Tea Mania Da Wu Ye Dan Cong oolong

I'm reviewing a Dan Cong sample passed on by Peter, the owner of Tea Mania, on his visit here not so long ago.  I expected this tea version to be pretty good but it exceeded my expectations.  It's this:

 

Da Wu Ye, 2020,  $28 for 50 grams

Da Wu Ye is a little known Dan Cong oolong from Fenghuang. That’s too bad because Da Wu Ye is one of our favorites. It is characterized by its particularly fruity aroma which is underlaid with a subtle fragrance of flowers. This type of oolong is also called Phoenix Dan Cong and can be infused several times.

Dan Cong Oolong is grown on the slopes of the Pheonix mountains around the city Fenghuang together with other crops and is partly wild. Through this high biodiversity are pest naturaly controlled and the use of pesticides is unnecessary. The Phoenix Mountain range extends between a height of 300 and up to 1500m. The climate with an average temperature of 22°C is considered mild.

Tea production in Chaozhou has a thousand year old tradition and the historical knowledge of the art of tea is passed on from generation to generation. This tea is grown by the family Cha Xiang Si Hai from Fenghuang and thanks to a centuries-old knowledge processed to a superior oolong. The whole family is involved in the harvest and also in the entire tea production. The tea is still traditionally processed like in times of Lu Yu: The leaves are withered and dried in bamboo trays and then roasted over charcoal fire.

Through the high oxidation and the strong roasting is this Dan Cong good storable and particularly interesting for connoisseurs who like to mature vintage teas.

Harvest: Spring 2020

Taste: fruity and flowery-fresh

Oxidation: approx. 50%

Origin: Tianzhukeng in Fenghuang, Chaozhou, China

I don't go into detail on it in the review, indirectly mentioning it, but producers will sometimes age oolong versions with a slightly higher roast level, because that can fade in a more optimum way over time.  Not for 5 or 10 years, nothing like a sheng pu'er transition; the teas settle over a few years.  I think that's one part of why the balance of this version seems pretty close to ideal right now.  

Review:

First infusion:  just wonderful, fruity, intense, smooth, refined, with great depth.  And this is just the first round.  Dan Cong is a special category range to me, and good Dan Cong is almost a different kind of thing than just decent Dan Cong.

Floral range is strong; this has that perfume-like quality that marks out better Dan Cong versions.  It also leans towards the flavor of a very ripe peach.  Astringency input is quite moderate.  That may be due in part to this being four years old, to aging a bit, but then the harsh astringency that people sometimes associate with Dan Cong has more to do with average or below average quality versions.  My guess is that lower elevation, higher production versions are pushed a bit for output, requiring use of more chemical fertilizer input, which doesn't help the overall character.  But I really don't know.

Oxidation level and roast input are so well balanced in this that it's hard to even notice those parts.  It couldn't integrate any better than it does; it also couldn't express more refinement or depth.  It makes you wonder just how good this is, on the scale of all that's out there.  I couldn't say, but I'd guess that it's pretty far up that scale.  Sweetness is perfect, feel is rich, a pleasant fruit and warm floral range hangs around after you drink the tea.  It's complex but it comes across as simple, because it's all so integrated.

#2:  Intensity picks up, even though I brewed this quickly.  It's odd not having negative character aspects to brew around, but flavor intensity itself potentially being higher than optimum, needing to adjust brewing time to limit it related to that.  Floral range is something else this round.  It's complex floral scope; the right person could list a few flower types that go into it.  I would guess that orchids and lavender stand out, but taste-memory of floral tones isn't one of my strengths.

So why don't I drink more Dan Cong?  I don't buy tea that costs over 50 cents a gram, due to budget limitations, and this really should run a good bit higher than that [later edit:  it's right about that; a pretty good deal, for as good as this is].  I can get more moderate quality versions here in my favorite Chinatown shop (Jip Eu) at pretty standard specialty tea pricing, maybe $15 for 100 grams.  

Also sheng pu'er ruins me for oolong experience.  I think it's due to the intensity being dialed up for that type in a different way; flavor hits hard, feel is intense, sweetness and bitterness balance each other, and there might even be a cha qi / body feel theme that I tend to discount, but probably really do appreciate, on some level.  

This Dan Cong experience is probably more amazing because it's been awhile since I've had Dan Cong, probably longer since I've had a really good version of it.  But if I drank this a half dozen times I'd probably crave that other intensity.  It's like anything else, that if a little is good more is better; the rush from intense exercise, food experience going further and further, movie taste turning to more and more intense characters, more developed stories and action.  

It's probably all a bad habit, on some level, always wanting more.  Varying forms of resets could offset developed tolerance, that causes this pattern.  I do keep food experience simple; there's that.  I'm concerned about maintaining my body, so I eat a plain but balanced input of fruits, vegetables, grains, limited meat, dairy, eggs, and some nuts and seeds.  But then even trying to be healthier and healthier could get a little out of control.

Infusion 3:  brewed faster, under 10 seconds this time, even though this must be about 6 or 7 grams, it's also pleasant lighter.  Floral and fruit range is still intense.  That would offset astringency input, if there was more of that.  It's down to rich feel, which works.  Aftertaste still comes out, even brewed light.

