1992 Golden needle white lotus pu-erh (ripen)

Found a batch of 1992 Golden Needle White Lotus pu-erh which has fairly strong Qi, I was up and running for 1.5 hours, using 4 g of leaves. I am having another tasting using barely 2 g of leaves (Will have pictures of this session up soon).

Dry leaves are small and uniform, obvious white frost, strong mulch/bark smell.

Liquid is clear and glowing, beautiful amber color, can turn very dark with more leaves and longer steeping, up wards of 10s infusions.

2 oz pack for $20
8 oz pack for $70
16 oz pack for $120

Shipping is $5 within 48 states for under 2 lbs, $3 for each additional pound. Europe $9 for under one lb, $4 for each additional pound.

Please email "tea at teahabitat dot com" to place an order or for more information. Thanks.

Jars Jars Jars

If you want Jars, we got jars for you!

Yi Xing Zisha clay jar (#J001), large in size, fits approximately 3 to 4 broken up Pu-erh cake. $45
In MY jar is green pu-erh, it smells addictive! :P

Green celodon jar (J002), medium size, fits 300 g of fist oolong (high mountain), 1/3 of a broken up pu cake. $12

Yellow Chrysanthemum jar (J003) (actual color is much more vibrant), hand painted, medium size, fits 300 g of fist oolong (high mountain), 1/3 of a broken up pu cake. $12 (Available in white color-J004)

Celadon cup and jar set (S005), small travel size jar, fits 100 g of fist oolong. $18



Yellow chrysanthemum cup and jar set (S006) (actual color is much more vibrant), hand painted, small travel size jar, fits 100 g of fist oolong. $18 (Available in white color-S007)

Celadon jars: large size, fits approximately 2 broken up pu-erh cakes. $28 each, set of 3 (J011s) for $75.
J008
J009 (sold out)
J010 (sold out)

Shipping rate varies by weight, combined shipping is more cost effective, please email me for shipping charges with items you are interested in. "tea at teahabitat dot com" Thanks!

Clay stove burner

New stock of Chao Zhou clay stove set with 1kg of olive pit charcoal. A while back, I posted about Chao Zhou stove set.

The stove is more decorative than the previous one. Taller with a bigger chamber for charcoal. Beautiful little set!

Top 4 characters from right to left: Tea Art Happy Garden
Right 7 characters from top to bottom: Best Tea Floating Aroma Enjoying Tea Art
Left 7 characters from top to bottom: Zi Sha Pot Inside Drunken Happy Garden

HAHA... you just can't translate Chinese literally and expect it'd make any sense. BTW the clay used are not Zi Sha (purple clay), these are Chao Zhou local red clay.

The stove, pot and charcoal set is $200 including shipping to 48 states, priority shipping is available for extra. Please email me for shipping rate outside of US : tea at teahabitat dot com

Commercial grade Dan Cong samples - Feb only

Tea for all in the new Lunar year!

Sample pack of commercial DC for $8 including shipping in US, $12 to Europe. For those who place orders during Feb will receive this sample pack for free. Limit of 30 sets --- Sold Out.

Each sample is 5 g
97 Honey Orchid $6/oz (New)---Heavy roast taste, robust and strong flavor
07 Honey Orchid special grade $9/oz (New)---Medium to heavy roast, strong honey orchid taste
07 Fall Orchid first grade $6/oz (New)---Sweet honey, floral aroma
07 Huang Zhi Xiang first grade $6/oz (New)---Citrusy, strong qi, mellow honey taste
07 Yu Lan Xiang first grade $6/oz (New)---Magnolia fragrance, sweet, a bit astringent
07 Da Wu Ye special grade - Big Dark Leaf $9/oz (New)---Light roast, floral nectar

email: tea at teahabitat dot com to reserve your sample pack :)
Accept paypal and checks

Current stocks of Phoenix Dan Cong

Current Stocks:
Click here for tasting notes

Old Bush Dan Cong: (all sold out)
07 Gold Medalist Honey Orchid #5 $22/oz
07 Guo Ba Xian - Zhi Lan Xiang Fragrance $63/oz
07 Wu Dong You Hua - Pomelo Flower Fragrance $22/oz
07 Xing Ren Xiang - Almond Aroma $28/oz
07 Zhi Lan Xiang Lao Cong - Orchid Fragrance $28/oz
07 Zhi Lan Xiang Ping Jai Tou - Orchid Fragrance $25/oz
07 Da Wu Ye Lao Cong - Big Dark Leaf $28/oz
07 Da Yu Qi - Big Leech $25/oz
07 Zhi Lan Xiang - Orchid Fragrance $22/oz

