Yellow Twig (Oolong)

Yellow Twig (黃枝香, Huáng Zhī Xiāng, "Yellow Twig Fragrance") is one of the ten ancestral Phoenix Oolong varieties that is characterized by its bronze color and twisted leaves. This tea is representative of the medium-oxidation Phoenix oolongs, in that it can be challenging to brew; Yellow Twig requires great precision and skill. The results, when successful however, are outstanding.

Lessons from Tea Tavern Brewers: This tea, when steeped too long, can become bitter and astringent. So the Tea Tavern recommends brewing quickly. When teaching how to brew this, we tend to use a smaller gaiwan with the usual 5g of leaves and using a fast, hot (water) brewing technique.

Gaiwan Notes:

Papa Pot Notes:

West China Notes: 
A tropical fruit flavor and a satisfying deep huí gān 回甘 ("returning sweetness"). An intensely fragrant tea with a tempestuous character, redolent with the scent of cooked tropical fruit with slight caramel and butterscotch overtones.