Chaozhou Fenghuang Dancong Oolong Tea – "Duck Shit Aroma" (Ya Shi Xiang) No. 04 — ovanyu

The Name Is a Joke. The Tea Is Not.

Ya Shi Xiang — "Duck Shit Aroma" — is the most deliberately misleading name in Chinese tea. A Fenghuang Mountain farmer coined it to protect an exceptional Dancong tree from curious neighbors. What grows on that tree, and others like it in the high-altitude gardens of Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, is one of the most intensely aromatic profiles in all of oolong: a soaring, voluptuous orchid fragrance with a cool silver-flower clarity that fills the room from the first pour.

ovanyu's Ya Shi Xiang No. 04 takes this extraordinary aromatic raw material and applies the most considered roast in the range: a medium roast calibrated with full precision to draw the high orchid fragrance completely into the body of the tea — settling it from a vertical, floating note into something deeper, richer, and more completely integrated. The fragrance no longer rises above the cup. It is the cup. No. 04 is Ya Shi Xiang at its most resolved: where the orchid, the silver-flower clarity, and the floral-fruit sweetness have become a single, unified expression that cannot be separated and does not need to be.

Why Ya Shi Xiang No. 04

• Orchid Fragrance, Deep and Resolved (Gāo Yáng Fù Yù Lán Huā Xiāng — Fully Grounded) — In No. 04, the soaring orchid character of Ya Shi Xiang has been fully integrated by the medium roast — from a vivid, high-floating note into something more voluminous, more interior, and more lasting. It is no longer a fragrance that announces itself above the cup; it is the atmosphere of the cup itself: rich, enveloping, and present through every infusion from first to last. Those who have experienced Ya Shi Xiang in lighter roast expressions will recognize the same aromatic source — arrived at its fullest possible expression.
• Silver-Flower Clarity, Woven In (Yí Huā Qīng Yǎ — Structural, Not Decorative) — The cool, mineral silver-flower note that distinguishes Ya Shi Xiang from all other Dancong profiles is present in No. 04 not as a bright surface note but as a structural quality woven through the body of the tea. It is what keeps the deep orchid from becoming heavy; it is the clarity that runs beneath the richness and makes the cup feel simultaneously full and light. In later infusions, it becomes the dominant quality — a cool, clean precision that persists long after the initial orchid intensity has settled.
• Floral-Fruit Sweetness, Fully in the Cup (Xiāng Luò Shuǐ — Complete Integration) — The floral-fruit sweetness of Ya Shi Xiang — ripe orchid, stone fruit, a hint of lychee — is most completely present in No. 04. The medium roast has drawn these qualities entirely into the mouthfeel: not as identifiable notes but as a natural sweetness that coats the palate from the first sip and builds across the session. The hui gan — returning sweetness after the swallow — is the longest in the Ya Shi Xiang range: slow to arrive, full when it does, and present in the throat long after the cup is empty.
• Medium Roast at Maximum Precision — The Reference Expression — No. 04 is the roast level at which the craft question for Ya Shi Xiang is most completely answered: how much heat does this specific, high-floral cultivar need to become fully integrated without losing its defining character? The answer, in No. 04, is exactly this much. The orchid has not been suppressed — it has been resolved. The silver-flower clarity has not been roasted away — it has been made structural. The floral-fruit sweetness is not a note above the tea — it is the tea. This is Ya Shi Xiang at the point of completion.
• High-Altitude Single-Bush Origin, Full Traditional Craft — Sourced from individual Ya Shi Xiang Dancong trees in the high-altitude growing zones of Fenghuang Mountain — where elevation, cool temperatures, and mineral soils concentrate the natural aromatics to their highest intensity. Processed through the complete traditional Dancong method: solar withering on bamboo trays, indoor tossing and oxidation development, rolling, and a precisely calibrated medium charcoal finish. The aroma is the tree's. The craft is in serving it completely.

