Chaozhou Fenghuang Dancong Oolong Tea – "Duck Shit Aroma" (Ya Shi Xiang) No. 06 — ovanyu

The Most Misleading Name in Tea. The Most Unforgettable Aroma.

Let's address it immediately: Ya Shi Xiang — literally "Duck Shit Aroma" — is a name designed to deceive. When a farmer in the Fenghuang Mountains of Chaozhou discovered a Dancong tree producing an extraordinary, high-floral fragrance unlike anything in the region, he named it as unappealingly as he could to discourage neighbors from stealing cuttings. The name stuck. The aroma did too.

What Ya Shi Xiang actually smells like is this: a soaring, voluptuous orchid fragrance — intensely floral, with a natural brightness that floats high in the cup and a cool silver-flower clarity that makes it one of the most immediately arresting aromas in all of Chinese tea. ovanyu's Ya Shi Xiang No. 06 is sourced from Dancong trees in the high-altitude gardens of Fenghuang Mountain, Chaozhou, Guangdong Province — where mineral mountain soils, cool mist, and elevation create conditions for aromatic intensity that cannot be replicated at lower altitudes. Finished with a medium roast that settles the high florals into the body of the tea without dimming them: No. 06 is where the name ends and the experience begins.

Why Ya Shi Xiang No. 06

• Soaring Orchid Fragrance (Gāo Yáng Fù Yù Lán Huā Xiāng) — The defining character of Ya Shi Xiang and the quality that made this cultivar famous despite its name: a high, voluptuous orchid fragrance that rises immediately from the cup and fills the space around it. It is not the quiet, interior orchid of Shui Xian or the honey-integrated orchid of Mi Lan Xiang — it is the orchid as pure aromatic presence: vivid, expansive, and impossible to ignore. In No. 06, the medium roast has settled this fragrance into the body of the tea without suppressing its height or its intensity.
• Silver-Flower Cool Clarity (Yí Huā Qīng Yǎ Qì Xī) — Beneath the soaring orchid, a cool, slightly mineral floral note — reminiscent of silver needle flowers, night-blooming jasmine, or fresh gardenia — adds a layer of refined clarity that distinguishes Ya Shi Xiang from all other Dancong profiles. This is the yi hua quality: a cool, clean brightness that lifts the orchid fragrance without competing with it and that makes the overall aromatic profile of this tea feel simultaneously intense and refined.
• Floral-Fruit Sweetness in the Cup (Xiāng Luò Shuǐ Chá Tāng Gǔ Xiā Huā Guǒ Tián Yùn) — In No. 06, the high floral aromatics of Ya Shi Xiang have been drawn into the body of the tea by the medium roast — the fragrance no longer sits above the cup but within it: woven through the mouthfeel as a natural floral-fruit sweetness that coats the palate and sustains through the finish. Ripe stone fruit, a hint of lychee, and the floral sweetness of fresh orchid — present in every sip without being identifiable as any single note.
• Medium Roast — Height Grounded, Clarity Preserved — The challenge of roasting Ya Shi Xiang is the same as working with any high-floral cultivar: too little heat and the fragrance floats free of the cup without integration; too much and the height collapses into flatness. No. 06 is the medium roast calibrated precisely to this cultivar: the orchid has been grounded without being dimmed, the silver-flower clarity has been preserved, and the overall aromatic experience is more complete — more present in the body of the tea, more sustained in the finish — than a lighter roast can achieve.
• High-Altitude Fenghuang Mountain Origin, Single-Bush Craft — Sourced from individual Ya Shi Xiang Dancong trees in the high-altitude growing zones of Fenghuang Mountain — where elevation and cool mountain temperatures concentrate the natural aromatics to their highest intensity. Processed through traditional Dancong methods: solar withering, indoor tossing and oxidation development, rolling, and medium charcoal finishing. The aroma is the tree's. The craft is in not getting in the way.

What's Inside

Origin: Fenghuang Mountain, Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, China
Cultivar: Fenghuang Dancong — Ya Shi Xiang ("Duck Shit Aroma")
Roast: Medium — floral-fruit integration, orchid grounded in 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 10–15 infusions. The Chaozhou Gongfu method is where Ya Shi Xiang is at its most spectacular: the high leaf ratio and short steep times produce small, intensely concentrated cups in which the soaring orchid fragrance fills the room from the first pour. Warm the vessel thoroughly — the dry leaf aroma alone is worth the pause. The floral intensity peaks in the first three steeps; later rounds develop a deeper, quieter sweetness and a long, clean finish.

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 orchid fragrance and floral-fruit sweetness of No. 06 come through clearly in a Western format, though the full height of the aroma is best experienced in a concentrated Gongfu context.

Cold Brew
Leaves: 8–10g | Water: 600ml cold water
Refrigerate 12–16 hours. Cold extraction foregrounds the floral sweetness and silver-flower clarity with exceptional precision — producing a naturally sweet, intensely floral brew that is one of the most distinctive cold teas in the ovanyu range. Serve at room temperature or lightly chilled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is it called "Duck Shit Aroma" — and what does it actually taste like?
A: The name is a deliberate misdirection. According to the origin story from the Fenghuang Mountain farming community, the farmer who discovered this exceptional tree named it as unappealingly as possible to protect it from being taken by neighbors. Ya Shi Xiang has nothing to do with its name. What it actually smells and tastes like is a soaring, high-floral orchid fragrance with a cool silver-flower clarity — one of the most intensely aromatic and immediately arresting profiles in all of Chinese tea. The name is a historical artifact. The aroma is the point.

Q: How is Ya Shi Xiang different from Mi Lan Xiang?
A: Both are Fenghuang Dancong profiles, but they express very differently. Mi Lan Xiang is defined by the integration of honey warmth and orchid elegance — rich, enveloping, and sustained. Ya Shi Xiang is defined by the height and clarity of its orchid fragrance — soaring, vivid, and bright, with a cool silver-flower quality that Mi Lan Xiang does not have. Mi Lan Xiang is warm and enveloping; Ya Shi Xiang is luminous and vertical. Both are outstanding expressions of the Fenghuang Dancong tradition — they are simply different aromatic conversations.

Q: What does "single bush" (Dancong) mean?
A: Dancong refers to the practice of harvesting and processing tea from individual trees separately, rather than blending leaves at the garden level. This means that each Dancong tea directly reflects the specific aromatic character of its source tree — shaped by the tree's genetics, its age, and its particular position on the mountain. The Ya Shi Xiang profile is a natural characteristic of specific Fenghuang cultivar trees: not a result of flavoring, blending, or processing technique, but the direct expression of the tree itself.

Q: How many infusions can I expect?
A: Using Chaozhou Gongfu brewing, expect 10–15 infusions. The orchid fragrance is most spectacular in the first three steeps; later rounds reveal a quieter, rounder floral-fruit sweetness that is equally worth staying for.

Q: Is this suitable as a gift?
A: Ya Shi Xiang is one of the most memorable teas to give or receive — both for its extraordinary aroma and for the story behind its name, which makes it an immediate conversation piece. No. 06, as the medium-roast expression, delivers the full aromatic experience in its most complete form. ovanyu's packaging is designed with a refined aesthetic appropriate for meaningful personal and professional gifting.