Dancong and Age?

[VanFersen]

I was wondering. Wuyi tend to work great with aging them in fact many of them even taste better because the roasted level is going to faint with age but how is it with Dancong?

I only noticed that Dancong in my opinion becoming more flat if the got older than 1 year after they were produced. What about your experiences? Do you think Dancong are also oolongs suited for ageing process?

The reason I ask is simple. I found a nice store online which is located not far from my Country and they got some nice Dancongs but some of them are from 2014 and I was wondering how vibrant they can be after those years - even with good storage.

[jayinhk]

I was wondering. Wuyi tend to work great with aging them in fact many of them even taste better because the roasted level is going to faint with age but how is it with Dancong?

I only noticed that Dancong in my opinion becoming more flat if the got older than 1 year after they were produced. What about your experiences? Do you think Dancong are also oolongs suited for ageing process?

The reason I ask is simple. I found a nice store online which is located not far from my Country and they got some nice Dancongs but some of them are from 2014 and I was wondering how vibrant they can be after those years - even with good storage.

I previously stated that I thought dancong is basically low temperature roast shuixian. Not everyone agreed with that statement on here, but I believed it to be true.

Apparently there is a great deal of genetic variation between dancong cultivars. I believe this indicates hybridization has occurred, whether accidental, intentional, or both.

http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTo ... 503009.htm

I believe roast dancongs are supposed to age well, as long as the tea is still good after roasting. Perhaps some will drop off in flavor entirely and be trash-worthy. Chemically flavored stuff will also hold flavor well as some of the 'perfume' will hang out in an airtight container! After what kyarazen said a little while ago I am now suspicious of all low-end dancong.

Other studies I wish I had academic access to:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.10 ... 011-0559-3

https://www.osapublishing.org/abstract. ... o-51-7-803

[jayinhk]

Another interesting article:

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... lasm_repos

It appears Chinese cultivars are hybridized like crazy! There is huge variation between dancongs alone, let alone different oolongs. I stand corrected. Years of cultivation and hybridization mean nobody really knows what any known cultivar really is made up of (nor does it matter, I guess...the quality in the cup is what matters, as we keep concluding)!

I guess whether or not dancong is good to age depends on the genetics involved, phenotypical expression and processing (including roast levels).

[steanze]

Good dancong age very well when stored properly (no light, no off odors, low humidity). You can find some examples of ~20 year old ones here http://www.teahabitat.com/store/index.p ... Lsl7AOhYJ1

[William]

Good dancong age very well when stored properly (no light, no off odors, low humidity).

Totally agree!!