It's hard for me to imagine anyone not loving this.  For lots of tea versions I get a bit tripped up explaining how I either do or don't like an aspects set and overall experience, but others may or may not.  I guess if someone acclimated to a limited, heavier, more challenging range maybe they just couldn't relate.  If they mostly drank shou pu'er maybe it would be too light, and too sweet.  Who would mostly drink shou pu'er?  It can be fine as a main preference but not as a main basis for a tea habit.

Again oxidation and roast inputs are so well balanced in this that they're invisible.  Of course it should balance exactly like this.  I wonder how it would've been different 4 years ago?  Maybe it included a touch more edge, and forward intensity stood out, now swapped out for that plus depth?

#4:  I'll brew this a little longer and let note taking go.  The point of these posts is to tell the main story, not all of the story.  It could transition a little but I doubt that's a main theme for this tea version.  For sure the quality level will hold up, and it will be worth it to keep stretching rounds as long as they keep up.

Stronger flavors are drawn out brewing it stronger (approaching 20 seconds).  Not just more intensity, but depth of warm mineral and richer aromatic spice range extract, and feel gains some structure, maybe even a limited edge.  For a sheng drinker not much edge, but it gives it a different form of balance.  

I've spoken in the past about a liqueur-like quality that some better twisted style oolongs express, along the lines of cognac, and this exhibits that.  I see it as a "quality marker."  All the aspects in this are quality markers; it falls into a great balance, with good intensity in all the right spots.  I could write a few poetic sentences on aftertaste experience alone, but it's hard to capture, even using symbolic language.  

As I walk out in the driveway here, filled with walls of plants, and fragrant flowering tropical vines, at certain times of the day, when rain input is right, the scent is so strong that you almost feel it in addition to smelling it.  It's a bit like that.  My mother-in-law, the owner and creator of these gardens, after her earlier family started them generations ago, sees that sweet floral intensity as too strong, as unpleasant for being too much.  I really don't; the plants have their own reasons for expressing themselves with so much intensity, and that's a marvel to me.

you can't see it in this but the plant in the front-center is loaded with chili peppers

In conclusion the tea is great.

It's odd saying it but for about 50 cents a gram this tea is also a great value, or so it seems to me.  You could probably buy plenty of other versions from curator vendors, going on and on about how special, complex, refined, and rare their Dan Cong versions were, and not experience tea this good. Some aspect in it could be dialed up just a little, here or there, but the refinement, complexity, depth, and balance are really something.

To play the devil's advocate, to turn that around and consider possible limitations, no individual aspects are all that unusual in this, and it's not that far off normal Mi Lan Xiang character, so I could imagine someone seeing this as better than average but still ordinary.  In a sense I would even agree.  It's how it all balances that really makes the experience, how every part is really nice, and they combine well together.

ITeaWorld Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong and Tie Guan Yin

 

Tie Guan Yin on the left (of course)

More reviews of teas sent by a vendor for review, part of an effort to get more exposure about their product range by sending teas out to a number of people.  All fair enough!  The last teas were pretty good, but I liked a Yunnan Dian Hong black version more than a Yingde black tea.  I think oolongs will make for a more conclusive finding, since this complex and often refined range of teas really shows off quality level, or on the other side exhibits even minor flaws more clearly.

I've not discussed background with them, so I might only cite some basic product descriptions during editing, and move on to tasting notes here initially.  

I might also mention that side by side tasting can help identify subtle differences in similar teas, for example to make it clear when one has a thicker mouthfeel, or great complexity.  Tasting dissimilar teas like these together actually makes judgement less clear, instead of more so, because it just adds more noise to filter while it's going on, more to experience that doesn't actually help.  I've been through both kinds of combined tastings many times over the last decade so I'm not too concerned about that.  I might've pulled out one or two more minor flavor descriptions for either tea in a singular tasting, but in general the assessment should be the same.

Tie Guan Yin ITeaWorld listing:  (a bit over $15 per 100 grams, converting what I see listed in Thai baht; pretty good value related to already trying it)

There isn't much of a written product description, so I'll paste some background mentioned here, and a spiderweb chart description:

Surrounded by mountains and veiled in mist, Anxi has an average annual temperature of 15-18℃, a frost-free period of 260-324 days, and an annual rainfall of 1700-1900mm. The relative humidity is above 78%. The soil is mostly acidic red soil with a pH value of 4.5-5.6. The soil is deep and rich in organic matter and mineral substances, which contributes to the unique flavor of the Tie Guanyin tea trees.

Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong listing:  (maybe about $38 per 100 grams, which seems fair, given that it seems like much better quality tea)

From Old Tea Trees over 100 Years Old in Deep Mountains. Sweet. High Brew Tolerance. Low Astringent Taste.

Sexual tea tree varieties over 100 years old.  One tea tree in an area of 6-8 m².  Picked 1 flush a year.

When consuming the tea, the mouth is enveloped by the natural aroma of the tea leaves, resembling a sophisticated perfume. Hence, fenghuang dancong tea is often hailed as a drinkable perfume by tea lovers.

There is a bit to unpack in that description.  It doesn't really break down an aspect description of the tea directly, but it's how one would expect from what is there, true to type, heavy on a particular floral input (what the name is a reference to, honey orchid fragrance), on the sweet side with medium level fermentation input.  Roast level is light enough that you can't clearly identify it, which is good, but it probably was one input.

