Jiang Hua Xiang (姜花香)

Also known as Ginger Flower Aroma.

Jiang Hua Xiang (姜花香) is a Wu Long tea that's grown in the Phoenix Mountain region.

Name

• 姜 (pronounced Jiang in Mandarin): means "ginger."
• 花 (pronounced Hua in Mandarin): means "flower."

Together, 姜花 (pronounced Jiang Hua) refers to the plant species known in English as White Ginger Lily, or Hedychium coronarium.

• 香 (pronounced Xiang in Mandarin): is a versatile word that generally denotes a fragrant or scented quality. Across Chinese culture, it is also used as an adjective to describe pleasant aromas, such as in alcohol, tea, incense, meat, and rice.

When paired with a noun (e.g. 姜花香), it describes specific types of fragrances or flavors, especially to describe their similar qualities to other aromatic things.

Terroir

Jiang Hua Xiang (姜花香) grows primarily in the Phoenix Mountains, where it is one of many cultivars of Dancong Wu Long produced. Among the longstanding tea areas, there is a remarkable number of old growth (Lao Cong, Gu Shu) tea trees that exist.

Flavor

Producers create Dancong Wu Long through cuttings from older, established tea trees, effectively cloning them. This ensures the unique aromatic and experiential characteristics of the original trees are preserved and passed down to the new generation of plants, maintaining the tea’s distinctive quality.

This is particularly important with Dancong, whose leaves are named after the unique aroma that they exude. Jiang Hua Xiang (姜花香) does indeed recall the fragrance of ginger flowers, but the experience extends beyond smell alone. The taste evokes ginger-spiced foods; an interesting and savory varietal. 

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