Hi everybody--
I recently bought some Snow Orchid Dang Cong (2008) from Seven Cups. It's my first encounter with Dan Cong, and I can't seem to brew it right. It's always rather astringent and the aroma isn't particularly pleasant--this is supposed to be a peachy tea and I'm not getting any peach. I'm using a 180 ml gaiwan and have tried brewing times ranging from between 20 s and 3 min (basically, I've tried 20 s, 45 s, 2 min and around 3 min). Most recently I tried brewing it for 45 s with the the gaiwan about 1/3 full of leaf...I read some tips online advising one to fill the "vessel" halfway with leaf. That wasn't a good idea. In the past I've used less leaf, but that didn't seem to be a good idea either.
Anyway, as you can tell, my experiments have yet to yield results. I'm wondering if anybody has some straightforward-ish advice re. how to coax DC into cooperating with me. I'm pretty new to tea--am more into greener oolongs and TGY; haven't really gotten into rock oolongs yet. Am I perhaps not ready for DC?
Many tea drinkers prefer clay teapots for oolongs. I find there is a big difference in taste and aroma. I never use a gaiwan for these teas as they don't pull the real flavor out of the tea like the gong fu teapots can. Gaiwan is generally used for green teas and lighter teas.
I have had to change vessels many times to get a brew to my satisfaction. Pots have a lot to do with final drink. Don't give up.
I have had to change vessels many times to get a brew to my satisfaction. Pots have a lot to do with final drink. Don't give up.
Apr 3rd, '09, 12:17
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Since is called "snow orchid", I guess it's a winter tea. Winter tea dan cong is generally green roast, very often greener than green roast of spring tea. Most winter dan cong can't put up with longer than 10 sec. initial infusions.
If you try to reduce your infusion time to 5-8 sec. for the first a few infusions, I trust the tea from seven cups should be very good.
Besides, I personally feel all dan cong is quite stimulant to stomach (but I do have a weak stomach), so it may be healthier to use smaller gaiwan and brew smaller amount each time.
If you try to reduce your infusion time to 5-8 sec. for the first a few infusions, I trust the tea from seven cups should be very good.
Besides, I personally feel all dan cong is quite stimulant to stomach (but I do have a weak stomach), so it may be healthier to use smaller gaiwan and brew smaller amount each time.
By sitting in peace and doing nothing,
You make your one day worth two days.
You make your one day worth two days.
Apr 3rd, '09, 15:49
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Thanks much for the suggestions! I will try less leaf, less time, and a lower temp. And if I'm feeling brave, I'll break out the yixing pot I bought recently, though I understand that it's generally a good idea to use only one kind of tea per pot and I was thinking of devoting it to TGY. But if I have a DC breakthrough, maybe it'll become a DC pot.
One last question: is there a 'beginner' DC--as in, a DC that's easier to brew?
One last question: is there a 'beginner' DC--as in, a DC that's easier to brew?
Personally I find DC to be the trickiest tea to brew. I also have a hard time finding the peachy flavors that are frequently mentioned. I too find most DCs to be fairly astringent. I have tried less leaf, shorter time, cooler water - these definitely help but I'm beginning to think that maybe DC is just not "my cup of tea". I've also read that there can be significant differences in how people experience the taste of a given food (or tea) so maybe I'm more sensitive to bitter foods/teas? However I do like bitter vegetables, very dark chocolate, so who knows. As an aside, I do find Yan-cha (a.k.a. rock tea, Wuyi tea) much easier to get right and I also prefer it over DC. I also like all Taiwan high mountain (gao shan) oolongs from pretty green to heavily roasted to heavily oxidized. Good luck w/the DC, you should experiment with it, but in the end you should also be open to the possiblity that perhaps not everyone experiences a given tea the same - at least that's my theory, especially for myself w/DC.
TokyoB
less leaf is usually the trick with Dan Congs about half the time. The other half the trick is more leaf. ;P
Don't beat yourself up over it, I've seen highly experienced gong fu tea buyer geeks totally mess up horribly on DC. Personally I feel the expensive finicky girls are not worth the effort but you do always end up learning a lot about yourself, um, I meant dan congs, expensive finicky dan congs. yeah.
small eggshell gaiwans are needed for DCs IMO. Finding a good source (Imen at teahabitat for instance) is also key. Water is really really important.