Aged Dan Cong: (sold out)
86 Vintage Dan Cong $20/oz
94 Vintage Dan Cong $12/oz
96 Wu Dong Da Ping $20/oz

Commercial Grades: (available)
07 Fall Orchid first grade $6/oz ---Sweet honey, floral aroma
07 Huang Zhi Xiang first grade $6/oz ---Citrusy, strong qi, mellow honey taste
07 Yu Lan Xiang first grade $6/oz ---Magnolia fragrance, sweet, a bit astringent
07 Da Wu Ye special grade - Big Dark Leaf $9/oz ---Light roast, floral nectar
07 White Leaf Dan Cong $4/oz
04 Wu Dong Dan Cong $7/oz



Payment methods: Paypal, Visa, Master, check, money order.
$5 flat rate shipping in 48 states. Free shipping with purchase of $100 and more. Please email me for shipping rate to other countries. Thanks!
tea at teahabitat dot com

Tasting notes

Gold Medalist Honey Orchid #2 07 Organic $30/oz (NEW)
There are 5 gold medalist honey orchid for 2007. This one comparing to the previous one I had in stock, the main difference is the clearity of the aroma and tea soup. Honey orchid is a powerful fragrance, the most up front in all DCs. The aroma is powerful, yet pure and clear without any "fire" taste. It will stamp a memory for those who have not had Dan Cong before. If you want to impress your guests, this little beast will do the job. Subtlety is not for every one. This tea is not subtle by all means.

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Gold Medalist Honey Orchid #5 07 Organic $22/oz (Restock)
Aroma and flavor is up front, clove honey like taste with Li Chi fruit flavor. It's more fruity than floral in flavor, however both are present.
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Guo Ba Xian – Zhi Lan Xiang Orchid Fragrance 07 Organic $63/oz (NEW)
This tea is from one of the original 8 trees cloned in the 1700's. Oh boy, this tea knocked me out fast. Tasting tea while waiting on customer is not the best timing. I left the second infusion in the pot for 15 minutes, I thought oh boy, this could kick my behind. I seldom don't want to be right. :P After 3 infusions, I felt it coming and had an apple crumble pie, hoping I could ease my way out of it. Oh well, I didn't give my body a chance, and moved on to the next in 30 minutes. I didn't have a clear impression of this tea, first I screwed up and second I was a bit drunk to tell the flavor aside of sensation.

Second tasting: 2 grams, gaiwan 120ml, boiling water boiled in clay pot
First thing one would not miss is the aroma, Zhi Lan fragrance that is rich, creamy, clean, fresh and sweet. While sipping down the tea, I can feel the fragrance traveled through my nose, breathing the fragrant air. By the 3rd infusion, the texture is very buttery with substance. I felt a film of something on my lips. The aroma is all over the mouth even after the tea slipped down throat.

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Huang Zhi Xiang - Orange Flower Fragrance 07 Organic $19/oz (Restock)
I am going to borrow Michael's description. My writing skill is no where near Michael's. :D

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Po Tou - Ginger Flower Fragrance 07 Organic $25/oz (Restock)
This tea is from a 200 years old tea tree grown organically, aroma is light, subtle yet strong and lingering. Ginger flower has a defined aroma that's powerful but not over powering. This is a BEAUTIFUL tea!

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Wu Dong You Hua – Pomelo Flower Fragrance 07 Organic $22/oz (NEW)
Lovely lovely tea, I can't quite express its uniqueness verbally at current mental state. I'll have to taste it again.

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Xing Ren Xiang - Almond Aroma 07 Organic $28/oz (NEW)
Light fermented leaves, I had a hard time describing the flavor initially. After 5 or6 infusions, I said hey, this taste like chewing a raw almond nut with a tingling cool minty feeling all over the mouth. Raw almond is not rich in flavor, not like an almond cookie. It's some what milky sweet with a tad of nutty flavor. It was hard to detect initially because most of the DC do have a straight forward aroma. Compare to the previous Xing Ren Xiang, this one has more characters to it. That tingling sensation was not in the previous tree.

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Zhi Lan Xiang Lao Cong - Orchid Fragrance 07 Organic $28/oz (NEW)
Floral aroma is lovely and up front, taste is strong, top of mouth feels cool after drinking a piping hot cup of tea. After taste is strong, lingering sweetness induces salivation, and the cooling minty feeling also last for a long while.

