Collection: Panyong Congou

Panyong Congou (also known as Tanyang Gongfu) is a red tea from Tanyang Village, Fu'an, in Fujian Province. Originating in 1851, Panyong Congou was the first of the 'Gongfu’ red teas, followed by Zhenghe Gongfu, Bailin Gongfu, and Qimen Gongfu. 'Gongfu’ (skill and effort) refers to its meticulous and labour-intensive processing. Historically an important export tea, today there are two types of Panyong Congou: Traditional, and New Technique.

The Traditional type uses the local heirloom varietal: Tanyang Cai Cha. This seed-propagated varietal has a mellow sweetness combined with a fresh, crisp feeling, like an apple. Beyond this apple-like aroma, Tanyang Cai Cha can also have notes of longan, nuts, or other aromas influenced by terroir.

The New Technique type of Panyong Congou uses oolong cultivars such as Jin Mu Dan and incorporates the shaking step from oolong processing. There can be a variety of aromas depending on the cultivar used, ranging from fruit aromas like peach to floral aromas like rose.