Premium Shiguping Oolong – Wild Phoenix Tea with Aged Pu’er Notes 50g 2025

Shiguping Oolong | The Wild Soul of Hakka Craft

A Rare Indigenous Cultivar with Ethnic Roots
Shiguping oolong is made from a local, indigenous tea cultivar traditionally cultivated by the She people, a minority ethnic group native to this part of Guangdong. Unlike the widely used Phoenix Shui Xian cultivar, this tea comes from a separate genetic lineage, maintained for generations in Shiguping Village.

The tea plants here are broadleaf shrubs, not arbor trees, and have adapted to volcanic soils and mountain mists. Their leaves are thicker and more polyphenol-rich than Phoenix cultivars, giving the tea a wilder, more mineral-driven taste—distinct from the fragrant and delicate Dancong varieties grown elsewhere in Fenghuang.

Flavor Note
A rare oolong with a mellow, grounding taste—low in aroma but high in sweetness and complexity. Though freshly made, it already shows a flavor style similar to a lightly aged raw pu-erh (around 2–3 years): soft, gently fruity. Unlike most Guangdong oolongs, this tea does not focus on floral fragrance, but offers a smooth, deep sweetness and strong aging potential.

Origin: Shiguping Village, Fenghuang Town, Chaozhou, Guangdong, China
Cultivar: Shiguping Group-Varietal / Bird Beak Tea
Elevation: 400–600m
Tree Age: ~50 years
Roast: Longan wood charcoal roast
Storage: Ages well over time (ideal shelf life 36+ months)

Origin & Terroir: “Low Mountains, High Tea”

Though its elevation is only 400–600m, Shiguping’s volcanic soil, dense fog (200 days/year), and dramatic day-night temperature swings create an exceptional microclimate. Tea trees here grow slowly, developing richer amino acids and aromatic compounds. This unique environment produces unexpected richness usually reserved for higher elevations.

A Wild Cultivar with a Fierce Personality

Shiguping oolong is made from a local group-varietal known as “Bird Beak Tea”, with thick leaves and 15% higher polyphenol content than Phoenix Shui Xian. Descended from Shui Xian but diverging through natural mutation, it expresses a wilder, more rugged flavor than cultivated Dancong types.

Hakka-Style Processing: Intense, Ancestral, Authentic

This tea follows a late-Qing dynasty Hakka method of:

• Heavier tossing (三碰三晾) during oxidation

• 35–40% fermentation, close to northern Fujian-style oolongs

• 12+ hours charcoal roast using longan wood

The result? A complex aroma of roasted fruit and deep charcoal, with a flavor much more intense and aged than typical Phoenix teas.

Flavor: From Fire to Fruit to Sweetness

This tea delivers a three-stage taste experience:

1. First infusions: roasted, toasty notes like Wuyi rock teas

2. Mid infusions: tart-sweet flavor of preserved plums

3. Final steeps: mellow sugarcane sweetness

It’s bold, complex, and full of contrast—a tea that evolves in your cup and lingers on the mind.

For Aging, It’s in a League of Its Own

Historically exported from Shantou in the 19th century and used in Southeast Asian medicinal tea blends, Shiguping oolong is prized for its aging potential. Rich in polyphenols, it ages nearly twice as fast as Dancong, developing woody and medicinal notes over time.

“Three years becomes medicine. Ten years becomes treasure.”
A 2010 batch reviewed in 2023 showed clear transformation to herbal aroma, while most Dancong from the same year only showed mild honey notes.

Brewing Recommendations

Gongfu Style (Recommended):

• 5–6g tea per 100–150ml gaiwan

• Water temp: 95–98°C / 203–208°F

• Quick rinse, then steep 6–8+ times

• Start at 10–15 sec per infusion and adjust to taste

Western-style Brewing:

• 2g per 100ml water

• 95°C (203°F), 2–3 minutes steep

• Re-steep up to 2–3 times