Dancong

[ryancha]

I've been lurking here for years, but finally decided to get an account and contribute to the discussion.

Dancong is one of my favorite teas, but I see relatively little discussion of it either here or on blogs. On blogs especially, puer seems to rule the day; but even on Teachat, DC is rarely mention vs Wuyi, Taiwanese, etc. (It seems like DC was more talked about in earlier years of the forum.)

Why is this? I presume part of it is due to the price of high quality DC, yet it seems that plenty of people are spending good money on even more expensive yancha.

In terms of vendors: What do people make of Teahong vs Teahabitat? Has anyone tried Teahong premium Song at $2.50/g? I also wonder what vendors I am missing out for the best DC besides Teahabitat and Teahong. Any opinion's on Hojo's DCs? Other places people highly recommend?

[debunix]

I have only tried a handful of Dancong teas, and while I've enjoyed some from other vendors--particularly a Song Zhong from Norbu, and I can't honestly remember the other teas or sources, but it was probably fewer than half a dozen--those from TeaHabitat have been a cut above the rest. The others were fine oolongs, but did not have the same intensity of floral quality as the TH offerings. I have not tried DC from any other DC specialist vendors, however, .

[BioHorn]

There are surely quite a number of DC drinkers on the forum. I just opened up a bag of Hojo Mi Lan Xiang. Am brewing it in an hour of so.

Imen at TeaHabitat (http://www.teahabitat.com/store/) is a wonderful vendor and a real asset to the community. She is currently offering 20% off. You cannot go wrong with her teas. (Try buying what she says are her favorites!)

I have not bought from TeaHong.

Hojo has some great DC. It comes at a premium. I recently brewed his 2011 top grade DC. It was the real thing. From my limited experience with true old bush DC, it does not get bitter when pushed and brews for days on end.

I have found that you do not need to spend a mint to get a pretty good idea of what is going on with DC's. Some regular grades can still make a nice complex fruity/floral energizing brew. Just do not push too hard. (http://www.teahabitat.com/store/index.p ... ucts_id=50)

[BW85]

I love dancongs. More of a summer tea for me though. I get most of my dancongs from teahong. Looking forward to trying the newer selection, but it will probably be a couple months before I get around to ordering. It's bitter cold here where I am and all I want to drink now is high fired or aged teas

[ryancha]

Biohorn - How would you compare Hojo vs Imen's DC quality?

BW85 - I hear you about cold weather. Why, it is a cold and foggy 58 here.

[BW85]

BW85 - I hear you about cold weather. Why, it is a cold and foggy 58 here.

Ah that sounds great... A few days ago here we had a high point in the afternoon of 5°F ... Though today is surprisingly nice at 40°

[mganz42]

I particularly enjoy the dancong from Jing Tea Shop. It's interestingly enough in their red tea section because it's grown in wu dong rather than chaozhao.

[mganz42]

I too find it odd that we don't talk about dancong more because it's the signature tea of the region in which gongfu cha was developed (and in my mind the tea with which one can have the best traditional gongfu experience)

[BioHorn]

Biohorn - How would you compare Hojo vs Imen's DC quality?

BW85 - I hear you about cold weather. Why, it is a cold and foggy 58 here.

I thought Imen/TeaHabitat personal stash and Hojo's single tree top grade were comparable. I would maybe give Hojo's a bit more of a nod, but it is really apples and oranges (or magnolia and orchid blossom ) Both brewed well for days and days.

Keep in mind these teas, in my personal opinion, do best with 2-3 years of rest before drinking.

As I write I am drinking Hojo's Mi Lan Xiang (2013.01) It is quite good and probably better value than the top grade for the money. We are at 17% humidity outside. I left the tea on top of the humidifier for a few hours and it really opened up!

[the_economist]

The first mindblowing tea I had was a Fenghuang Shuixian from TTG.

[BW85]

I particularly enjoy the dancong from Jing Tea Shop. It's interestingly enough in their red tea section because it's grown in wu dong rather than chaozhao.

Mount wudong is where most high end old tree Dan Cong comes from. Chouzhao is at the base of the mountain I believe?

[ryancha]

mganz - Jing's Milan AAA is what first got me hooked on DC. I had not noticed, however, there red DC until now. How does it taste vs a regular DC?

BioHorn - thanks for the recommendation on Hojo's teas. I just might be placing an order there soon.

The_Economist remarks on TTG... why is it that all the most rarefied online teashops close? (Imen being an exception?) I did get the chance to try some of TTG teas, but I totally missed Origin Tea. Then there is the Mandarin's Tea Room, which I guess is still open? though its website doesn't seem to have changed for years.

As to why DC doesn't get more attention over here... MarshalN suggests on his blog that DC is an inferior tea compared to puer, at least if you focus on its aftertaste. I'm not a big puer fan (I can't get past the flavors--I've rarely met one I liked, wet or dry), so I can't comment on his claim. In any event, maybe tea connoisseurs gravitate, as MarshalN suggests, to teas with stronger aftertastes. On the other hand, this type of claim reminds me of those in the wine world who claim that big reds are really where it is at, that drinkers go from enjoying easier whites to forsaking them for the true land of reds...

[Tead Off]

Doing a search on Teachat will bring up some interesting discussions of Dancong if you have the patience.

For me, it's hard to compare one type of oolong to another. A lot depends on the drinker.

I haven't read MarshalN's blog stating that DC is an inferior tea to Puerh. I do know that most drinkers will have to go through a large quantity of Puerh to find one that they will be able to say, wow, this is good. Arguably, there is probably more bad Puerh than any other tea out there.

Regarding aftertaste or finish, a good Puerh will have a long lasting one. So will Wuyi teas and high end Japanese sencha, gyokuro, and temomicha. Some DC's will also have it, but hard to find. Each tea has its own world to explore.

[ethan]

Tea that costs > $10 an ounce will keep me out a discussion about it. Perhaps quite a few others won't be spending 10, 20, or 30 dollars for an ounce of tea.

Pu-erh seems to entail what one might call a hope or dream factor. One buys a tea of unknown quality for patience & care, i.e. aging the tea, to yield wonderful tea. He gets to enjoy years of anticipation ....
To spend a modest amount of $ but eventually get a fantastic tea-- is something to talk about.

Nonetheless, I like to take a minute here to remind us all, that alerts to discounts, good deals, & organization of $-saving group buys are useful though perhaps more mundane.

Cheers.

[BioHorn]

mganz - Jing's Milan AAA is what first got me hooked on DC. I had not noticed, however, there red DC until now. How does it taste vs a regular DC?

BioHorn - thanks for the recommendation on Hojo's teas. I just might be placing an order there soon.


As to why DC doesn't get more attention over here... MarshalN suggests on his blog that DC is an inferior tea compared to puer, at least if you focus on its aftertaste.

I am sure MarshalN would agree that variety is the spice of life. And that how a tea makes one feel is quite important.

Certain Phoenix DC can make me feel quite focused and able to concentrate better than without it. That is one of the reasons it is a favorite.

You should try the TeaHabitat tea side by side with Hojo's. It is quite interesting!