TeaHQ

Zhi Lan Xiang

A Phoenix Dan Cong type named for the scent of the zhi lan orchid, and generally counted among the more refined and expensive types. It is lighter and higher-toned than Mi Lan Xiang, with less honeyed weight and a longer aromatic finish, and it is the type most often cited when growers argue that Dan Cong should be brewed fast and hot to catch the top note before the bitterness arrives.

芝蘭香Camellia sinensis var. sinensisChinaAlso called Orchid Aroma

Where it sits in the botany

Zhi Lan Xiang is recorded under Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, the variety group one level above cultivar. It is associated with China, which is where it was selected or is most widely planted rather than the only place it grows.

Also transliterated as: zhi lan xiang, zhilanxiang.

What the plant is like

High, clean orchid aroma with a light body and a long finish. Less forgiving than Mi Lan Xiang and generally more expensive.

What it is usually made into

The categories this cultivar is typically processed into. It is a statement about common practice, not a limit — processing decides the category, and a cultivar can be taken down more than one route.

  • Oolong — Partially oxidised teas, bruised deliberately and often roasted — the widest-ranging category in tea.

Teas in the catalogue made from Zhi Lan Xiang

Other cultivars in Camellia sinensis var. sinensis

Sources

  • TeaHQ editorial synthesis — TeaHQ

This page is TeaHQ’s own synthesis throughout. No breeding register or institutional record stands behind the account above, which is why the origin note carries its confidence in the open rather than reading as a citation.

How TeaHQ handles sources

Written comparisons

Where TeaHQ has set this cultivar against something it is routinely confused with, and argued the differences out in full.

  • Mi Lan Xiang vs Huang Zhi Xiang vs Zhi Lan Xiang — Three Phoenix Mountain aroma types that sit close together on a shelf and behave very differently in a gaiwan. The differences that matter to a drinker are not the aroma names but the bitterness each carries and how much brewing error each will forgive.