Instead of sorting through a bunch of varying levels of inexpert opinion here, just go learn from a master.
Don't beat yourself up over it, I've seen highly experienced gong fu tea buyer geeks totally mess up horribly on DC. Personally I feel the expensive finicky girls are not worth the effort but you do always end up learning a lot about yourself, um, I meant dan congs, expensive finicky dan congs. yeah.
small eggshell gaiwans are needed for DCs IMO. Finding a good source (Imen at teahabitat for instance) is also key. Water is really really important.
Instead of sorting through a bunch of varying levels of inexpert opinion here, just go learn from a master.
Last edited by tenuki on Apr 5th, '09, 00:49, edited 1 time in total.
Apr 4th, '09, 23:58
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Dan Cong will take you to the next level in brewing skill, whether you want to go there or not! 
Some are harder than others to brew, but most require very, very short initial infusions with boiling or near boiling water. I have usually been pretty happy with 3.5 to 4.5 grams in a 100 ml gaiwan, starting with flash infusions and seeing how it goes. Some (like the Ba Xian below) will tolerate a 20 second initial infusion and slowly working up, others really have to be much shorter. They are always light in flavor and more about the aroma and the feel in the mouth than about what we usually think of as taste. If you brew for a strong taste, you will likely get excess astringency. A good DC will often brew 10 to 20 infusions (all light) or even more.
The most rewarding DC I have had in a long time was the current offering of Ba Xian Dancong from Jing Tea Shop. It was (relatively) easy to brew and very nicely balanced. You can order a "sample" amount if don't want to commit to a whole 100 grams. I had this same DC from them a couple years ago and it wasn't nearly as good. These products of nature can be so variable!
Here's a photo of the Ba Xian leaves soaking.
Some are harder than others to brew, but most require very, very short initial infusions with boiling or near boiling water. I have usually been pretty happy with 3.5 to 4.5 grams in a 100 ml gaiwan, starting with flash infusions and seeing how it goes. Some (like the Ba Xian below) will tolerate a 20 second initial infusion and slowly working up, others really have to be much shorter. They are always light in flavor and more about the aroma and the feel in the mouth than about what we usually think of as taste. If you brew for a strong taste, you will likely get excess astringency. A good DC will often brew 10 to 20 infusions (all light) or even more.
The most rewarding DC I have had in a long time was the current offering of Ba Xian Dancong from Jing Tea Shop. It was (relatively) easy to brew and very nicely balanced. You can order a "sample" amount if don't want to commit to a whole 100 grams. I had this same DC from them a couple years ago and it wasn't nearly as good. These products of nature can be so variable!
Here's a photo of the Ba Xian leaves soaking.
Apr 5th, '09, 08:25
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I'd say to start with Imen's "commercial grade" dancongs (teahabitat.com). They're very reasonably priced, better than a lot of the "really good" stuff out there, and I generally find her Dancong to be a bit easier to brew. She knows a lot about Dancong and so she gets very good quality. I would also email her and ask for tips on brewing the teas you get, and maybe even recommendationstea fish wrote:One last question: is there a 'beginner' DC--as in, a DC that's easier to brew?
(You can also find her tips on brewing posted on her blog at tea-obsession.blogspot.com)Wow, those are stunning leaves Salsero. (Incidentally, it's great to have found a forum where people love ogling tea leaves. When I first started brewing oolongs and found myself staring at them and even mucking around with them after they were used up I didn't really know what to make of my reaction. But now I know I'm not alone!) Anyway, when I am flusher with cash I will look into the offerings at Jing's and Tea Habitat. Thanks for the suggestions everybody. Imen's tips are definitely helpful, tho clearly she's one rigorous brewer of tea. I've been using spring water but haven't bought bamboo charcoal or simmered water steadily for 10 min in preparation, as she suggests. Something to do on a leisurely weekend afternoon, sometime, in the future...