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Zhi Lan Xiang Ping Jai Tou - Orchid Fragrance 07 Organic $25/oz (NEW)
Ping Jai Tou is a village on Wu Dong Mountain where this tree is located.

I had this after the Guo Ba Xian, too drunk to tell. Will update later after 2nd tasting.

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Zei Shi - Thief Sh*t 06 Organic $28/oz
After almost 2 years of resting, this tea is easy to drink with round and full honey flavor, honey sweet taste combined with fruity aroma made it a perfect choice for any season and any time of the day. This tea emphasize on the taste and texture of tea, aroma takes a back seat.

Here is Michael's description again, does it sound tastier already? :P

Zei Shi 06 --
The fruit aroma is extraordinary with a gentle flower essence flowing in and out. The finish is soft, yet slightly astringent. As often happens I can't figure out which of the many fruits and flowers these might be. Was it my imagination -- let's hope so -- or did the aroma off the gaiwan lid echo this tea's name? I leave that to greater minds and more refined noses. (See the tea's name translated and better descriptions than mine under Bears3's post on the Dan Cong tasting at Tea Habitat.)

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86 Vintage Dan Cong $20/oz
Smooth flavor with forest bark taste, cool refreshing after taste leave mouth feeling clean and fresh. Aged Phoenix tea has healing effects which can treat colds, upset stomach, headaches and other minor discomfort. A cup of aged Phoenix tea a day keeps the doctors away!

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94 Vintage Dan Cong $12/oz
13 years of aging made this tea mellow and sweeter than most young DC. The smoothness and flavor is closed to aged pu-erh with full body and creamy texture.

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96 Wu Dong Da Ping $20/oz
This tea is smooth and strong at the same time, 11 years of aging is enough to mellow out the edges, fragrance of young Phoenix tea is still strong. A pinch of these leaves will go a long way with a lot of flavors.

Dan Cong selection

Grade scale:
6 stars: exceptional
5 stars: excellent
4 stars: good
3 stars: not bad

Selections of Phoenix Dan Cong:

Ao Fu Hou - Orange Flower Fragrance 07 Organic $28/oz 6 stars
Mother tree of the famous Huang Zhi Xiang DC grown organically at high elevation is very aromatic, winter honey flavor is soothing to the palate, soothing to the soul.

Po Tou - Ginger Flower Fragrance 07 Organic $25/oz 6 stars
This tea is from a 200 years old tea tree grown organically, aroma is light, subtle yet strong and lingering. Ginger flower has a defined aroma that's powerful but not over powering. This is a BEAUTIFUL tea!

Honey Orchid Gold Medalist 07 Organic $22/oz 6 stars (will arrive in 1 week)
Aroma and flavor is up front, clove honey like taste with Li Chi fruit flavor. It's more fruity than floral in flavor, however both are present. Harvested and processed 1 tree at a time.

Honey Orchid Dan Cong 07 $13/2 oz 4.5 stars (sold out)
Beautiful orchid aroma both under nose and in taste, sweet honey taste that soothes your stomach. An eye opener in the morning.

Huang Zhi Xiang Orange Flower 07 Organic $19/oz 6 stars (will arrive in 1 week)
This tea is from a 50+ years old tea trea, strong orange flower fragrance, light roast, hui gan is fast and strong. It's another tea that can get you drunk.

Peach Dan Cong 07 $13/2 oz 4 stars (sold out)
Complex flavor with sweet peach nectar taste.

White Leaf Dan Cong 07 $8/2 oz 3.5 stars
This batch of tea is roasted at our store, the result is sweet yam with honey flavor, great for cold days.

Xing Ren Xiang Almond Aroma 07 Organic $19/oz 6 stars (sold out)
This tea is harvested from a 50+ years old tea tree. Subtle and sweet almond juice flavor, fresh after taste.

Yu Lan Xiang Magnolia Fragrance 07 Organic $19/oz 6 stars
This tea is from a 50+ years old tea tree, sweet honey like taste, lovely Yu Lan fragrance. Hui gan is strong and lingering. Yu Lan is used by ladies of any age in China as natural perfume, the fragrance is sweet and clean, yet concentrated.

Yu Lan Xiang Magnolia Fragrance $13/2 oz 4 stars
Floral aroma with honey sweetness, aftertaste is strong and refreshing.

