Tea Review: Ya Shi Xiang from LH Tea Farmer Family CN

This tea literally translates to “duck shit oolong” but it couldn’t be further from the truth. It tastes and smells amazing. The reason it is called duck shit oolong is just to make sure that people are afraid of it because it is pretty rare and very precious to people that grow it.

The rumor is that the farmer would give it this name so that would be thieves wouldn't steal it. This tea has become very popular in the past few years and it was mentioned in the book Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss.
How Does Ya Shi Xiang Taste?
I know I said the last tea, Wudong mi lan xiang reminded me of iron goddess of mercy oolong, but I’d like to retract that. The truth is, this one tastes nearly identical to the famous Tie Guan Yin oolong! The iron goddess of mercy or Tie Guan Yin is a very light oolong that is green in color and is very fragrant. It has an unmistakable scent and taste and it is definitely one of my favorites. This one picks up the same flavor profile but instead of being a deep hue of green, the leaves are long curly strips of black. It is also more full bodied because it is a darker oolong. This combination makes for an excellent tasting tea, and I am enjoying every sip of it.
How Does Ya Shi Xiang Compare to the Other Oolongs?I really wish I had more of this tea. It really is a nice way to unwind after a busy day or on a weekend. I would have to say that this tea is my favorite of the four I’ve tried so far. All of them are so good and I highly recommend checking them out at some point. If you are interested in hearing the full ranking, I would say it goes as follows:
1: Ya Shi Xiang
2: Xiong Di
3: Ba Xian
4: Wudong Mi Lan Xiang
This does not mean that the Wudong mi lan xiang is a bad tea by any stretch of the imagination. It is still one of the better teas I’ve had, but compared to these other amazing teas I’ve had the honor to try over the past few days, it is my fourth favorite overall. I’m interested to see where the last tea fits on the list!