I bought 25 g of this Dan Cong during Tao Tea Leaf’s semi-annual sale at the beginning of 2016 and just cut open the bag a couple weeks ago. I steeped 5 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 212F for 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, and 240 seconds.
The first steep has aromas of honey, orchids, roses, and stonefruit. In the mouth, the roast predominates, although there are notes of honey, orchid, rose, nectarine, minerals, and wood. There’s no bitterness, although the end of the sip is drying. Baked bread and lichi become apparent on the second steep.
During the middle steeps, the roast and floral notes become more prominent and the fruit falls into the background. By steep six, minerals and grass begin to appear, a sign that the tea is fading. By the end of the session, it’s all minerals, roast, char, and walnut shells, with faint orchid notes in the background.
This tea had a beautiful start, but petered out quickly. If all the steeps had been like the first few, I would have rated it in the nineties, but as is, it’s in the mid eighties for me.
Any advice on how to get your Dan Congs to last longer?
Flavors: Bread, Char, Floral, Grass, Honey, Lychee, Mineral, Orchid, Roasted, Rose, Stonefruit, Walnut, Wood
Preparation
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Leafhopper, I’m fairly new to gongfuing Dancong oolongs, but there are a few things you can do to get a little more out of them. First, though, it is important to understand that Dancong is often more synonymous with intensity than longevity in a gongfu session, so such oolongs won’t always give a ton of infusions. I know that some proponents of traditional Chaozhou gongfu will absolutely pack the gaiwan or pot full of leaves and do very short flash infusions, but in my experience, you have to be fine with bitterness to enjoy that approach. What I would do, however, is this: up the amount of leaf used slightly. For a 4 ounce gaiwan, I normally use 6-7 grams of leaf when I brew Dancongs. Also, lower the water temperature somewhat. You can brew Dancong with boiling water if that’s how you like it, but I have found that the sweet spot with regard to water temperature for many of these teas is around 203-205F. I normally go with 203, but I will sometimes drop down to 194-195F if the roast is light or the tea seems particularly delicate. Another trick is to flash rinse and then start with a very short initial infusion.
Thanks for your suggestions. I’m reluctant to cram the teapot with leaf because Dancongs are pricy, but 6-7 g is doable. I’ll also try it at a lower temperature.
Leafhopper, I’m fairly new to gongfuing Dancong oolongs, but there are a few things you can do to get a little more out of them. First, though, it is important to understand that Dancong is often more synonymous with intensity than longevity in a gongfu session, so such oolongs won’t always give a ton of infusions. I know that some proponents of traditional Chaozhou gongfu will absolutely pack the gaiwan or pot full of leaves and do very short flash infusions, but in my experience, you have to be fine with bitterness to enjoy that approach. What I would do, however, is this: up the amount of leaf used slightly. For a 4 ounce gaiwan, I normally use 6-7 grams of leaf when I brew Dancongs. Also, lower the water temperature somewhat. You can brew Dancong with boiling water if that’s how you like it, but I have found that the sweet spot with regard to water temperature for many of these teas is around 203-205F. I normally go with 203, but I will sometimes drop down to 194-195F if the roast is light or the tea seems particularly delicate. Another trick is to flash rinse and then start with a very short initial infusion.
Thanks for your suggestions. I’m reluctant to cram the teapot with leaf because Dancongs are pricy, but 6-7 g is doable. I’ll also try it at a lower temperature.