Xuepian

Classification and Origin

Category: Fenghuang Dancong (dāncōng 單叢) — “single bush”.

Xuepian is a seasonal category within Dancong, not an independent standard unit. It is correct to say “Xuepian Huangzhihuang from Wudong” rather than simply “Xuepian variety”.

From Wudong originates the legendary type appearing under the linked names 宋种黄枝香 = 乌岽宋茶 = 东方红 (“Song-dynasty Huangzhihuang bush” / “Wudong Song tea” / “Dongfanghong”) — an allusion to traditions of trees dating back to the Song era.

Origin: Fenghuang mountain massif (Fènghuáng shān 鳳凰山) in eastern Guangdong Province, Chaozhou region; within it — Wudong (烏岽), the highest and most prestigious part of the massif, where the oldest cultivated tea trees are concentrated.

Type: Oolong (qīngchá 青茶 / wūlóng 烏龍).

Production

The standard Dancong calendar is a spring (main) harvest, then summer and autumn harvests. Xuepian is the final, latest crop of the year, plucked at the end of autumn and beginning of winter, after the cold sets in. The name “snowflakes” alludes to the season, not to the appearance of the leaf.

Brewing

Soft, around 95–100 °C.

Densely packed, as is customary for Dancong (approx. 1 g of leaf per 15 ml).

Quick, the first ones lasting several seconds, with gradual lengthening; a high‑quality high‑mountain Xuepian withstands many infusions, maintaining its floral line and not collapsing into bitterness.

Teaware: Gaiwan or a small‑volume Yixing teapot.