ITD Tasting Club Notes 2/08: Phoenix Dan Cong
For your chatting pleasure, a thread to catalog impressions of Salsero's generous offerings of Dan Cong.
Feb 4th, '08, 19:01
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Missing brewing instructions
It appears that Imen did not include the brewing instructions with her Dan Cong mailing. As a result I am copying them over from the sheet she sent me. Of course, since a few of you are mature adults 
, it's your decision how closely to follow or disregard her suggestions.
, it's your decision how closely to follow or disregard her suggestions.- Ao Fu Hou, Orange Flower Fragrance, 2007 (5-gram sample)
Yu Lan Xiang, Magnolia Fragrance, 2007 (10-gram sample)
----------------------------------Imen wrote:"To brew with gaiwan (100 ml) or clay pot, use 3 to 5 grams of leaves, boiling water, limit steep time between 20 sec to 1 minute each infusion, depending on strength you prefer. Rinse is not necessary.
To brew with ceramic or class cup (yes, good tea will taste good any way), use 1 gram of leaves for 150ml of boiling water, steep 3 to 5 minutes."
- 86 Vintage Dan Cong (4-gram sample)
Imen wrote:"To brew aged DC with gaiwan (100 ml) or clay pot, use 3 grams of leaves (use less aged leaves than young), quick rinse with boiling water (pour water in then out immediately), leave lid open and let it cool down to room temperature. Then brew normally.
However, I learn not to waste precious tea, so I always taste the rinse to see if it's drinkable before discarding"
Feb 4th, '08, 22:46
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2007 Yu Lan Xiang Phoenix Dancong:
(also on my blog, with pretty pictures)
"First off, the dry leaf. As soon as I stuck my nose in the bag (Remember the Sam Adams commercials where they showed Jim Koch smelling hops? I'm almost that bad.), I knew this was going to be interesting. There is an intense (See the bold face type? It's that intense.) aroma of peach and grapefruit— lovely! The leaves themselves are quite beautiful— long, dark, and delicate.
As soon as hot water hits leaf, this aroma moves- I could smell it clearly even a yard (or a meter, for you metric-lovers and optimists). It is, without a doubt, the most aromatic tea I have come across to date. I tried to stay true to Imen's parameters, and they seemed to work out pretty well. I used ~4.5g of leaf in a 100mL gaiwan, and tried to take as much of her other advice as possible. I had to use a cha hai though, because I don't have enough matching cups— yes, I know I'm hopeless— to hold all the liquid from my gaiwan.
The tea liquor was interesting. True to its dan cong nature, the flavor was not as pungent as many other teas (particularly yancha), at least not in the first few steeps. I'm not sure if you caught that the first time, but yes, I said the first few steeps. This tea produced an insane number of infusions, but sadly I lost count. Definitely well into the teens, though, and I stopped because I got tired, not the leaf. Still, even though it persists for a long time, the light fruit/perfume flavor is never more than mediocre in strength, as one would expect from a dan cong.
Also of note: take a look at the wet leaf. See those little holes? Not the tears, those are my fault, but the little holes with red marks around them. If I presume correctly, those are bite marks from insects. Not only is this proof of the tea's organic nature, but I think it may also explain some of the tea's intense fruitiness. Bai Hao and Muscatel Darjeelings are known to taste fruitier when bitten (something to do with the leaf reacting to damage, and producing more juices/goodies), so perhaps this is a similar phenomenon?
This was a spectacular tea, as one would expect considering the price it commands. If the other teas Salsero/Imen sent are anything like this one, I am in for quite a treat. Thanks again Salsero!"
It had to be good to get me going that prose-y! I'll post more notes later this week (hopefully).
(also on my blog, with pretty pictures)
"First off, the dry leaf. As soon as I stuck my nose in the bag (Remember the Sam Adams commercials where they showed Jim Koch smelling hops? I'm almost that bad.), I knew this was going to be interesting. There is an intense (See the bold face type? It's that intense.) aroma of peach and grapefruit— lovely! The leaves themselves are quite beautiful— long, dark, and delicate.
As soon as hot water hits leaf, this aroma moves- I could smell it clearly even a yard (or a meter, for you metric-lovers and optimists). It is, without a doubt, the most aromatic tea I have come across to date. I tried to stay true to Imen's parameters, and they seemed to work out pretty well. I used ~4.5g of leaf in a 100mL gaiwan, and tried to take as much of her other advice as possible. I had to use a cha hai though, because I don't have enough matching cups— yes, I know I'm hopeless— to hold all the liquid from my gaiwan.
The tea liquor was interesting. True to its dan cong nature, the flavor was not as pungent as many other teas (particularly yancha), at least not in the first few steeps. I'm not sure if you caught that the first time, but yes, I said the first few steeps. This tea produced an insane number of infusions, but sadly I lost count. Definitely well into the teens, though, and I stopped because I got tired, not the leaf. Still, even though it persists for a long time, the light fruit/perfume flavor is never more than mediocre in strength, as one would expect from a dan cong.
