Ya Shi Dancong

Ya Shi Dancong Known internationally as **Duck Shit Dancong**, Ya Shi is one of the best-known cultivars of Phoenix Dancong.

7 g, 100 ml Qing dynasty Jiangxi porcelain gaiwan, Crab-eye water (about 95°C)

The dry leaves open with charcoal roast, honey and the familiar sweetness of Dancong. Dried lychee and longan bring a gentle ripeness to the aroma. Warm and rounded, they give an immediate sense of comfort.

Warming the gaiwan deepens the roast. Toasted grain, fresh bread and baked biscuits appear first, followed by honey and honeysuckle. Soft white flowers rise from the warmth, carrying a touch of creamy Spanish jasmine and a faint impression of purple iris. The finish is lightly oily, recalling freshly roasted nuts.

With the first infusion, the flowers enter the liquor. No single blossom defines the aroma. Honeysuckle runs through the tea from the warmed leaves onwards, while different white flowers gather and separate from one infusion to the next. Beneath them lie cane sugar and yellow rock sugar. A cool woodland note follows, recalling damp branches, fallen leaves, vines and moss after a light mist.

The liquor is bright apricot-gold with a clear sheen. The fragrance stays within the tea. Aroma and liquor move together throughout the session. The charcoal roast never overtakes the flowers. Instead, it draws them together, allowing each aroma to remain distinct while belonging to the same tea. Gardenia appears briefly. Jasmine follows. At times, there is the faintest suggestion of yellow rose before it slips back into the whole. Honeysuckle remains the defining floral note.

The liquor has presence. Lightly oily and smooth, it flows easily across the palate without heaviness or interruption. Salivation gathers beneath the tongue and along both sides of the tongue, while a gentle coolness settles in the throat.

The slight bitterness typical of Ya Shi is present but carefully restrained. The astringency often associated with the cultivar is scarcely noticeable. A brief bitterness at the centre and rear of the tongue soon becomes a clear, lasting sweetness. The finish recalls fresh Chinese olive and Chinese gooseberry. Their cooling character remains deep in the throat long after the sweetness has faded.