Sexual (natural) plant reproduction refers to how monoculture, often lower elevation and high chemical input supported farming, can tend to utilize plant clones, versions with identical genetics.  If the plants really are 100 years old, or even just decades old, branch cutting practices of propagation were probably still available back then, which is all it takes to make a genetically identical plant from one already growing.  It doesn't add that much if there is slight genetic diversity from natural plant reproduction (which is a bit similar to how mammals have sex, only relating to pollen exchange instead of the rest for combining genetics).

The "deep in the mountains" part implies natural, and perhaps even organic growing conditions.  It just doesn't say that.  How much space each plant has to grow is a novel inclusion; I suppose that would be relevant, but it doesn't mean much to me.

I tend to take descriptions about tea plant age and growing elevation (not mentioned) with a grain of salt anyway; it would be easy for vendors to include content that may or may not be accurate.  If they are growing and also processing the teas they sell all this should be accurate, but if they actually produce most and also resell some there would be no way to know which was which, and if producer source claims are actually accurate.  

It is important that plants are harvested only once per year, to keep the intensity at a maximum, and preserve the value of the processed leaves that are picked (per input from a producer friend, who also makes Dan Cong).

Review:

Tie Guan Yin:  a little light; not fully opened yet.  People often use a quick rinse step to get rolled oolongs to open to avoid this, a first round that's hard to get much out of.  I brewed these for about 15 seconds, which is probably going to be relatively optimum for getting the Dan Cong started, but it would be as well to hold off on a detailed description for this until next round.  It's pretty good though; the range is about right for a good quality version. 

I should also mention that I'm brewing 7 grams of each, instead of the 3.5 per small sample.  That's not because that's more optimum; it relates to me being quite familiar with that quantity and proportion for brewing approach.  It's pretty much how I prepare all teas, for tasting or for everyday consumption.  It would be good if I could brew 3.5 just as naturally and effectively, but even for paying more attention to the change in process it wouldn't be the same.  

For anyone new to Gongfu brewing, who doesn't have this sort of established preference and routine, just using 3.5 grams is fine, and using longer times, more like 25 seconds or so, until you see if that should be slightly longer or shorter per your preference, or adjust that per round based on results last time.  Later in a cycle, maybe only 5 or 6 infusions in for it going faster at higher proportion and longer brewing times, it might help to bump timing to keep infusion strength up.  One might naturally wonder if there really is an optimum infusion strength by tea type, but as I see it this ties more to preference.

not bad brewing advice, except timing escalation may be a little fast

Dan Cong:  this is more intense, definitely not related to it being more intense in general (although that could be true); it's that this tea form will brew a lot faster early on, the long strips and more oxidized version.  It doesn't need to open up.  It's pretty good; the flavor and character is as it should be.  That oxidation level and very moderate roast balance seem quite favorable to me; often Dan Cong can be a little light in style, not quite to a most natural balance point for oxidation.  Tipping past that optimum balance point would be worse than stopping short, leaning over towards black tea, because even lighter styles are still quite favorable, but it would be a shame to shift this to taste more like black tea (the oxidation level), or to roast it too much (the separate roasting input).

This may be Mi Lan Xiang [editing note:  later added to their website description, confirming that, which hadn't been present earlier on]; it's quite floral, bridging over to lean towards a fresh ripe peach flavor.  The character that is there is all very positive; the flavor is in the right range, mouthfeel is good (but it could be a little thicker), aftertaste lingers, and refinement is good, without any trace of negative aspect inclusion.  The only limitation relates to intensity still being in a moderate range, and thickness of mouthfeel backed off a little, with aftertaste positive but not as extended as it could be.  All this puts too much pressure on final judgement on a first round though; this tea is just getting started.  I'll see if depth and intensity pick up a bit from here.

Tie Guan Yin second infusion:   it's pretty good.  Flavor intensity picks up, and this is in a positive range, including plenty of bright floral scope, typical for the type.  Some of what I was saying in the last round about the Dan Cong repeats here; this seems like pretty good tea, but there seems to be a clear higher quality level beyond this experience.  Flavor range is positive, and right for the type.  Mouthfeel and aftertaste aspect range are fine, both positive, but there is another level beyond this for both to be a lot more intense.  For people new to trying better teas it would be hard to notice that, or to appreciate it whether it's there or not, so to be clear I'm describing what people judging teas conventionally value.  More thick feel and prolonged aftertaste add more dimensions to the tea experience, they give it a much greater depth, more than any one of these being inherently positive on its own is an issue.

Sweetness could bump a little but it's fine.  There aren't any other noticeable flaws, beyond what I've described that I see more as limitations to the quality level.  Medium quality TGY can have more of a sweet corn flavor than floral, and I suppose this flavor range is complex, and someone could judge it as including that, but I see it as primarily floral, and the right range of that, a sweet sort of orchid-like range (but I'm not great with mapping distinct floral descriptions, to be clear).