Also of note: take a look at the wet leaf. See those little holes? Not the tears, those are my fault, but the little holes with red marks around them. If I presume correctly, those are bite marks from insects. Not only is this proof of the tea's organic nature, but I think it may also explain some of the tea's intense fruitiness. Bai Hao and Muscatel Darjeelings are known to taste fruitier when bitten (something to do with the leaf reacting to damage, and producing more juices/goodies), so perhaps this is a similar phenomenon?
This was a spectacular tea, as one would expect considering the price it commands. If the other teas Salsero/Imen sent are anything like this one, I am in for quite a treat. Thanks again Salsero!"
It had to be good to get me going that prose-y! I'll post more notes later this week (hopefully).
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Feb 5th, '08, 22:58
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Here are the notes I made a couple weeks ago when I tried these.
Yu Lan Xiang:
Brewing:
4.0 g in 100 ml gaiwan, off boil: no rinse, infusions: 20 s, 25 s, 30, 35 s, 45 s, 1 m, 1 m, 70 s, 90 s
Observations
Different in a way, but hard to say how. Still very light flavor. Imen says honey flavor -- that seems reasonable. A little darker than some of the other Dan Congs, though still very light, some texture in 2nd infusion, but not as much as some others, healthy aftertaste. Like orange rind without the bitterness, maybe a tiny hint of cloves. Really very nice.
Ao Fu Hou:
Brewing:
Brewing: 4.0 g in 100 ml gaiwan, off boil: no rinse, infusions: 20 s, 30 s, 35 s, 40 s, 45 s, 50 s, 55 s, 60 s, 90 s, 2 m,
3 m
Observations
First infusion not remarkable. There is a very subtle and interesting flavor and good viscosity, not unlike a Formosa light oolong. A slight spicy or minty taste, some of the pleasant "laundry day" taste I find so often in dan congs. Last infusions are texture with almost no taste. This tea falls off rather rapidly and steadily from the first infusion, which is already very light. It just doesn't seem to get light enough to stop brewing! Well, I'm stopping at 3 m, but I could just as well go on.
Yu Lan Xiang:
Brewing:
4.0 g in 100 ml gaiwan, off boil: no rinse, infusions: 20 s, 25 s, 30, 35 s, 45 s, 1 m, 1 m, 70 s, 90 s
Observations
Different in a way, but hard to say how. Still very light flavor. Imen says honey flavor -- that seems reasonable. A little darker than some of the other Dan Congs, though still very light, some texture in 2nd infusion, but not as much as some others, healthy aftertaste. Like orange rind without the bitterness, maybe a tiny hint of cloves. Really very nice.
Ao Fu Hou:
Brewing:
Brewing: 4.0 g in 100 ml gaiwan, off boil: no rinse, infusions: 20 s, 30 s, 35 s, 40 s, 45 s, 50 s, 55 s, 60 s, 90 s, 2 m,
3 m
Observations
First infusion not remarkable. There is a very subtle and interesting flavor and good viscosity, not unlike a Formosa light oolong. A slight spicy or minty taste, some of the pleasant "laundry day" taste I find so often in dan congs. Last infusions are texture with almost no taste. This tea falls off rather rapidly and steadily from the first infusion, which is already very light. It just doesn't seem to get light enough to stop brewing! Well, I'm stopping at 3 m, but I could just as well go on.
Last edited by Salsero on Feb 6th, '08, 14:54, edited 2 times in total.
Feb 6th, '08, 00:56
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I hope I haven't upset/intimidated anyone, I just got in a good writing mood and and and...
Anyway, sorry all. Part of the aroma thing may have been that I *just* got off a cold, so maybe I'm noticing it more than I would otherwise, and maybe I was just in a generally better mood. I think the aggressive pour onto the dry leaf, full of splishing and splashing, helped quite a bit as well.
I didn't attempt to feign any superior tea-tasting skills or anything, I'm quite sure I am just mediocre, though perhaps with a healthy penchant for exaggeration. Thanks for bringing me down to earth again, Sal.
Feb 6th, '08, 01:16
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Feb 6th, '08, 14:48
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Yu Lan Xiang. Nice, nice oolong. I got peach from this one.
Brewing:
I'm a luddite, so don't laugh. I put about 1-2 grams in 12 oz. Rinse with boiling water and then steep 5 minutes at 187F.
The big taste was very peachy with undertones of orange. An almost woody flavor at the end, like cinnamon bark. Very nice. Mellow and almost sweet. It brews up light and yellow -- and I almost thought I didn't use enough leaf, but the flavor says that I did.
I rushed through the first tasting to do a second infusion since the leaves looked like they could handle them.
Second infusion was about 6:30. More of a woody aftertaste. When it cooled slightly, I could taste the peach.
I'm not sure if I would do a third infusion in this way.
Brewing:
I'm a luddite, so don't laugh. I put about 1-2 grams in 12 oz. Rinse with boiling water and then steep 5 minutes at 187F.
The big taste was very peachy with undertones of orange. An almost woody flavor at the end, like cinnamon bark. Very nice. Mellow and almost sweet. It brews up light and yellow -- and I almost thought I didn't use enough leaf, but the flavor says that I did.
I rushed through the first tasting to do a second infusion since the leaves looked like they could handle them.
