Snow Flake "Duck Shit"

雪片鸭屎香

Harvest
November 2025

Origin
Chaozhou, Guangdong

A fresh winter harvest of one of our most notorious Phoenix Oolongs has arrived: Snow Flake “Duck Shit.” Like previous years, this tea reminds us both how potent and how sweet things can become during the winter months. This year’s harvest is so good it should be read as a benchmark for Snowflake Duck Shit. It’s intensely floral, aromatic, creamy and rich: exactly what we seek in winter teas.  

The dark, robust leaves smell powerful in the gaiwan, like incense, cedar and carmelized plum. For being so rich, the liquor has an impressive amount of structure, as well as clearing evergreen notes that weren’t as pronounced in previous years. Its light astringency is evenly distributed on the palate, and stays present for many infusions, until giving way to a deep and comforting sweetness. You will enjoy spending a good amount of time with this exceptional tea, especially in cold weather. 

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For tea, an “Snow Flake” refers to oolongs that are harvested in the winter season. Winter harvest oolongs are gathered when temperatures are frosty on the mountains, and are the smallest and often most precious harvests of the year. Tea harvested and crafted during this time has a special "snow flavor," and the concentrated sweetness that belongs to most things that grow during the winter.

This Snow Flake “Duck Shit” comes from Mr. Fu’s family, who have been residents of Qipan Village on Dazhi Mountain of the Phoenix Mountains for generations, raising bees and growing tea. The tea garden is at 1600 ft elevation, and their tea trees are between 50-60 years old. 

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Brewing guide