Dan Cong:  intensity did pick up in this, and it transitioned just a little.  Warmer tones are more dominant, leaning a little towards cinnamon, but not really quite reaching that exact flavor experience, just towards that range.  Floral range still stands out most, a much richer and deeper form than for the other tea.  It still leans a little towards peach flavor but that's harder to pick up related to warmer tones increasing.  A perfume-like character sets in more; I'd like to describe how I see that as relating to a quality marker, using that concept in a non-standard way I've evolved as my own way of interpreting tea experience (not to take credit for renovating tea tasting; the point here is more to separate what I'm saying from expectations that this is how people trained to taste tea tend to describe it).

Trueness to type, good balance, complexity, and intensity can all be valued in tea experience; all of these are positive.  To a limited extent I see certain particular aspects related to each tea type as identifying quality in a different way, only for that particular tea type.  To offer a counter-example I don't necessarily notice such a thing related to the Yunnan black tea (Dian Hong) that I reviewed from ITeaWorld last.  To me that type is great for being approachable, intense, complex, and for conveying the experience of depth even when teas seem to have a simple flavor profile.  No one aspect marks a version out as quite good, or most standard.  The aromatic range I'm describing here, related to this Dan Cong, serves that role.  It's a perfume-like experience, so that in some forms it even seems to take on the character of the solvent in perfume, not only floral aromatic compounds and such.

The tea is good, very pleasant to experience; some of all that might be overthinking it.  To be clear it's not as if I'm saying this is probably an example of a $.75-$1 a gram more exclusive, much higher quality level version; it may well fall into the top end of a rarer middle range of Dan Cong, not quite there.  Really good Dan Cong can be just amazing related to intensity, balance, and refinement.  This is pretty good, and the aspects there are quite positive, but it might fall just a little short of that more intense and refined range.

Tie Guan Yin third infusion:  not much change.  It's nice to experience a pretty good Tie Guan Yin version, and for sorting through Chinatown shop tins you might never encounter one on this level (although you really should, but random shop versions can all be iffy), but it's also limited related to the quality potential it didn't achieve.  If this is selling at a moderate price it's fantastic value tea, and if the pricing is more medium that's just normal, and it would match billing.  Note that the whole range for TGY is generally different than for Dan Cong; ordinary versions tend to be a little lower in quality level, and pricing is reduced to match.  It's not an inferior type, necessarily, it's just one that is often prepared as a commodity tea, produced and sold as higher volume and lower cost versions.  For vendors adding lists of superlatives and demanding the highest pricing for versions this tea version isn't up to that, even though it's probably as good as versions from many vendors who use such tactics, and don't back up the talk appropriately.  

It's a little better than a tea you would just enjoy as a nice complement to breakfast food, and at the low end related to a version being so special it warrants spending an hour outside just focusing on tea experience.  I appreciate what each tea offers, so it's fine for me for that, but many tea enthusiasts would need versions to rate high on some sort of scale of experiences, or even break new ground, and it's not there.

Dan Cong:  this version may suffer from some of the related limitations I've just described but to me it's a little more interesting than that, for a few different reasons.  That very pleasant balance of oxidation level and limited roast input really works (assuming that it's roasted at all, but it must be).  The bridging of flavors across complex range works, the warm spice-like range, pronounced floral, and some fruit.  Thick mouthfeel and drawn-out aftertaste aren't necessarily exceptional, but there's enough going on with them to support an experience of some complexity.  Then a subtle perfume-like character probably tips all that balance positively.  

It also helps that you could try a number of Dan Cong versions (probably Mi Lan Xiang) and they would be similar to this, but not very close to it, so novelty enters in.  Tie Guan Yin is easier to assess for quality level because the aspects experienced tend to be more standard, until you branch into more traditional more oxidized and roasted versions.  That version is the now-common greener and lighter style, which many people highly value and some people hate.

One drawback to doing combined tastings using a high proportion is that you can only get so far through a brewing cycle, unless you have a tolerance for drinking lots of tea.  Or if you are only tasting some and dumping the rest out, but I wouldn't do that.  I'll take a short break and eat something then try one more round, and 8 small cups of this will be plenty for now.  I don't think there is a lot of story to get back to, about how these will evolve across a whole cycle, since the TGY is already not transitioning and the story for the Dan Cong should be more about durability than later change.  Even if I leave off making notes I'll drink the tea, so I can mention it if anything interesting comes up.

Tie Guan Yin, fourth infusion:  vegetal flavor range is picking up but the tea is still nice.  For being a kind of medium quality level TGY this is fine, it's good.  I cut and pasted the vendor descriptions into this post between rounds and this version is priced considerably lower than the other, matching my expectations related to how it comes across.  For me personally I wouldn't want to pay more to experience a bit more depth, flavor complexity, thicker mouthfeel, and extended aftertaste, since the general experience is still similar for these kinds of medium quality level, very light TGY versions.  People naturally value different things though, and holding the opposite opinion and preference is fine too.  Budget comes into play; for plenty of people spending $15 on 100 grams of tea is enough, and for plenty of others it's not different at all from spending $30.

Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong:  the individual flavor aspects seem to integrate a bit more, seeming less distinct as rounds go on, with the most intense floral range and an early hint of peach giving way to stronger supporting warm mineral tones.  That's still nice, just different.  At this point interpreting some flavor range as aromatic wood instead of spice-tone would make sense.  Strong floral tone is still a main part of the experience.

