The Hou De one actually took me some time to get right, but I've been pretty satisfied with it since I did get it figured out. Using a glass gaiwan was the big thing, plus lots of heat. Once it's done right it should bring out a very nicely crafted floral aroma that isn't entirely unlike some of Imen's - maybe somewhere in between her commercial grade and her old bush Dancong. Before I got it right it would have a "leafy" characteristic that reminded me of fall leaves and just seemed odd in tea, plus the aroma just wasn't developed right; it's a bit hard to explain but it just wasn't that great. The hardest part about that was that the aroma didn't seem to be lacking, like a tea usually does when you haven't quite got it right and you can tell. It seemed like a fully developed brew, but once I got it right it clearly wasn't before. I guess it's really more of a balance, which lacks some negative qualities when done right. I think that what makes it so hard is the thickness of the leaf; it's definitely not the same as your typical delicate dancong with leaves that show plenty of green after steeping.
I realize this is probably far too late, but in case there's anyone else that still hasn't tried the ginger flower or has some left over, here's Imen's instructions for me regarding the Jiang Hua Xiang (which is another "ginger flower," though I think it has greener leaves than Victoria's):
Imen wrote:High slow pour for all of the old bush dan congs, hit on one spot on the side of the gaiwan. When pouring water from high, you can see the water begin with "solid" then in separate/splashing state. Try to hit the gaiwan at the end of the "solid"state. Use slightly off boiled water for the ginger flower. Use 2 g of leave for practice. I use 3 g for normal brews.
