喝茶重香的茶友，對於鳳凰單叢的奇香想必是難以忘懷。然而許多人卻對她複雜的名稱感到一頭霧水。因此～我們就來介紹一下，究竟何謂鳳凰單叢吧！

 

 

鳳凰單欉與安溪鐵觀音、武夷岩茶並列中國烏龍茶系三大名茶。傳說中鳳凰單欉的起源是在宋帝南逃路經鳳凰山時，一時口渴難耐，侍從們便採了一種尖如鳥嘴的樹葉，烹煮成茶，宋帝飲後生津解渴，並對它的奇香驚為天人，後人便開始廣為栽種，故稱宋種。然而，宋代結束於西元1279年，最古老的宋種單欉樹齡不過六百年，這傳說固然為鳳凰單欉增添了一抹魅力，正確性卻有待商榷。

鳳凰單欉產於廣東省潮安縣鳳凰山脈，其中又以烏棟山所產的品質最佳。烏棟山海拔約1200公尺，終年雲霧繚繞，濕度高，日夜溫差大，年均溫在20℃左右，土壤肥沃深厚，富含有機物質及微量元素，這樣的地理環境提高甘甜的醣類物質，抑制了苦澀的茶多酚，亦造就了鳳凰單欉高揚的香氣及獨特蜜韻。

有人問，鳳凰單欉就是鳳凰水仙嗎？它究竟是茶品名稱的統稱，或者真的得是單株採製，定義究竟為何呢？

其實，鳳凰單欉可指樹種、茶種、也可以指等級。

以樹種而論，鳳凰單欉確實是在鳳凰水仙樹種的基礎上挑選培育出來的優良品種，加上鳳凰單欉茶樹為喬木或半喬木，單株體型龐大，產量也大，鳳凰茶區又多以家庭為單位進行製茶，造就了針對個別茶樹做品質區分、單株採製的可行性，久而久之，「鳳凰單欉」便從「鳳凰水仙」中區隔出來，成為特定品種。

而就茶種來說，鳳凰單欉也可以指在鳳凰茶區以鳳凰單欉樹種、根據特定製程完成後的商品名統稱；

另外，在鳳凰茶區，大家習慣將鳳凰茶的等級分為單欉、浪菜及水仙，因此若說鳳凰單欉，是一種特定等級也沒錯。

鳳凰單欉一般採製時間依照茶樹品種，從農曆正月到立夏為止。茶菁需採摘不老不嫩的對口葉，一牙二三葉。製作需經過曬青、晾青、做青、殺青、揉捻及烘焙，每個環節規範繁複而嚴謹，製好後最好能放置15天待其退火後再飲用，某些香型到了當年底會有返春回香的現象，滋味更佳。

下期我們將分享鳳凰單叢的各種香型和沖泡建議喔！
敬請期待！

 

For those who are mostly attracted by the aroma of tea, Feng Huang Dan Cong (Feng Huang Single Cluster) is the most unforgettable one if you have tried. Sometimes it can be confusing for the wide variety of names. Let’s have a look at what exactly is Feng Huang Dan Cong today!

Feng Huang Dan Cong, together with Tie Guan Yin from An Xi and Wu Yi Cliff tea from Fu Jian, are the three most famous and classical Oolong in China. Popular legend says when the Emperor of Song Dynasty passed by Feng Huang Mountain during his escape to south, his servants made him a tea to ease the thirst from long traveling. This beak-like tea leaves picked nearby sent out compelling aroma and amazed the King. People started plant the tea tree widely after, and thus the most ancient/origin species is called Song Species.

This story definitely increases the charm of Feng Huang Dan Cong. However, the oldest Song Species tea tree is just around 600 years old, while the Song Dynasty ended in 1279 A.D., the authenticity is yet to be examined.

Feng Huang Dan Cong is mainly planted and produced in Feng Huang Mountain range in Guang Dong, and Wu Dong Mountain is acknowledged to be the best place of origin among the range. With an altitude of 1200m, Wu Dong Mountain is covered by clouds and mists year round. The humidity and the day-night temperature drop are both large in that area with yearly average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. The soil in the Feng Huang area is fertile, full of trace elements and organic matters. All these geographic conditions increases carbohydrate and amino acid which bring out the sweetness in tea liquid, and decreases polyphenol which results in bitterness and astringency. These factors contribute to the sensational aroma and unique sweet lasting charm.

Common questions go as: does Feng Huang Dan Cong equals to Feng Huang Hsui Xian? Is it just a general product name of tea making in this area, in this way, or it actually has to be produced by a singletree basis?

In fact, the name “Feng Huang Dan Cong” can represent the tea tree species, the specific product name, as well as a certain grading.

In terms of species, Feng Huang Dan Cong (single cluster) tea trees are the superior clusters selection of Feng Huang Hsui Xian. As Feng Huang Hsui Xian tea trees belong to arbor, which is large in both size and productivity, and the manufacture unit of Feng Huang area is usually in small scale family basis, each tea tree and production formed an unique identity/type. As time goes by, Feng Huang Dan Cong became a particular tea tree species apart from the ordinary Feng Huang Hsui Xian.

On the other hand, as the flavor of Feng Huang Dan Cong got more and more popular, the term “Feng Huang Dan Cong” has became a certain product name. It can stand for all tea produced with Feng Huang Hsui Xian species in same way as Feng Huang area.

Further more, in the Feng Huang area, people used to categorize the tea into three grades from good to common: Dan Cong, Lang Tsai, and Hsui Xian. Thus, it is also correct to recognize “Feng Huang Dan Cong” as a certain grading.

The harvesting time of Feng Huang Dan Cong is according to the tree species, usually start from February to mid of May. The standard of fresh leaves needs to be just matured terminal facing- leaves with one tip and two leaves. The manufacturing process is complicated and with strict regulation, including withering both under the sun and indoor, setting, tossing, fixation, rolling and roasting. The best time of drinking is 15 days after it’s produced. The taste of some species becomes even better at the end of the year.

We'll share about aroma types and brewing suggestion of Feng Huang Dan Cong in next article, hope you find it as interesting as we feel!

By Vicky C.