What's Inside

Origin: Fenghuang Mountain, Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, China
Cultivar: Fenghuang Dancong — Ya Shi Xiang ("Duck Shit Aroma")
Roast: Medium — full integration, orchid resolved into cup body
Net Weight: 150g (5.29 oz)
Processing: Solar withering, indoor withering and tossing, partial oxidation, rolling, medium charcoal finishing
Ingredients: 100% single-origin Fenghuang Dancong oolong leaves

How to Brew

Hot Brew (Chaozhou Gongfu Style — Essential)
Leaves: 8–10g | Water: 120–150ml | Temperature: 212°F (100°C) — full boil
First infusion: 15–20 seconds. Add 10 seconds each round. Yields 12–18 infusions. No. 04 demands the Chaozhou Gongfu method at its most attentive. The integrated orchid fragrance fills the room from the first pour; the floral-fruit sweetness deepens through the middle rounds; the silver-flower clarity becomes most present in the later steeps as the initial intensity settles into a quiet, enduring precision. Warm the vessel fully before adding leaf — the dry aroma of No. 04 at full warmth is the most complete expression of Ya Shi Xiang you will encounter before the water is added.

Hot Brew (Western Style)
Leaves: 4–5g | Water: 12 oz (350ml) | Temperature: 205–212°F (96–100°C)
Steep 2–3 minutes for the first infusion. Re-steep 2–3 times, adding 30 seconds each round. The fully integrated character of No. 04 holds up well to Western brewing — the orchid depth and floral-fruit sweetness both come through clearly, and the hui gan is present even in a single long steep.

Cold Brew
Leaves: 8–10g | Water: 600ml cold water
Refrigerate 14–18 hours. Cold extraction foregrounds the silver-flower clarity and natural floral sweetness with exceptional precision — a clean, luminous brew that reveals the structural quality of No. 04 in its most transparent form. Serve at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does No. 04 differ from No. 06 in the ovanyu Ya Shi Xiang range?
A: No. 06 is the medium roast expression in which the orchid fragrance is vivid and clearly present — high in the cup, immediately recognizable, with the silver-flower clarity distinct and the floral-fruit sweetness building across steeps. No. 04 is the fully resolved expression: the orchid has been completely integrated into the body of the tea, the silver-flower clarity is structural rather than surface, and the floral-fruit sweetness is fully woven into the mouthfeel rather than sitting above it. No. 06 is Ya Shi Xiang at its most accessible and immediately striking; No. 04 is Ya Shi Xiang at its most complete. For those who want the deepest possible expression of this profile, No. 04 is the answer.

Q: What does Ya Shi Xiang actually smell and taste like?
A: Ignore the name entirely. Ya Shi Xiang smells like a soaring, high-floral orchid fragrance with a cool, mineral silver-flower clarity — one of the most intensely aromatic and immediately unforgettable profiles in Chinese tea. In No. 04, this fragrance has been fully integrated into the body of the tea by the medium roast: the result is a cup that is simultaneously rich and precise, deeply sweet and completely clean, with a long floral-fruit finish that builds after the swallow and stays. The name is a historical joke. The tea is anything but.

Q: How is Ya Shi Xiang different from Mi Lan Xiang?
A: Both are celebrated Fenghuang Dancong profiles, but they are distinct aromatic conversations. Mi Lan Xiang is defined by the integration of honey warmth and orchid elegance — rich, enveloping, and sustained at a lower aromatic register. Ya Shi Xiang is defined by the height and clarity of its orchid fragrance — more vertical, more luminous, with the silver-flower cool note that Mi Lan Xiang does not carry. Mi Lan Xiang is warm and horizontal; Ya Shi Xiang is bright and vertical. No. 04 of each represents the most complete expression of that difference.

Q: How many infusions can I expect?
A: Using Chaozhou Gongfu brewing, expect 12–18 infusions. The depth and full integration of No. 04 make it one of the most infusion-resilient teas in the ovanyu range. The orchid intensity leads in the early rounds; the silver-flower clarity becomes most prominent in the middle steeps; the later rounds settle into a quiet, sustained sweetness that is one of the most understated pleasures in the entire range.

Q: Is this suitable as a gift?
A: Ya Shi Xiang No. 04 is among the most distinctive and memorable gifts in the ovanyu range — both for its extraordinary aroma and for the story behind its name, which makes it an immediate conversation piece at any level of tea experience. As the reference expression of the range, it is a gift that communicates the highest level of knowledge and consideration. ovanyu's packaging is designed with a refined aesthetic appropriate for the most meaningful personal and professional gifting.