle, and lush orchid. The florals continue in steeps five and six, with a little more grass but no bitterness. The grass and spinach get stronger near the end of the session, but the orchid holds its own and makes these final few steeps quite enjoyable.

This is a beautifully floral, creamy tea that doesn’t evolve much over the session but does a few flavours really well. It has an ethereal, high mountain elegance. I imagine it would do very well bowl steeped, and while I’m not as enthusiastic about it as Derk, this is an excellent oolong.

Flavors: Airy, Butter, Cream, Floral, Grass, Honeysuckle, Narcissus, Orchid, Pine, Smooth, Spinach, Sweet

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 6 g 4 OZ / 120 ML
Marshall Weber

Love the misty notes! Would like to try Song at some point, but the price is too much for me right now.

Leafhopper

Agreed, Song is expensive. I actually got my three samples of their tea in a swap with Derk. For me, I’m not sure this tea is worth the high price, but their Ruby 18 might be something I’d splurge on. I haven’t tried the Dong Ding yet.

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92
1704 tasting notes

Sipdown. Soo good and smooth. Borders between creaminess of green Jin Xuans, but with a little bit of floral notes bordering on jasmine, heavy on orchid. Love it, and sad to see it go. I fortunately have a dragons trove of oolongs right now.

tea-sipper

oooo… a dragons trove of oolongs. Great image. :D

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94
391 tasting notes

A gift from derk, and leaves she esteems highly, so… an honor.

I christened my first proper tea bowl with this tea. I was terribly patient in seeking a bowl, and patient to find its first leaves… sitting quietly with it today felt easy and comforting. Patience gets a thumbs up.

It’s been a long week of work-related-but-phenomenal classes, and I head out for a straight 48 hours of actual work in the morning. These minutes were welcome respite and afforded some reflection.

The orchid is just so. So grounding, but so light; so beautiful, but so… hm, practical. The evergreen lets the florals hang in a way that feels tenuous… ah, but they persist. I watched the leaves unfurl and churn and resituate and drop, absorbing water like inspiration for the next right thing. I thought about the so-many hands that had touched them before I sat dumbfounded, watching them rewind.

I need to watch more tea leaves.

Flavors: Butter, Evergreen, Orchid, Vanilla

ashmanra

Phenomenal classes sounds wonderful. I love School, and books, and learning! Getting to do some hands on stuff now will be equally exciting for you, I hope!

beerandbeancurd

Ugh, me too! I wish someone would pay me to go to class for a living!

Leafhopper

Yes, watching tea leaves unfurl can be magical. :) Where did you get your tea bowl? I’ve been thinking of getting one, but they’re all so expensive.

beerandbeancurd

It’s funny you say that, because the website sells the most expensive, ridiculous indulgences I think I’ve ever seen. But the bowl was reasonable for handmade from an artist who really seems to have his heart in it.

https://www.abask.com/en-us/products/ingot-objects-tea-bowl-2202202013?variant=43490846671064&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgLOiBhC7ARIsAIeetVCqchENJzElsbrzVNA_xqo0ff4WCKGN8qdueggJ0xk7su_7RojqKLMaAk2gEALw_wcB

ashmanra

That is lovely!

Daylon R Thomas

Derk, can you save me some for our swap lol? I’ve got all the roasted Japanese ready. I need to try out the Yuzu smoked tea too!

derk

Daylon – certainly

Daylon R Thomas

Sweet. Same Address? I’ve got all of the smoked tea.

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100
1541 tasting notes

Bowl tea again. Will I ever have this leaf any other way?

Mellow morning, overcast with a light rain falling straight down. Woke up to the solemn and soulful call of the owl that moved into the neighborhood several months ago. Enjoying the cool moisture coming in through my bedroom door to the garden. The cool dampness permeates my space and body. Simple and quiet, just the way I like it. This tea speaks to me. It has a strong sense of self.

Should be a good evening for dinner at my favorite sushi place.

In other news, I got a birthday email from my health insurance provider this morning. “Your doctor has a reminder for you about an upcoming screening or test.” Log-in, read the message. They want me to come in a for a mammogram. I’ve hit 40. I’m officially old. HAHAHA!

After sharing this hilarious moment with Kiki, she came into my room with a flyer she got in the mail this week. “Our free lunch, your lasting legacy. Kiki, you’re invited! Join us for a FREE Informational Luncheon (that’s a word often uttered by those of advanced age)(at Round Table Pizza) to learn the Benefits of Preplanning for Cremation.” Her 70th birthday is coming up in a few weeks. She said, “Let me put that in my file,” and tossed it in the recycling. We had a laugh so hard that my cheeks and abs are sore. It’s a year of milestones for us couple of old coots.

beerandbeancurd

Happy birthday and welcome. I’m digging this decade, though just within the past few weeks I think I’m squinting a little more. Alas.

When you prepare bowl tea, do you drink from the bowl or spoon it into another vessel? It sounds cozy.

Cameron B.

100?! I guess this one needs to go on my wishlist…

Daylon R Thomas

Happy birthday! And I almost got this one. Kinda regret not getting it.

Martin Bednář

Happy birthday and say hello to Kiki!
And what an awesome tea!

ashmanra

Happy birthday! I didn’t remember that ours were so close together! That must be a really awesome tea to get a 100, and please go get that mammogram. I’m glad I did.

Mastress Alita

Happy birthday! I hit 40 last year (officially over 40 next Friday) but my doctor hasn’t been pressing about that matter yet.

gmathis

Hang on…the AARP invites can’t be far behind!

tea-sipper

Happy 40, derk!!

DrowningMySorrows

Happy birthday!
I’m not quite to 40 yet but realizing this summer will be my 20 year high school reunion has me feeling a little old too.

Jen vB

Happy Birthday!

LuckyMe

Happy birthday, welcome to the 40 club :-)

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