Zei Shi 06 Organic $28/oz 6 stars
After almost 2 years of resting, this tea is easy to drink with round and full honey flavor, honey sweet taste combined with fruity aroma made it a perfect choice for any season and any time of the day.

Zhi Lan Xiang - Orchid Fragrance 07 Organic $22/oz 6 stars (available in 3 wks)
Harvested from an over 100 years old tree. The aroma is amazing, sweet winter honey taste in liquid, very much like drinking diluted orange blossom winter honey, with intense orchid fragrance. This tea will make you light headed!

Wu Dong Dan Cong 04 $13/2 oz 4 stars
Unusual Dan Cong, does not have the signature floral fragrance of Phoenix teas, however flavor is complex and full.

96 Wu Dong Da Ping Dan Cong Organic $20/oz 6 stars
This tea is smooth and strong at the same time, 11 years of aging is enough to mellow out the edges, fragrance of young Phoenix tea is still strong. A pinch of these leaves will go a long way with a lot of flavors.

94 Vintage Dan Cong $12/oz 5 stars
13 years of aging made this tea mellow and sweeter than most young DC. The smoothness and flavor is closed to aged pu-erh with full body and creamy texture.

86 Vintage Dan Cong $20/oz 5.5 stars
Smooth flavor with forest bark taste, cool refreshing after taste leave mouth feeling clean and fresh. Aged Phoenix tea has healing effects which can treat colds, upset stomach, headaches and other minor discomfort. A cup of aged Phoenix tea a day keeps the doctors away!

Sample packs (1) $68 (sold out)
10g of each of the following:
Ao Fu Hou Orange Flower Fragrance 07
Po Tou Ginger Flower Fragrance 07
Zei Shi 06
Honey Orchid Gold Medalist 07
Huang Zhi Xiang Orange Flower 07
Xing Ren Xiang Almond Aroma 07
Yu Lan Xiang Magnolia Fragrance 07

Sample Packs (2) $26
10g of each of the following:
96 Wu Dong Da Ping Dan Cong
94 Vintage Dan Cong
86 Vintage Dan Cong

Sample packs (3) $68
10g of each of the following:
Ao Fu Hou Orange Flower Fragrance 07
Po Tou Ginger Flower Fragrance 07
Zei Shi 06
Xing Ren Xiang Almond Aroma 07
Yu Lan Xiang Magnolia Fragrance 07
96 Wu Dong Da Ping Dan Cong
86 Vintage Dan Cong

$5 flat rate shipping within 48 states, please email tea at teahabitat dot com for more info. :)

Chao Zhou Clay Stove Set with Olive Pit Charcoal

Tea culture in Chao Zhou, province of Guang Dong China has a long history known to be the oldest form of tea art in present days.

The following is one of the local tea ware of must have when making a good cup of fabulous Phoenix Dan Cong oolong. Clay pot made of local red clay for boiling water, a little portable clay stove made to retain heat within, and the last but not the least important element is Olive pit charcoal. Rustic style, coarse texture, however works wonders!

The clay pot for boiling water is made extremely porous, water can sip through the wall slowly. When heated, vapor is visible from the outside. Water quality is significantly improved after boiled in this pot. Metal tea kettle makes flat and hard water. This clay pot makes sweet, round, full body, and soft water that greatly enhances the flavor of tea. Tea liquid slips down from tongue to throat smoothly like ice cream. The texture is so full, it makes you feel as the space between upper mouth and tongue has increased.


Portable stove is made with thick wall all around, a small opening at the bottom ensures airflow. Thick clay wall serves as an insulation layer which keeps heat within the stove, heating only the bottom of clay pot. A sliding "door" can be move left or right for control of air flow, in turn controls temperature.


Olive pit charcoal is a miracle, in my opinion at least. This is a local black olive varietal from Chao Zhou, unlike Italian Olive, it's low in oil, hence soot free when burning. These charcoal releases an aroma when burning, the aroma burns through the porous wall of clay pot, further enhances the water flavor, hence enhances tea flavor.

Set of clay pot, stove and 1 kilo of Olive pit charcoal: $200 (Free shipping within 48 states)

Tea culture of Chao Zhou is extremely comprehensive. The region not only produces the best oolong tea, its natural resources made it possible to expand tea experience beyond agricultural. The Chao Zhou Zhu Ni clay pots, the unique floral aroma of Phoenix tea, the olive trees, the wisdom and accumulated experience through out the centuries, together give us this magnificent gift of tea culture. I feel extremely lucky having such exposure and access. My own tea experience has elevated to a level where I truly feel content with what I have to make a great cup of tea. Of course, I will not stop here. My final stop would be to retire in the mountain of Phoenix for part of the year, soak in the pure mist nourishing the soil and tea trees, drink century years old tea and watch sunrise from top of the clouds.

