D____ responded to my answer with another email. Again, it’s worth sharing here because it does represent the confusion that some people may have. Here it is:
Hello Leo,Thank you for your wonderful reply! I am pleased you could confirm that “Dan Cong” refers to the “single trunk” growing and processing method and not to the cultivar per se for I was fearful I might have been misleading my customers. As to the variety, is Shuixian the same variety as is grown in Wuyi? I know this variety is widely grown in China.Another point (question): in the wine business we would refer to what you have called “sub-species” as different clones and the asexual propagation method you describe as cloning. Might the different bushes be referred to as “clones” rather than “sub-species?” For example, in the viticultural field, vitis vinifera is the species, chardonnay is a cultivar and Wente and UCD4 are clones (and there are hundreds of chardonnay clones each with its own particular ripening cycle and taste nuance.) To carry this into tea it would be camellia sinensis v. sinensis as the species (and sub-species), shuixian as the cultivar and zhuye as the clone. Does this make any sense?In one of your essays, you stress the difference between Wulong (the cultivar) and Oolong (the manufacturing style.) I had always thought this a confusion unique to Taiwan (early in my career I was at a cupping in Taipei and one taster averred that the best tea was the Wulong; I thought “what, they are all oolongs!” – it took me some weeks to be clear on the difference.) In Taiwan the Wulong is a particular clone of the Qing Xin cultivar. What is it in China?Thanks again for all of your help Leo; I know I have much reading ahead of me as I move through your voluminous research in The Tea Guardian.Cheers,D_____
