Here ya go. Here is another tea review from way, way back. This was another of the May sipdowns. If I am motivated, I may be able to get through the rest of the May backlog and perhaps the first half of the June backlog by the end of the month. I’ll even try to throw in some more recent reviews as I go. That being said, all I can do at this point to wrap up this introductory paragraph is state that I loved this tea. I can still be rather hard on Dancong oolongs, but this one really did it for me.
I prepared this tea gongfu style. Oddly, I did not push this one all that hard. After a brief rinse, I steeped 6 grams of tea leaves in 4 ounces of 203 F water for 8 seconds. This infusion was chased by 13 subsequent infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 10 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.
Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of nectarine, orchid, pomegranate, and candied pomelo. After the rinse, I noted a more intense orchid aroma and hints of lotus, honey, and osmanthus. The first infusion offered a much subtler nose, though new scents of baked bread and butter emerged. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented lovely fruity, floral, and pungent qualities with subtler savoriness. Notes of nectarine, orchid, osmanthus, pomegranate, and candied pomelo swirled all around the mouth in utterly dominating fashion until notes of honey, butter, and baked bread made themselves known. The following infusions saw the nose remain more or less intensely floral and fruity. Hints of lotus came out in the mouth while new impressions of wood, pear, lychee, rose, violet, minerals, and mandarin orange also emerged. The final infusions offered lingering impressions of minerals, wood, and pear that were balanced by hints of mandarin orange and orchid.
This tea, like so many other Dancong oolongs, demonstrated the tendency to fade pretty quickly in the mouth, but I was able to get several very satisfying sessions out of it despite the fact that my brewing method is not always kind to teas of this type. As many of you know, I have completely come around on Dancong oolongs over the course of the past year, and I found this one to be both excellent and resilient. I will definitely be checking out some of Yunnan Sourcing’s more recent Bai Ye offerings in the near future.
Flavors: Bread, Butter, Citrus, Floral, Fruity, Honey, Lychee, Mineral, Orange, Orchid, Osmanthus, Pear, Rose, Stonefruit, Violet, Wood
Preparation
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I’m looking forward to the other Dancong backlogs since I want to try some more out myself. The Iris Orchid Dancong I have is surprisingly creamier than my Taiwaneese High Mountain varietals, and I want to get back into this terroir. Bai Ye, Mi Lan, Ba Xian, Chou Shi, Song Zhong, Shui Xian, and Ya Shi are the few that I’ve had from the range and I want to try out more in small amounts. I’ve been tempted to get the samplers from Yunnan Sourcing or elsewhere, but they are inherently expensive.
I’ve had a few different dancongs, brewed with heavy leaf and water temps ranging from 195 to 205 but they didn’t really do anything for me. After trying several Taiwanese high mountain oolongs, I think my palate has opened up more and after reading your review, I’m willing to give dancong oolongs another try. Thanks for sharing, eastkyteaguy.
Daylon, I think I have tried Ya Shi Xiang, Chou Shi, Mi Lan Xiang, Zhi Lan Xiang, Ba Xian, Bai Ye, Ju Duo Zai, Yu Lan Xiang, Da Wu Ye, You Hua Xiang, Jiang Mu Xiang, and Rou Gui Xiang to this point. I find that I like my Dancongs more floral and spicy as opposed to herbal, vegetal, and earthy. I know that Ju Duo Zai and Jiang Mu Xiang did not much for me. Ya Shi Xiang has been hit or miss for me, but the ones I like, I really like. I’ve got some Shui Xian and Song Zhong dancongs in storage that I need to try before the end of the year at least.
Derk, it seems that getting good dancong in the U.S. can be somewhat difficult. I have liked or at least appreciated the ones I have gotten from Yunnan Sourcing, What-Cha, The Tao of Tea, and Verdant Tea. I also recall getting one from Tealyra that was good and another from Unytea that I found to be pretty nice. When it comes to brewing them, I like to go with a little less leaf than a lot of traditional Chao Zhou gongfu people. From what I have read, practitioners of Chao Zhou gongfu will pack the gaiwan or pot absolutely full, flash rinse, and then flash steep repeatedly. The idea is apparently to make a strong, bitter, and astringent brew that is packed with aroma and flavor up front since even higher grade Dancong oolong does not tend to display tremendous longevity. This was my introduction to gongfu Dancong, and I found it to be nauseating. Since then, I have been lowering the amount of leaf I use per session to my more standard 4-7 grams, usually using 6 grams per 115-120 ounces, and have gotten results that are much better for me.
Dan Congs really do not need to be mega leafed for a great aroma and taste in my opinion. I love that I can plop 2 grams of my Iris Orchid western and still get six cups easy. Crap, I’ve forgot to list Da Wu Ye and the Zhi Lan-I’m pretty sure that the Iris Orchid from Golden Tea Leaf is a Zhi Lan based on translation and the general description of it. Anyway, that is one I’d platform for you guys to try eventually.
