Need advice on brewing Dancong

[ABx]

Dancong was one of the things that originally got me hooked on oolong because it was one of the first to make me think: "wow, I didn't know tea could be like that!" After I started getting into gaoshan, baozhong, yancha, good greens, and others, however, I started seeing dancong as a being uncomplex and generally unexciting. I had even gotten a sample of Jing's higher quality dancong and didn't really see much of a difference so I gave it to my mother along with enough other samples to completely overwhelm her (oops).

Then came the buzz surrounding Imen's blog, her notes about brewing dancong, and the "big name" bloggers started posting some great reviews of various dancongs. These things made me realize that I probably wasn't brewing them to their full potential, and in retrospect I was still pretty new to tea when I gave up on dancong. I also later got the Rou Gui dancong from Grand, that's a bit more like a really intense baozhong or gaoshan (thick and floral, rather than fruity), and I've been pretty impressed with that.

I ended up getting the sample from Jing's back (I know that makes me an awful person, but she did get overwhelmed after all), and there's at least one in the box from the oolong box pass (which is now in my possession) and I want to give it another shot.

So I was wondering if any of you guys were previously indifferent about dancongs but finally got that cup that blew you away, perhaps with the tasting back in February? If so, how did you finally get that great brew?

I found the original tasting thread from the February tasting and Imen's instructions on brewing, which I will go over, but I know she gave someone some advice that's not in the blog post (e.g. letting the leaf/gaiwan cool down before the next steep) and I'm sure that someone found some parameters on their own. So... any hints you can pass along? How about brewing vessel? I'm kind of thinking of a (thicker) porcelain gongfu teapot or a yixing gaiwan, but I've got at least one of just about everything.

Also, did you find Imen's to be significantly better than any of the others out there; i.e., should I not get my hopes up until I can get some from her?

[Salsero]

You might want to post an edited version of this outside ITD since there are some sophisticated tea peeps out there who won't see this one.

[scruffmcgruff]

The dancong I've had from Imen has been better than everything else I've tried, but I haven't tried many so that's not saying too much.

[hop_goblin]

All of the Dancongs I have tasted have been good. As for brewing, I think you are on the right track in regards to the brewing vessle. I never thought of letting the leaves cool down but his makes sense considering that Dancong is a very aromatic tea and if the leaves and vessle get too hot it may cause the aroma to dissapate.

[Mary R]

Hrm...that triggered something in my head.

I bake a lot. And I learned that the stuff tastes best if I can work a recipe so that the thing is done just before I can smell it. You know that stage where your whole house smells like brownies? That, but three minutes prior.

I suspect the same goes for dancong. You've got to work the temperature of the vessel and water so that it's just right to bring out the fragrance, but not enough to spend it.

But I don't know what I'm talking about. I haven't so much as touched an oolong in an age.

[ABx]

Could be. With most oolong I've actually found the aroma to be enhanced when brewed as hot as I can get it, meaning preheating all the teaware including the cups. Imen talks about hitting it very hot at first and then using cooler temps in later infusions. Perhaps it's a matter of pulling out too many volatiles after the initial infusion and "using them up."

You know that stage where your whole house smells like brownies? That, but three minutes prior.

I would imagine that has to do with the fact that it continues cooking after you take it out. That very well could be the case with tea as well; I know that a lot of times when I brew oolong leaf that has been sitting out overnight it tends to lack a lot of the aroma and body/texture that it has when it's fresh(er).

I haven't so much as touched an oolong in an age.

Gasp!

What are you drinking these days? I hardly see you talking tea anymore. (Though I don't pay attention to TeaDay, so you could be mentioning stuff there and I wouldn't know.)

[CynTEAa]

I haven't so much as touched an oolong in an age.

EEEEP!

[Mary R]

What are you drinking these days? I hardly see you talking tea anymore. (Though I don't pay attention to TeaDay, so you could be mentioning stuff there and I wouldn't know.)

Well, these past couple weeks have seen a lot of root beer and lemonade...and the tea front hasn't exactly been of the highest caliber. I'm trying to save money because of the move and future student salary, so my tea budget has drastically shrunk. Right now, I mostly drink genmaicha, earl grey, and random samples I got ages ago. Sometimes I can't remember what they are, so I mix them together for Mystery Tea.

This just isn't standard Tea Nerd protocol, so I've been staying out of the strict tea discussion because I don't think I've got much to contribute. Sorta why I stopped the blog, too. It was hard to get enthusiastic about writing up the flavored Ceylon I was drinking while everyone else was cooing over a really great sencha.

Oh noes! I has a complex!

[chamekke]

This just isn't standard Tea Nerd protocol, so I've been staying out of the strict tea discussion because I don't think I've got much to contribute. Sorta why I stopped the blog, too. It was hard to get enthusiastic about writing up the flavored Ceylon I was drinking while everyone else was cooing over a really great sencha.

Most mornings I feel the same way, because hubby tends to make me a cup of PG Tips and that just doesn't sound right

But you could blog about the experience of having to use up what's left, or how it feels to be drinking your flavoured Ceylon when what you really want is sencha. Many of us could relate to that! (I'm in a between-orders, ravenously-drinking-up-all-my-sample-sizes stage myself.) And if any of your Mystery Teas blends turns out to be tasty, I think we'd all like to know about it.

[Pentox]

What are you drinking these days? I hardly see you talking tea anymore. (Though I don't pay attention to TeaDay, so you could be mentioning stuff there and I wouldn't know.)

Well, these past couple weeks have seen a lot of root beer and lemonade...and the tea front hasn't exactly been of the highest caliber. I'm trying to save money because of the move and future student salary, so my tea budget has drastically shrunk. Right now, I mostly drink genmaicha, earl grey, and random samples I got ages ago. Sometimes I can't remember what they are, so I mix them together for Mystery Tea.

This just isn't standard Tea Nerd protocol, so I've been staying out of the strict tea discussion because I don't think I've got much to contribute. Sorta why I stopped the blog, too. It was hard to get enthusiastic about writing up the flavored Ceylon I was drinking while everyone else was cooing over a really great sencha.

Oh noes! I has a complex!

Egads we need to get her some real tea STAT!