Quality level interpretation is completely different for this version; it sells for $30-some per 100 grams instead of $15, and it's clearly higher quality tea, of a type that tends to run high in demand, and command higher pricing.  Under $20 per 50 grams is still kind of a lower medium range for Dan Cong pricing, related to how a lot of specialty tea vendors in the US position it.  For this particular type of tea I get it why paying more to climb the quality level ladder makes plenty of sense, for people with this type as a main preference, and the budget to go there.  

I'm a sheng pu'er drinker at this point, and my budget is relatively bottomed-out related to other life-input concerns (moving back and forth between Bangkok and Honolulu, and I've developed a running shoe habit), so all this is fairly abstract discussion related to my own experience.  I haven't bought much tea this year, and whenever I do value--low cost--will be a main factor.

I think this version is quite pleasant, and it's what it should be related to the product description and price range.  Value seems fine.  People can get an impression that Dan Cong is a difficult tea to brew, or that versions tend to include a high degree of characteristic astringency (a bit like flower stem), but really that mostly relates to the quality level just below this range, as I see it.  Lower elevation produced, overharvested and stressed plants, probably stretched for production volume using a lot of chemical inputs, produce a different type of experiential outcome.  I'm not trying to guarantee or support that this is necessarily high mountain, old plant, organically grown tea; hopefully it is, as described (not the organic part; I don't think they said that).  It's good, and those inputs and outcomes are said to bunch together.  Of course good is all relative.

Conclusions:

I've concluded so much in the rest there isn't much to add.  Both teas were good for what they were presented to be.  Both held up for another very pleasant half dozen infusions, or maybe more, I didn't keep a count.  Both are open to broad critique related to aspect by aspect comparison to versions presented and sold as the next quality level up, but the Dan Cong is at a nice equilibrium point for being very pleasant, complex, and refined and still at a moderate price, for that tea type.  

Wuyi Origin Ya Shi / "duck shit" Dan Cong oolong

 

This will probably be exactly what I expect, since their teas tend to always be great.  Great is all relative; I mean crowded towards the high quality end of the scale, for both Dan Cong and Wuyi Yancha.  A very exceptional Dian Hong (Yunnan black), Darjeeling, or Nepal white tea can be very good, but the quality, intensity, flavor range, complex feel, sophisticated form, and even the simplicity, in one sense, can all be on another level for teas like those oolongs.  In comparison other very good teas bang on a few positive notes, while better versions of these types really come together.

So no need for much build-up or further description.  Cindy, one owner, and part of two different tea making families, sent these teas for me to try, more so than to review.  Reviewing will repeat how great I thought every Ya Shi version I ever tried from them was, but maybe something slightly different will turn up, an interesting way the roast really integrates, or a particular intensity or subtlety.  

The teas do vary year to year, I'm just not dialed in enough to pick up very minor differences on that level.  There is always a case for another tea out there being better, so I'm not claiming that this is the peak for this type, but these teas would be better than most of what is sold as "a high quality level that never makes it out of China."  Don't take my word for that; type Wuyi Origin into a Facebook tea group search bar and see what others say.

I was recommending their teas in an online comment not so long ago and mentioned this might be a rare case of a tea being too good.  You don't want to start there, experiencing teas that close to as good as versions ever get.  It wouldn't be possible to fully appreciate the experience without some exposure, and it would limit exploration of higher quality range to follow.  That doesn't come up often, adding a conditional warning that in some cases teas may be too good to experience, under some circumstances.  If you start on more basic versions you can try progressively better teas for a few years, improving brewing technique as you go as well.  It would be madness to brew this tea Western style, for example.  It would still be good but that's crazy, deciding that you don't need to optimize results for this tea.

I'll add their website description (after review), and get right to making notes for now.  That product description (with the actual tea description at the end, after the type background):

Feature : In Fenghuang, the name of Dancong  tea varieties is dazzling, which makes everyone very puzzled.

There is also an interesting story about the origin of the name Yashixiang (duckshit)

The mother tree of "Duck Shit Fragrance" grows in Xiaping Kengtou Village, Fengxi District,  Chaozhou, at an altitude of 900 meters. Its age is 78 years. It belongs to Wei Chunshi, a tea farmer. Now it is managed by his eldest son.

According to the tea growers:

This famous Bush is ancestral. The original Bush was introduced from Wu Dong Mountain. It was planted in the "duck shit soil" (actually yellow loam soil, but containing mineral chalk) tea garden. 

People in the countryside commented on the tea's strong aroma and good flavor, and asked what was the name of the cultivar and what type of fragrance.

Tea growers are afraid of being stolen, so they call it "duck Shit fragrance".

However, some people have managed to obtain tea spikes for cutting and marrying.

As a result, the name "Duck Shit Xiang" was passed on, and tea seedlings were expanded in Fenghuang area.

The aroma of this tea is very special and impressive.

This tea shape is strong, compact, dark green, moist, fragrant after brewing, high-rise, soup green with yellow, mellow and strong taste, slightly sweet and bitter, lasting aftertaste, resistant to brewing.

The bottom of the leaf is dark green and thick. 

The taste of the tea thick and round, with long -lasting feedback. 

To me this tea is an absolute steal for selling for $38 per 100 gram.  There are surely plenty of $1 / gram versions of this type being sold that aren't even close to this quality level, and in a brick and mortar shop in a high rent area this tea would probably sell for $1.50-2 per gram.  To me the quality of this tea makes the average $80 sheng cake (357 grams, typically) seem like grocery store tea.  Like a cheap loose TGY tin version, I mean, not like Lipton or Twinings; that would be hyperbole.