Second infusion was about 6:30. More of a woody aftertaste. When it cooled slightly, I could taste the peach.
I'm not sure if I would do a third infusion in this way.
Feb 9th, '08, 16:24
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2007 Ao Fu Hou Phoenix Dan Cong:
(again, go here for things to look at)
The dry leaf, while pleasant, isn't as aromatic as the Yu Lan Xiang. The fragrance is more subdued and rounded, and smells, I think, of apples. The dry leaf is slightly greener than the Yu Lan Xiang, but looks pretty much the same.
I tried to brew this tea just as I brewed the last one, though I did use slightly more leaf. Perhaps it was due to the extra leaf that I also used shorter infusion times (about 25 seconds each, adjusting to taste).
Though this tea isn't as aromatic (though you may have a different experience, I think aroma is a very hard thing to control and predict) as the Yu Lan Xiang, the flavor is richer and smoother. It's hard to place the flavor at first, but I think it resembles apples and (to a lesser degree) the muscatel flavor sometimes found in Darjeelings.
The flavor is actually quite dynamic— it seemed to change often, switching back and forth between perfumey/not, astringent (in a good way)/not astringent, and citrusy/apple-y, despite only slight variations in steep time. An unpredictable tea, I think, which differed from the Yu Lan Xiang, whose flavor remained more or less consistent throughout the session.
Overall, I think this is a very good tea. It has a subtle but certainly pleasant aroma, and strong (for a Dan Cong), dynamic flavor.
Looking forward to the last sample, thanks again Sal.
(again, go here for things to look at)
The dry leaf, while pleasant, isn't as aromatic as the Yu Lan Xiang. The fragrance is more subdued and rounded, and smells, I think, of apples. The dry leaf is slightly greener than the Yu Lan Xiang, but looks pretty much the same.
I tried to brew this tea just as I brewed the last one, though I did use slightly more leaf. Perhaps it was due to the extra leaf that I also used shorter infusion times (about 25 seconds each, adjusting to taste).
Though this tea isn't as aromatic (though you may have a different experience, I think aroma is a very hard thing to control and predict) as the Yu Lan Xiang, the flavor is richer and smoother. It's hard to place the flavor at first, but I think it resembles apples and (to a lesser degree) the muscatel flavor sometimes found in Darjeelings.
The flavor is actually quite dynamic— it seemed to change often, switching back and forth between perfumey/not, astringent (in a good way)/not astringent, and citrusy/apple-y, despite only slight variations in steep time. An unpredictable tea, I think, which differed from the Yu Lan Xiang, whose flavor remained more or less consistent throughout the session.
Overall, I think this is a very good tea. It has a subtle but certainly pleasant aroma, and strong (for a Dan Cong), dynamic flavor.
Looking forward to the last sample, thanks again Sal.
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Feb 9th, '08, 16:47
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Actually, Tenuki, see ITD Tea Tasting and Tea Tasting
I hope you are all in...you can sign up for receiving samples each month as the hoster will open it up for you to sign up to receive a sample, and in the ITD Tea Tasting thread, you can see which months are available to host. I for one would be signing up for when you host. MMM, Taiwan green oolong!!!
I hope you are all in...you can sign up for receiving samples each month as the hoster will open it up for you to sign up to receive a sample, and in the ITD Tea Tasting thread, you can see which months are available to host. I for one would be signing up for when you host. MMM, Taiwan green oolong!!!
Ya, I saw those, but didn't see the one for March yet or where I could get on the list/join.
Let me think about when to host, I would like to do it right after a spring or winter harvest so we can get some good stuff fresh from the harvest.
Let me think about when to host, I would like to do it right after a spring or winter harvest so we can get some good stuff fresh from the harvest.
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )
Feb 9th, '08, 17:16
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COOL!
Tenuki, pick a month you want to host, if somone has that month, they might be willing to switch with you. I know the December Gyokuro could be another month for instance.
May is pretty set for Shincha...hmmm, for a special Spring harvest event, we could do more than one tea in a Spring month if we need to. Celebrate Spring Harvest event.
But post your interest for hosting a month in the first link I gave you, that thread is near the top of the ITD forum.
BHale will need to start a thread for his month. He will ask who wants to participate. Then you just post if you are interested in order to be signed up.
Tenuki, pick a month you want to host, if somone has that month, they might be willing to switch with you. I know the December Gyokuro could be another month for instance.
May is pretty set for Shincha...hmmm, for a special Spring harvest event, we could do more than one tea in a Spring month if we need to. Celebrate Spring Harvest event.
But post your interest for hosting a month in the first link I gave you, that thread is near the top of the ITD forum.
BHale will need to start a thread for his month. He will ask who wants to participate. Then you just post if you are interested in order to be signed up.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
Feb 9th, '08, 21:49
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07' An Fu Hou
The thing that surpised me the most about this tea was its nice durability. It went 6 very good infusions before getting weaker. I felt that it was a cross between the Mao Feng that Sal sent before and an oolong. It was nice floral and fruity.. Nice acidity and definitely not boring. I enjoyed it!
Don't always believe what you think!
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