Panyong Congou

Panyong Congou (also known as Tanyang Gongfu) is a red (black) 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. Originally an important export tea, today there are two types of Panyong Congou: Traditional, and New Technique.

The Traditional type of Panyong Congou 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. 

You can watch how Panyong Congou is made here. 2025 teas are now available. 2026 teas are currently undergoing baking and refined processing and will be available in June. All these teas are made by Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritors of Panyong Congou. Three producing families are represented: the Chen, Shi, and Li families, each with their own style.