Review:

First infusion:  fantastic, of course.  There is a characteristic flavor to Ya Shi that's a little hard to pin down.  To me it's just a complex floral flavor set, that comes across as simple, and probably supported by limited warm fruit range.  Breaking that down is the problem; specific flowers don't come to mind.  I tend to guess at floral range flavors sometimes but I'm really pointing towards a range, more than making direct associations.  I can't identify 20 or 30 specific floral tones by smell and tasting, and that's what it would take to do that mapping.  I don't know what flowers this tastes like.

The apparent simplicity and apparent complexity, at the same time, set up a cool contradiction.  It's floral, for sure, but then some sweetness and richness could be from fruit range, like a citrus-intensive dried mango, which are warmer in effect for the dried presentation.  I'll keep going with guesses and interpretation across infusions.

Second infusion:  warmth picks up a little.  Honey-like sweetness is present, a warm version of honey.  Mineral tone is limited.  Further roasting would draw out even more warmth, and caramel or toffee sweetness, but this balance seems quite positive, left unchanged in relation to the upper-medium roast level effect.  It's moderate in this, letting the natural positive nature of the tea shine through.

To look for flaws, this could be a little thicker in feel, or I suppose aftertaste could be longer.  I'm brewing it at moderate infusion strength, and bumping that just a little would ramp up both.  There is no astringency or any other negative range to brew around, so it's just a matter of preference related to optimum form of experience.  

Related to flavor a claim that this shares ground with peach wouldn't be wrong, I don't think, it's just not the most natural interpretation, to me.  The brightness, refined nature, and intensity are all really pleasant in this.  

I could imagine someone expecting a different style related to that level of roast, so a criticism would be most natural related to that, a style interpretation, related to other specific expectations.  For being in this type range it's quite pleasant.  Even though the feel could be a little thicker it has a creamy effect that's quite nice.  Even though the aftertaste could linger longer, or be stronger, that complex set of flavors is great, and the way a bit of floral, towards-lemon citrus, and subdued mineral tone trail off is great.

Third infusion:  I did let this brew a little longer, towards 20 seconds, and it is a lot more intense for that.  I finally ended up not pushing the dry leaf amount to what would fill up the gaiwan when wetted.  That's not completely an accident when I drink more than 9 out of every 10 teas proportioned in exactly that same way.  It's what I'm accustomed to, probably more so than what works best.

Mineral plays a larger role brewed slightly stronger, a bit of rock flavor.  Feel is cool like this; it's still smooth and creamy, but a trace of dryness along your tongue adds complexity to that part.  You seem to taste the mineral with the sides and back of your tongue, in a strange sense.  

To me the "characteristic astringency" people connect with Dan Cong is related more to lower quality Dan Cong.  I can see a bit of connection with that feel range and that type of effect but it's just not a part of the best versions in the same way.  Just breaking up these leaves a good bit would probably add to that effect; people might often be drinking the poorer quality sorted parts of batches, with more whole leaf going to other sales channels.  I suppose that could be part of the "quality level that never makes it out of China" effect.  Per my limited background knowledge take people are also buying Dan Cong from lower elevation sources, from younger conventional monoculture-grown plants, with output boosted through chemical use, and the teas just aren't processed as skillfully.

Fourth infusion:  a perfume-like effect picks up.  Better Wuyi Yancha often exhibits this too, a heavy floral tone that is reminiscent of perfume, with an aromatic part that also seems to match the solvent a bit too.  I don't mean this tastes something like acetone smells, nothing like that, but instead that it's an effect that often reminds me of cognac.  

Feel is actually transitioning round-to-round too; that's different.  It had been creamy but light, then brewing a round stronger drew out more structure, and this round is absolutely velvety, where two rounds ago it was more thick in feel like cream.  The flavors are just as complex but maybe more tightly integrated now, coming across as that one dominant flavor tone, which again is really a set.  I can't imagine anyone trying this tea and saying that they don't like Dan Cong.  My imagination has limits; maybe it could still happen.

Fifth infusion:  not so different than last time, but a lemony citrus supporting tone seems a little stronger.  For a tea this complex and subtle minor shifts in brewing time would shift the proportion of what you experience.  I think the next two or three rounds would be more about that story, both about later round transitions and how changing brewing approach changes things.

Sixth infusion:  not so different than last time.  I'm going to skip the part about highlighting subtle shifts from here on out, or checking if this makes a dozen strong infusions, or fades at 9 or so, with stretching out intensity changing character.  You already get the idea.  Per my past experience the two steps that change character, higher oxidation level and additional roasting, tend to extract that flavor change at a cost of limiting durability, number of positive rounds, so this should be fine into a late count, for using moderate degrees of those inputs to change the character.

