My 2nd, 3rd and 4th sessions have also gone well but not without a few hiccups.
I have 3 pairs of Gaiwans in the 90ml to 100ml size range and an individual Gaiwan of 200ml.
Yellow Dragon, Deep Blue, Red and White and a Black Pearl.
Yellow Dragon went well for the first session, smooth pour, no noticeable heat issues at any time.
Decided to use Deep Blue with Ba Xian (Eight Immortals) DanCong for the 2nd.
Now I had forgotten to do a rinse with Yellow Dragon and was not too keen on the effectively rinse water that I had consumed. So for Deep Blue I was nonchalant to say the least as I set about the first infusion which was instantly going to be discarded.
OUCH - So nonchalant in fact that I had forgotten to use the saucer and was picking up the Gaiwan instead
Getting my act together, the first real infusion was a delight, flowers everywhere Spring Flowers, Roses, Geraniums, Violets - but perhaps too much floral and not enough of a counter in the form of Minerals, Earth, Wood or something. Also I noticed the heat more, or was it because my fingers were still sensitive from my earlier error. I did feel that the Gaiwan may be thinner, I shall have to weigh them against each other. Another issue that may have contributed was that the lid did not fit as snugly as Yellow Dragon, necessitating momentary delays here and there as I adjusted it from time to time with my free hand.
Subsequent infusions revealed more of the same then I followed with a much longer steep to try and get some extra body, mouth feel, or different flavours. I got it extra bitterness, had lengthened too much. But the lid was a shade not right and either let the tea out impossibly slowly or a little further ajar and I was unable to prevent slight spillage whilst decanting to the fair cup.
For the third (growing in confidence, despite my notes above, I generally felt pleased with effort no.2) I went for the Black Pearl 200ml large enough not to need to break any of the large Huang Jing (Yellow Leaf) DanCong leaves.
Just as with Deep Blue the lid did not fit as snugly and delayed matters now and then with the occasional dribble.
The flavours did seem enhanced as opposed to the Yixing, as far as delicate extremely fragrant early brews went. This time the fragrance was not as overpowering as the Ba Xian and the flavours were backed up with earthy, mineral notes - but again as I got on to later sessions the bitterness crept in.
Finally I went to the Red and White gaiwan and opened the Da Yu We (Big Dark Leaf) DanCong - and it was different in every way. First the gaiwan Lid was a perfect fit, clean pouring and zero dribbling!
Adjustment with the free hand need nary more than a nudge with a little finger and it eased a millimetre or two effortlessly BUT the biggest amazement to me was how perfectly the Gaiwan base nestled into the proud depression on the saucer - everything felt 101% secure whilst pouring The tea however, I would not have taken for a DanCong, fragrance was there but not over floral, it seemed like a Green TKY or lightly roasted Mao Jie or Ben Shan- I would definitely have said Anxi in a blind tasting. The fragrance apart, it was vegetal with a sweet pleasant back bite that reminded me of Nori seaweed that is wrapped round Sushi and Japanese Rice Crackers.
I think I prefer Huang Jing and Shui Xian in a Gaiwan. To date I prefer Ba Xian in a Yixing. I have yet to try Da Wu Ye in a Yixing. By the way the leaves were less than 1/5 the size of the yellow leaf and though dark were not big at all. The resultant brew was incredibly light coloured and my attempts to increase steep times did little to the colour but brought out that bitterness again.
I have 2 Gaiwans in the post. I think I will stop onlinr ordering, I want to nestle them in my hand in future before purchasing.
My dancong is coming out without much aroma today, because of the weather; some are affected more than others. Keep trying it - and you might even ask Imen about it in your email.
