Duck Shit Tea: The Premium Oolong You Need to Try

I'm sorry, did you just say "Duck Shit Tea"?

Yes. Yes, we did. And before you ask: no, it doesn't contain or taste like it. 

Duck Shit Tea is not a tea you want to rush. And if you steep it like your everyday tea, you can miss — and potentially waste — what makes it so special.

Known in Chinese as Ya Shi Xiang (鸭屎香), Duck Shit Tea is a highly aromatic style of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong (Fenghuang Dancong) from the Phoenix Mountains of Guangdong province, China. It's sought after for its distinctive fragrance, complex flavour, and ability to reveal something different with each infusion.

And yes, the name really is Duck Shit.

Which is precisely why this is a tea worth buying for someone who absolutely loves tea. Or, better still, buying to share with someone who does.

First things first: don't waste the good stuff

Duck Shit Tea deserves a little more attention than throwing a teaspoon into a pot and forgetting about it.

This is a gongfu-style tea — one that's traditionally brewed using a relatively high amount of leaf, a small vessel and a series of short infusions. Rather than extracting everything from the leaves in one long steep, you're slowly drawing out their aroma and flavour over several brews.

It's less about making a big pot of tea and more about creating a tea ritual.

The leaves open. The aroma changes. The first cup might be intensely floral, while later infusions become sweeter, rounder or more mineral. That's the fun of it.

Get the steeping wrong, however, and you can easily end up with an overly strong, bitter cup and a lot less of the experience this tea has to offer.

So, take your time.

But what is Duck Shit Tea?

Duck Shit Tea is a type of Fenghuang Dan Cong oolong tea, produced in the Phoenix Mountain region of Guangdong, China.

Dan Cong isn't one single tea. It's a broad family of aromatic oolongs associated with Fenghuang, with different teas known for their distinctive fragrance profiles. Ya Shi Xiang is one of the better-known styles.

The name Ya Shi Xiang is often translated literally as "Duck Shit Aroma" — which sounds considerably less appealing than the tea actually is.

The leaves produce a deeply aromatic brew with floral, honeyed and fruity characteristics, alongside a distinctive lingering fragrance. Like many Dan Cong oolongs, its appeal isn't just one particular flavour. It's the complexity and the way the tea develops as you keep drinking it.

And that's exactly why you shouldn't judge it from the name.

Why is it called Duck Shit Tea?

There are several stories surrounding the name, and none should be treated as definitive fact.

One popular legend says that a tea farmer had an exceptionally good tea and gave it the deliberately unappealing name "Duck Shit" so that others wouldn't become interested in it, copy the tea or try to take the plants.

Another version links the name to the soil or fertiliser around the tea bushes.

Whatever the original story, the name stuck.

And somehow, Duck Shit Tea became one of the most talked-about teas in the Dan Cong world.

We think that's part of its charm.

A premium tea for people who really love tea

This isn't necessarily your everyday breakfast brew.

Duck Shit Tea is the kind of tea you buy because you're curious. Because you've worked your way through enough green, black and oolong teas to want something a little more unusual. Because you enjoy discovering teas with a story behind them.

It's also a brilliant tea to share.

Invite someone over who loves tea. Get out a small teapot or gaiwan. Brew the leaves in front of them. Let them smell the dry leaves before you tell them what they're about to drink.

Then tell them the name.

The conversation pretty much takes care of itself.

But once the joke is over, the tea does the talking.

How to properly steep Duck Shit Tea

This is where the ritual really begins.

For the best experience, we recommend brewing Duck Shit Tea in a small gaiwan or teapot, using a gongfu-style method.

1. Use more leaf than you normally would

Start with approximately 4g of tea per 100ml of water.

That might look excessive if you're used to making tea by the mug, but remember: you're not making one large cup. You're making a series of small, concentrated infusions.

2. Use very hot water

Bring your water to around 95–100°C.

Dan Cong oolongs can handle high temperatures, and hot water helps draw out their famously aromatic character.

3. Wake the leaves

Pour the hot water over the leaves and immediately pour it away.

This quick rinse isn't intended as a drinking infusion. It's simply a way of getting the tightly rolled leaves ready to open.

4. Keep the first infusion short

For the first proper steep, try around 10 seconds.

Yes. Ten seconds.

Pour the tea completely from the gaiwan or teapot rather than allowing the leaves to continue sitting in the water.

5. Keep going

This is where Duck Shit Tea becomes an experience rather than simply a cup of tea.

Steep the leaves again and again, adjusting the time as you go. You might begin with very short infusions and gradually increase the steeping time according to taste.

Some Dan Cong teas can provide many infusions from the same leaves, so don't throw them out after your first cup.

6. Taste the changes

Don't worry about finding one "perfect" steeping time.

The point is to pay attention.

Notice how the aroma changes. See which flavours come forward. Try the next infusion slightly longer. Then shorter again.

This is the ritual of good tea: less rushing, more noticing.

The best way to drink Duck Shit Tea

You could absolutely brew it on your own, but we'd argue that Duck Shit Tea is even better when there's someone else sitting across the table.

It's a tea for conversation. For curiosity. For people who want to know where their tea came from, why it tastes the way it does and why on earth someone decided to call it Duck Shit Tea in the first place.

So buy it for the serious tea lover in your life.

Keep it for a slow afternoon.

Bring it out when friends come over.

And whatever you do, don't waste it by steeping it like an ordinary cup of tea.

Take the time to do it properly.

Because some teas are simply there to fill your cup.

Duck Shit Tea is there to give you something to talk about.

If you're feeling bold and brave, give Duck Shit Tea a try.