Beyond that I'm off to swimming class, the usual Sunday routine.  I could write a thousand word post about how much playing my kids have done in the last ten days, during a school break, but this step is just the normal routine.

she said it was cold.  it is the cold season, but it was close to 30 C / over 80 F.

with a cousin a week ago; they love doing poses

Ya Shi (duck shit) and Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong from Wuyi Origin

Mi Lan Xiang, honey orchid aroma Dan Cong

Ya Shi (duck shit) Dan Cong

I've been drinking some Dan Cong relatively recently so I decided to start with these teas before moving on to oolong samples sent by Cindy (from Wuyi Origin, their brand name).  Of course I've been drinking Wuyi Yancha too (Wuyishan oolong), but I decide what to review next by way of immediate impulse, the same way I pick what to drink with breakfast.  I already said plenty about Cindy and the source in the last post so I'll skip that part, and ramble on about other things instead before the review.

An online friend passed through town recently and gave me some samples of other Dan Cong, after visiting a few tea regions in China.  He's a vendor, but with regionally limited business scope, and I don't think it would matter if I mention his business here, so I'll skip that part.  The samples were interesting; one a maocha, a tea that isn't completely finished, so interesting related to that.  Two others were quite good, and one a bit off, so it made for an interesting refresher for the type.  Of course trying only exceptionally good versions also makes for a pleasant reminder or initial introduction, but it's informative in a different sense to try teas across a range of quality.

I had planned to try one of his samples along with one of Cindy's, since I've been on the page of doing comparisons, and it helps to point out differences in body and minor aspects.  After thinking it through I really don't want to write a half dozen different reviews of Cindy's teas, since that would get repetitive, both for me to do and for readers, so trying two of Cindy's together resolves that.

Most people reading a tea blog would be quite familiar with these teas.  Mi Lan Xiang is honey orchid aroma Dan Cong (oolong from the Chaozhou area), although those tend to taste a lot like peach sometimes.  Ya Shi is duck shit (just a funny name; no connection to actual duck shit), and those can be harder to pin down in terms of a characteristic flavor element.  They tend to be warmer, fuller, with more going on, and more subtle, maybe bridging ranges of floral, fruit, and spice instead of coming across as one or two main flavors.  Per only trying a few they do tend to taste like one thing, it's just not as easy to say what that is related to it being just like a honey orchid flower or peach.  They're more complex, heavier on aroma than flavor.

Related to a recent online discussion about flavor being identified as taste (what the tongue does) versus aroma (related to sensors in the lower rear of the nasal passages, where most subtle distinctions in flavors are identified) I'm not using "aroma" in a conventional sense here.  I think I covered what I mean by that in the last post, about how Chinese producers tend to use the term as a distinction within the range of what we would call aroma based flavor.  You can read back to that last post to reference it, or just read past it here; it's not critical to the explanation.

As to tasting process a blogger friend--who I only know online; maybe should I be saying "acquaintance" until I meet these people?--has been considering if long term effects of caffeine are getting to him.  I've had some problems with comparison tasting adding up related to caffeine intake, so I'm going with small gaiwans for this, which probably should have been an obvious step for tasting multiple teas all along.

On to these version specifics in tasting then.

Review

Skipping the appearance and scent parts, the initial infusion--more a rinse that I didn't discard--shows the characters to be like that expectations summary I just covered.  The Mi Lan Xiang is bright, sweet, intense, and complex, mostly in the range of peach with a good bit of supporting floral tone.  The Ya Shi (I should probably just say "duck shit" instead, since it's catchy) is warm, full, complex, and aromatic, and won't be so easy to describe in terms of two or three main flavor elements.  I won't even start on that until the first real infusion.

The Mi Lan is the same but more pronounced in aspects intensity at the normal infusion strength.  It's brewed to a medium level of infusion concentration to me, but people might well tend to drink Dan Cong either on the lighter side compared to some other types, or on the much lighter side, and this could be in between those ranges.  The peach really ramps up in intensity.  It's interesting the way that the astringency (which is moderate, but one of the main defining aspects) seems to mimic the way that peach skin comes across, the separate flavor of that from ripe flesh.  It trails into that unripe fruit range, with a slight bite of an unusual type of astringency, nothing like that found in black teas or sheng pu'er.  But it's in great balance, not negative, even if it would be a matter of preference deciding if that added or took away from the effect of the other aspects.

The roast is not heavy but you can notice it, a bit of caramel or light toffee in the back, or really not exactly that but in that range.  Maybe if you fire-roasted a peach and it picked up a brown-sugar to cooked fruit tone that's closer to what I mean, although of course there is no smoke aspect in this tea, so the "fire" part might just be for descriptive color.  With some allowance for preferences varying this is more or less exactly how this tea should taste, to me.  It's tempting to try and put it on a scale of good to unbelievably good but I would need more experience with very high end Dan Cong to reference against.  It's a lot better than typical generalist specialty versions would be, teas typically sold in the $15 dollars per 50 grams range, described as great examples that are really just not that bad, only in the general range of type-correct.  I suppose there is always room for improvement but it's quite good.

The Duck Shit version is warm, complex, and subtle; a totally different kind of experience.  It's also aromatic, not pronounced in terms of flavor, although there is plenty going on with that, as much as in a broad range that covers sensation trailing off into sensory ranges that you sense but don't fully capture.

