How the evening unfolds
Doors open at 18:30. The room seats twenty-four around three long tables, each set with a shared gàiwǎn (盖碗), small fairness pitcher, and tasting cups in pale celadon. Mei Yang has been pouring Dān Cōng (单丛) for fifteen years, mostly out of Chaozhou and Guangzhou, and this London stop is the third in a small European tour she is running through July — Berlin and Amsterdam come before, Edinburgh after, all coordinated via tea.travel.
The first thirty minutes are introductions and a short orientation. Mei walks through what makes Fèng Huáng Dān Cōng (凤凰单丛) distinct from other oolongs — the single-trunk picking convention, the ridge-line gardens above 800 metres in Wudong, the charcoal finish that older growers still insist on. No tasting yet. She wants the room to settle.
The first cultivar is poured around 19:00. It is Mí Lán Xiāng (蜜兰香) — honey orchid — from a 2024 spring harvest, fifty-year-old trees, medium roast. Three infusions, twelve seconds, eighteen, twenty-five. Mei talks while the leaves open: where the bushes sit on the slope, who picked them, how the bèi huǒ (焙火) charcoal finishing was timed. Guests are encouraged to write nothing for the first cup, just drink. Notes come on the second pass.
The second cultivar is Yā Shǐ Xiāng (鸭屎香) — the famously named duck-droppings fragrance, which is actually a high floral that lifts off the rim before you taste anything. Same vintage, lighter roast. The contrast against Mí Lán Xiāng is the first real teaching moment of the night, and Mei usually pauses here for ten minutes of questions.
A short break at 19:50. Water, plain shortbread from a Hackney bakery, and a chance to stretch. The room reshuffles — guests swap seats so the second half is poured by a different hand at each table.
The second half covers three cultivars back to back: Xìng Rén Xiāng (杏仁香, almond), Zhī Lán Xiāng (芝兰香, iris orchid), and a heavily roasted Sòng Zhǒng (宋种) lineage tea — the oldest material of the evening, from trees Mei estimates at over a century. The Sòng Zhǒng is poured last on purpose. After ninety minutes of bright high florals, the deep mineral grip of a charcoal-finished old-tree dancong rewires what guests think oolong can taste like. It is the leaf people remember on the train home.
The last twenty minutes are open — Mei takes questions, talks about which of the five teas are available through shop.thetea.app for those who want to take some home, and points anyone interested in deeper study toward tea.school’s six-week oolong course and the keeper-led tastings on tea.community. We close at 21:30. Anyone who wants to stay for a final infusion of the Sòng Zhǒng is welcome — there is usually enough leaf in the gàiwǎn for one more honest cup.
What you get
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Five named Dān Cōng (单丛) cultivars from spring 2024 and 2025 harvests, all single-origin Phoenix Mountain
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Gongfu service in pale celadon ware — gàiwǎn, fairness pitcher, tasting cup per guest
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Tasting notes booklet with cultivar profiles, garden coordinates, and roast levels
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Three hours with Mei Yang, fifteen years of Dān Cōng practice between Chaozhou and Guangzhou
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Light pairing — plain shortbread from a Hackney bakery, still and sparkling water
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10% discount code for any of the five cultivars on shop.thetea.app, valid through August
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Optional follow-on — members of tea.community receive €10 off the next London pop-up
Practical details
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Venue — Independent tea shop in Hackney, E8 — full address sent on confirmation. Ten minutes from Hackney Central overground.
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Dress — Whatever you arrived in. Long sleeves recommended around hot water and charcoal-finished leaf.
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Food — Plain shortbread and water provided. No full meal. Many guests eat beforehand on Broadway Market.
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Accessibility — Step-free entrance, accessible WC on the ground floor. Please flag dietary or mobility needs at booking.
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Language — English throughout. Mei also takes questions in Mandarin and Cantonese.
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Kit included — All tea ware provided. No need to bring your own gàiwǎn or cup. Notebook welcome.
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Weather note — July evening — light layer for the walk back. The room itself runs warm from the kettles.