凹富后 Āo fù hòu, whose many variations (凹堀后 / 塌富后 / 拓富后 / 托富后 / 塌崛后 / 塌堀垢) inspire debate around its meaning and origin, seems to refer to the original environment in which the varietal’s mother bush likely grew: down between the hillside tops beside a boulder.  In fact, the shape of the character 凹 visually depicts this kind of geographical ditch/glen feature.

This mother bush, estimated to be 180 years old, rests at an elevation of around 700 meters in 丹湖 Danhu village, valued so highly that just 1 pound of its tea fetches staggering prices, recently closing in on 10,000USD.

While the majority of the Ao Fu Hou on the market is derived from 3rd and 4th generation cuttings from this mother bush, Wen Jian Fu's, along with only around 40-50 other families, are different.  Back in the day, Wen's uncle was good enough friends with the owner of the Ao Fu Hou mother bush, that his brother in-law, Wen's dad, was able to ask to take direct cuttings from the old tree to plant a tea garden for the family.  Therefore this tea comes from relatively precious 2nd generation Ao Fu Hou garden materials.

Mossy forest aromas drop down into a mellow orchid fruitiness that extend up with citrusy brightness. With a biscuity, buoyant mouthfeel framing a balanced sip with musky, heavy sweetness, it’s easy to see why “Ao Fu” is a Feng Huang cult classic.  The empty cup fragrance of pine resin between pours is a delight.  Another fun daily drinker in this latest dancong lineup from Wen Jian Fu.

Wen Jian Fu's Ao Fu Hou gardens

While one of the less appealing transliterations of 单丛 Dancong is "monoculture" because of its asexual propagation by cuttings from a single mother bush, that doesn't mean lack of biological diversity throughout the rest of the ecology.