Huang Ruiguang is respected across China as one of the fathers of modern Dancong, written about in every text on the region, recognized as a cultural treasure by the local government, and awarded top medals for every tea he produces. Having spent his life improving Dancong craft across Wudongshan, he has now turned the workshop over to his sons. He works with us because of his retirement goal to share true Wudongshan Dancong beyond China, and build worldwide respect not just for his family but for the whole region he helped put on the map.
This tasting kit represents the intense aromatics and wild powerful textural experience that is Dancong. Every tea in the collection is juicy, voluptuously aromatic and focused with a sweet lingering aftertaste. The perfect aromatics that Huang Ruiguang is famous for come from his meticulous hand turning and fluffing process that lasts up to 18 hours to coax out everything the leaf has to offer.
Taste Master Huang Ruiguang’s Dancong craft: Huang Ruiguang's family Mi Lan Dancong is picked only once a year from single trees that are not pruned back to encourage deeper roots & more robust flavor, year after year. His mountain plot and decades of work in improving agriculture techniques for the region have earned Huang Ruiguang's Milan awards such as the recent 2015 Gold Medal at the Sixth Guangdong Tea Expo. Mi Lan varietal is set apart with its distinctive golden green leaf color in early spring & its luscious deep aromatics.
This high elevation Mi Lan Dancong comes from older trees on Master Huang's favorite plot of land high up the mountain in Wudongshan. He describes the orientation to the rising sun and the microclimate as the best suited for rich, powerful Dancong. Huang Ruiguang's expertise and leadership in agriculture across Fenghuang have won him dozens of awards, such as the recent gold medal for Mi Lan at the Guangdong Tea Expo 2015. Mi Lan varieties is naturally one of the most luscious, juicy and floral teas out there. The perfect microclimate of Wudongshan and Huang Ruiguang’s masterful craftsmanship during the meticulous 16 hour yaoqing process bring out unprecedented complexity in this reserve offering.
Huang Ruiguang's family Mi Lan Dancong is picked only once a year from single trees that are not pruned back to encourage deeper roots & more robust flavor, year after year. His mountain plot and decades of work in improving agriculture techniques for the region have earned Huang Ruiguang's Mi Lan awards such as the recent 2015 Gold Medal at the Sixth Guangdong Tea Expo. This Mi Lan is allowed to naturally oxidize for over 24 hours before being carefully spread, baked and tumbled. The oxidation creates a deep rich black tea flavor, but Mi Lan varietal’s natural juicy floral honey flavor still comes through strong.
Xing Ren Xiang, or Almond Aroma is a uniquely savory nut-forward varietal that Huang Ruiguang and his family pick once a year from single bushes cultivated in Wudongshan. These bushes are not pruned back and picked sparingly to encourage deeper roots and more robust flavor year after year. The Huang Family’s meticulous hand processing yields a distinct roasted almond flavor, with notes of cooling pine.
八仙 or Ba Xian references the eight Taoist immortals, a truly evocative name for a truly unique tea. Huang Ruiguang says that originally, there were eight trees growing next to each other, each with a different flavor and appearance, like the Taoist Immortals. Today, five of the eight original trees still remain. Huang Ruiguang’s tree has one of the most perfectly situated east-facing high elevation slopes on Wudongshan, earned for a lifetime of contribution to Fenghuang as an agricultural pioneer and master taster. His Ba Xian Dancong is lush and juicy, full of tropical flower and fruit flavors, coaxed out over 24 hours of intense hand processing.
Ye Lai Xiang is named after the tuberose flower which blooms at night. This flower’s heavy scent is used in perfumes and is the inspiration for the varietal name. This Ye Lai Xiang is picked from Huang Ruiguang’s favorite high mountain plot in Wudongshan from older tree stock and meticulously hand finished by Master Huang's sons over 24 hours to bring out the deep aromatics. Master Huang's work in Dancong tasting and agriculture has won him countless awards and recognition, a biography in a 2015 published book on the history of Dancong, and leadership in every convention and tasting event in Guangdong. When Huang Ruiguang personally recommended this tea as a standout example of his reserve collection, it is hard to say no. Expect deep aromatics that linger for hours on the palate, cooling almost electric tingling yun sensation and a deep juicy sweetness that sets this tea apart. Tasting notes rarely do justice to the complexity on offer.
The rocky soil, the mountain mist - even the angle of the sunlight all comes together as a gift:
the finest growing region for single-tree dancong oolongs in the world.
I have spent my life honoring that gift. I pioneered commune tea farming in the 70’s, and in the 80’s
my tea made history with an unprecedented tasting score of 99.8 at the Changsha National Tea Conference,
putting Wudongshan on the map.
I have spent my life teaching three generations of tea farmers in Wudongshan the meticulous craft of oolong finishing
so that every harvest honors the gift of this place. I invite you to taste the work I started and that my sons now continue -
the rich minerality, the dance between intensity of texture, and voluptuousness of aroma that have defines a whole genre."
cool weather, wind and frigid mountain nights keep insects at bay naturally
single tree plantings establish deep root systems for complex tea and healthy ecosystems compared to traditional tea hedges
our family picks once a year and does not trim, water, spray or fertilize for zero-impact farming
our slope of Wudongshan gets the perfect angle of sunlight to prevent too much morning sun yielding a sweeter, slower-growing plant
our 30 mu plot is the finest land for Dancong in China, awarded to Huang Ruiguang for a lifetime of contributions to the community pioneering new oolong techniques
He is cited in most published histories and overviews of the region for his agricultural innovation and for his famously impeccable taste. In 1982, he brought his Dancong to the national tea conference and competition in Changsha and received a 99.8 – the highest score ever awarded to any tea in China at the time.
In 2012, Huang Ruiguang was declared a cultural treasure, and as a result of his work to raise up the region, he was awarded with 30 mu of the most perfectly situated land on Wudongshan.
Huang Ruiguang’s two sons continue his work as the active master craftsmen in the workshop and the fields, both Wei Ming and Zhen Ming already winning national tasting awards for their work.
You can taste the place, the weather, and the craft. When nature gifts us the perfection that we have here in Wudongshan, it is only right that we offer ourselves fully in gratitude for that gift. My sons and I live for tea. We work through the night using traditional oolong techniques, fluffing and working each leaf on bamboo trays by hand, not by machine.
Every batch has slightly different requirements, different motions needed to coax out the moisture from the leaf stems. Perfectly-finished tea is barely touched, but rather flipped and turned without exposing the leaf to pressure and heat. This takes a lifetime to master, but the reward is aromatic complexity that makes our Dancong famous.
We share our passion not just for our family, but for the whole region - to be leaders and pioneers, to be teachers, mentors and neighbors with the hope that all of Wudongshan continues our traditions for generations to come.
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