I'm having trouble assigning specific flavors to the experience, but it has to come to that if I'm going to review it; it would be strange doing a tea review and never getting there.  The main range is floral, but not in the same sense as bright, sweet, pronounced flowers, so I suppose just an earthier, richer, more subtle flower range.  Tropical flowers here seem to be bright, sweet, and intense, the different orchids, plumeria, and such, more like wildflowers back in the US.  This tea's range is on the opposite side of all that.  It's not far from how I'd imagine a sunflower to be, but I can't think of a flower type I actually have smelled that's a close match, something warm and complex.  It's towards chrysanthemum but not that, with more depth and richness than that flower blended with chamomile, but in that general range.

With all the complexity it wouldn't be wrong to say it also tastes like some warm, subtle, earthy but light fruit, maybe in the range of dried longan.  But the flavor range is well integrated, so it doesn't come across as tasting like a few different things.  I'll keep tasting, since that complexity may well also related to extension into mineral and spice ranges.

Ya Shi left, Mi Lan Xiang right

On the next infusion I probably went a touch longer on the time--not long at all though, around half a minute--and the strength and astringency of the Mi Lan Xiang picked up.  It would be more conventional to use slightly hotter water and go with really fast infusions instead, ten seconds, and the astringency would be light along with the flavors being less pronounced too.  This was brewed at 80 C; I tend to like teas prepared a little cooler than some if offsetting astringency is a concern.  It's really about personal preference more than one approach being objectively best, or at least that's my take.  It would've balanced better brewed for ten seconds less but it's still nice, but at this strength the astringency starts to pick up enough to be more pronounced than the flavors.  Nothing like a young sheng, not that type or on that level, I mean related to the balance per what I like to experience.

This same infusion time worked better for the duck shit; without astringency as much of an input at all, not even to the extent of filling in structure.  The flavors just intensify and the feel thickens a little.  It comes across as richer, almost buttery, just in a completely different sense than for Jin Xuan oolongs.  I tried a decent one of those I bought for the staff at the office, a Thai version, so related to me always going on about how mediocre Thai oolongs are I was going to review that and put the record straight.  But that tea is not on this quality level, not even close.  It may be two full levels down, but for what it is drinking that tea makes for a nice experience, good as a "daily drinker," as people tend to say, as something to have with lunch.

The sweetness and rich flavor changes for this duck shit version, a little, more towards a lightly browned butter effect, which isn't so far from a really light caramel.  Someone that absolutely prefers intense floral aspects might not appreciate that but the complexity, fullness of flavor and other range, and the way it all balances makes for a cool effect.  It's a good tea.  Again I can't map it to best of the best; it's about as good as the best duck shit Dan Cong I've tried, more or less, but I haven't put effort into exploring the highest range.  Or expense, more to the point; better Dan Cong moves to $1 a gram or beyond much faster than most other tea types.

Ya Shi left, Mi Lan Xiang right

On the next infusion I went more like 15 seconds for the Mi Lan Xiang and around 30 for the duck shit; brewing and tasting different teas at the same time can go like that.  The balance is back to great for the Mi Lan version; the flavor is plenty intense, quite sweet, nicely complex, and the astringency level compliments the tea instead of taking away from it.  If someone absolutely loves soft teas instead something like the duck shit version might work better, or another style of tea altogether might, or possibly just a different version.  Then again it's hard to imagine someone not liking these teas.

The duck shit version aspects haven't changed.  I've tried a version before where the aromatic / complex effect cost the tea in terms of flavor complexity but this one strikes a nice balance, covering a lot of range but still offering up plenty to taste as flavor.  It's definitely warmer than the Mi Lan, and richer, in one sense, but perhaps less intense for being more complex.  It makes consider how level of roast comes into play, but I really won't venture much about that, since I don't know.  The Mi Lan brews darker but the brewed leaves look about the same; I'd guess it's roasted a bit more but that isn't much in the way of an informed guess.  With Wuyi Yancha it's possible to tell that medium to darker / heavier roasting occurred because the teas taste more or less charred, slightly toasted in a normal sense if not a bit burnt in cases where it goes too far.  It's not possible to pick up anything like that effect in these two teas.

I could keep going for a couple more infusions to talk about transitions, or to pin down a few more flavor aspects, or to stretch this out to some vague, potentially invalid analogy (astringency effect like biting a tree bud, etc.), but I'll skip all that.  The teas aren't close to finished but not transitioning a lot.
I will try to mention which I like better, but that's hard to say too.  They're both great for what they are expressing, for being so different in type.  In different senses I like both best.  I think they work really well for tasting two teas that don't overlap all that much in character together, for comparison tasting related to contrast instead of shared range.  Usually the opposite works much better, picking out finer levels of aspects related to them sharing common ground, and I may well have missed some levels of range for going against that.  This said next to nothing about "feel" aspects, for example, and when two teas share a lot in taste range and that differs your attention tends to drift there (or didn't get that far with taste description, really).


My final assessment:  two more great teas from Cindy.  Someone that has been drinking the best of the best Dan Cong available for some time might disagree, and these could seem quite ordinary to them, but that's how tea tends to go.  I would expect that for someone only exposed to a conventional, typical-supplier quality range of Dan Cong these two teas would be a step up in quality instead, teas that they would really enjoy.  For someone only exposed to so-so versions or new to the type they could open a whole new world.  I've tried Dan Cong sold as relatively higher end versions--at upper medium level pricing--that wasn't nearly this good.  It will be interesting to look around at other reviews and see what other people think, if I get around to that.

my girl surfer at swim lesson with some kid