Phoenix Dan Cong

I got my hands on some rather nice Phoenix Dan Cong recently. They are truly amazing teas that leave you longing time after time. I sell them at my shop Tea Habitat, I feel I should make it available to my fellow tea nerds whom know tea and appreciate excellent rare teas.

1) Chuan Du Lao Ming Cong 07 Spring (sold out temporally) $75 / 1 oz
400+ years old tree from Wu Dong Mountain, 1 of the 10 most famous Dan Cong single bush trees of the mountain, harvested and processed alone. Less than 10 kilos is produced each year. Only harvest during Spring and rest for the rest of the year. Wonderful aroma, extremely substantially thick liquid, sweet orchid taste. 3g per session can yield 20ish brews. After taste lingers 2hr or more, you can breath the orchid aroma in and out while talking. Very strong in Cha Qi, you might feel very relaxed to the point you just want to lay down and take a nap, however your mind can still be very clear and alert. YOU CAN GET DRUNK! Absolutely amazing tea, best I ever had in my life.

2) Da Yu Qi Mu Cong 05 Spring (sold out temporally) $75 / 1 oz
400+ years old tree also from Wu Dong Mountain, another famous single bush tree produces very limited amount each year. The orchid fragrance can be tasted in the liquid more so than on the nose, sweet honey like taste, thick liquid is the sign of an old tree. This tea has 2 yrs on its belt, so it's more mellow, rounded, sweet and hui gan is lovely. Strong but easy on the stomach. Roasting is also heavier than the above dan cong. 2 very different styles of tea compare to the previous. One is powerful and beautiful, like a Hollywood celebrity at her prime. This one is like a legendary actor full of flavor, but not aways in the spot light, however irreplaceable by all means.

3) Zhi Lan Xiang 07 Spring (SOLD OUT) $22 / 1 oz

Over 100 years old trees. This is an excellent tea for the price. The aroma is amazing, high and floaty/drifty, sweet winter honey taste in liquid, very much like drinking diluted orange blossom winter honey, but more intense fragrance. Hui gan is amazing if steeped for longer than 30 second. It will make you light headed. 30% red 70% green, a typical traditional oolong fermentation.

4) Gold Medal Prize winner - Honey Orchid 07 Spring $22 / 1 oz
Over 50 years old trees. Aroma and flavor is up front, clove honey like taste with li-chi flavor. It's more fruity than floral in flavor, however both are present.

5) Yu Lan Xiang - Chinese Magnolia 07 Spring $19 / 1 oz

50+ years old, sweet honey like taste, lovely Yu Lan fragrance. Hui gan is strong and lingering. Yu Lan is used by ladies of any age in China, its fragrance is sweet and clean, but high. Ladies put one in their hair as natural perfume.

6) Huang Zi Xiang - Orange flower 07 Spring $19 / 1 oz
50+ years old, strong orange flower fragrance, light roast, hui gan is fast and strong. It's another tea that can get you drunk.

7) Xing Ren Xiang - Almond 07 Spring $22 / 1 oz

50+ years old. If you ever had Chinese almond tofu, you'll know the kind of almond flavor in this tea, subtle and sweet, more like a juice than the powerful roasted almond nut flavor. Creamy texture, taste like hot milk with almond syrup added in.

8) Bor Tou - Ginger flower 07 Spring $25 / 1 oz (Available again, limited supply)

200 years old tree, light subtle yet strong and lingering. Ginger flower has a light clean aroma that's powerful but not over powering, light yet keeps you chasing after it. One of my favorite fresh flowers. Only a few can fill the whole room with fragrance.

All 8 of these dan cong have long lasting after taste with strong hui gan. Fragrance of each tea are different yet similar in ways how they roam around your mouth for a long period of time, leaving your breathes smell like flowers, some more than the other depending on the age. Due to the age of these tea trees, they are strong in cha qi, more or less will effect your body in some way. I had these tea for more than a week, 1 or 2 some times more in a day, and had been drunk every day. I had to go on a tea diet for a day to "sober" up.

Email me for shipping info at teahabitat at yahoo. Happy sipping! Will have pictures soon.