Dancong: Xing Ren Xiang (Almond)
Xing Ren Xiang ('almond fragrance') is one of the named aroma types (xiang xing) of Phoenix Dancong, distinguished by a sweet, almond- or apricot-kernel-like fragrance over the roasted-fruit dancong base. Like all dancong it is a strip-style, charcoal-roasted Guangdong oolong organized by the aroma it is meant to evoke. The variables that matter most are how single-cultivar and how high-grown the leaf is, since blended low-mountain material delivers the aroma faintly while Wudong single-cultivar lots deliver it with depth.
Long, dark, twisted dancong leaf with the typical charcoal-roast color. The wet leaf should give a clean, distinct almond or apricot-kernel aroma (sometimes read as marzipan) layered over the roasted dark-fruit base; vagueness or a generic roasted smell signals blended, lower-grade material. Single named-cultivar leaf from higher elevation carries the aroma with real depth and a sweet, lingering aftertaste, while mass-market blends deliver a fainter version. The roast should be integrated, and freshly fired leaf benefits from a few weeks of rest. Wudong-sourced material is the benchmark, as with all dancong.
Phoenix (Fenghuang) mountain in Chaozhou, Guangdong, ranging from roughly 300 m to over 1,500 m, with the high Wudong gardens commanding the premium. Xing Ren Xiang is one cultivar and aroma lineage within the larger dancong system, named for its almond-kernel fragrance. Processing is standard dancong: relatively high oxidation for an oolong, strip-rolled and charcoal-roasted, with roast level and resting time shaping the final cup.
Gongfu is what this is made for. Gaiwan or clay: 6-8 g per 100 ml, 95-100°C, a brief rinse, then short 15-25 second steeps to start, ascending; 8-10 infusions from good leaf. Keep early steeps short, as dancong releases intensely and oversteeping turns it bitter. Western: 3-4 g per 200 ml, 95°C, about 2 minutes.
Mass-market Xing Ren Xiang blends run €10-25 (about $11-27) per 100 g, with named single-cultivar Wudong material starting around €40-80 (about $43-86) per 100 g and old-bush lots higher.
Prices reviewed June 2026
Phoenix Dancong
The parent style page explaining the xiang aroma-type system and the elevation-plus-tree-age quality logic of dancong.
Dancong: Mi Lan Xiang (Honey Orchid)
The most widely exported dancong type; mi lan xiang is honey-orchid and approachable, Xing Ren Xiang nuttier and more almond-forward.
Dancong: Yu Lan Xiang (Magnolia)
A sibling named-aroma dancong; Yu Lan Xiang chases magnolia florality where Xing Ren Xiang chases almond and stone fruit.
Dancong: Ya Shi Xiang (Duck Shit)
The most-discussed dancong type; both reward the same short-steep gongfu approach, but ya shi xiang is mineral-floral rather than nutty.
Phoenix dancong is classified into a long list of named fragrance types, and Xing Ren Xiang ('almond aroma') is one of the more distinctive. The almond or apricot-kernel note is specific enough that it is one of the easier xiang types for a newcomer to pick out in the cup.