I believe I was following the gongfu method you described and definitely got that strong, bitter, astringent brew with a quick drop off in flavor. I feel like I tend to appreciate a heavier leaf in general but your information regarding dancongs is invaluable and I will put it to use.
I’m just getting into Dancongs and am finding, like many of you, that less leaf and 203-208 water temperatures are ideal. Too much bitterness and astringency aren’t great. What companies would you recommend for reasonably priced Dancongs?
Leafhopper, I tend to favor the Dancongs offered by Yunnan Sourcing, but you can get some solid Dancongs from other vendors too. The couple of Dancongs from What-Cha that I’ve tried have been very good, but What-Cha does not tend to stock Dancongs often. Wuyi Origin surprisingly carries some nice Dancongs.
This is singular, but Golden Tea Leaf’s Iris Orchid Dancong is very good and unusually milky. $15 for 50 grams.
More specifically, I think it is a Zhi Lan.
I’m looking forward to the other Dancong backlogs since I want to try some more out myself. The Iris Orchid Dancong I have is surprisingly creamier than my Taiwaneese High Mountain varietals, and I want to get back into this terroir. Bai Ye, Mi Lan, Ba Xian, Chou Shi, Song Zhong, Shui Xian, and Ya Shi are the few that I’ve had from the range and I want to try out more in small amounts. I’ve been tempted to get the samplers from Yunnan Sourcing or elsewhere, but they are inherently expensive.
I’ve had a few different dancongs, brewed with heavy leaf and water temps ranging from 195 to 205 but they didn’t really do anything for me. After trying several Taiwanese high mountain oolongs, I think my palate has opened up more and after reading your review, I’m willing to give dancong oolongs another try. Thanks for sharing, eastkyteaguy.
Daylon, I think I have tried Ya Shi Xiang, Chou Shi, Mi Lan Xiang, Zhi Lan Xiang, Ba Xian, Bai Ye, Ju Duo Zai, Yu Lan Xiang, Da Wu Ye, You Hua Xiang, Jiang Mu Xiang, and Rou Gui Xiang to this point. I find that I like my Dancongs more floral and spicy as opposed to herbal, vegetal, and earthy. I know that Ju Duo Zai and Jiang Mu Xiang did not much for me. Ya Shi Xiang has been hit or miss for me, but the ones I like, I really like. I’ve got some Shui Xian and Song Zhong dancongs in storage that I need to try before the end of the year at least.
Derk, it seems that getting good dancong in the U.S. can be somewhat difficult. I have liked or at least appreciated the ones I have gotten from Yunnan Sourcing, What-Cha, The Tao of Tea, and Verdant Tea. I also recall getting one from Tealyra that was good and another from Unytea that I found to be pretty nice. When it comes to brewing them, I like to go with a little less leaf than a lot of traditional Chao Zhou gongfu people. From what I have read, practitioners of Chao Zhou gongfu will pack the gaiwan or pot absolutely full, flash rinse, and then flash steep repeatedly. The idea is apparently to make a strong, bitter, and astringent brew that is packed with aroma and flavor up front since even higher grade Dancong oolong does not tend to display tremendous longevity. This was my introduction to gongfu Dancong, and I found it to be nauseating. Since then, I have been lowering the amount of leaf I use per session to my more standard 4-7 grams, usually using 6 grams per 115-120 ounces, and have gotten results that are much better for me.
Dan Congs really do not need to be mega leafed for a great aroma and taste in my opinion. I love that I can plop 2 grams of my Iris Orchid western and still get six cups easy. Crap, I’ve forgot to list Da Wu Ye and the Zhi Lan-I’m pretty sure that the Iris Orchid from Golden Tea Leaf is a Zhi Lan based on translation and the general description of it. Anyway, that is one I’d platform for you guys to try eventually.
I believe I was following the gongfu method you described and definitely got that strong, bitter, astringent brew with a quick drop off in flavor. I feel like I tend to appreciate a heavier leaf in general but your information regarding dancongs is invaluable and I will put it to use.
I’m just getting into Dancongs and am finding, like many of you, that less leaf and 203-208 water temperatures are ideal. Too much bitterness and astringency aren’t great. What companies would you recommend for reasonably priced Dancongs?
Leafhopper, I tend to favor the Dancongs offered by Yunnan Sourcing, but you can get some solid Dancongs from other vendors too. The couple of Dancongs from What-Cha that I’ve tried have been very good, but What-Cha does not tend to stock Dancongs often. Wuyi Origin surprisingly carries some nice Dancongs.
This is singular, but Golden Tea Leaf’s Iris Orchid Dancong is very good and unusually milky. $15 for 50 grams.
More specifically, I think it is a Zhi Lan.