Please some advice on Dancong

Semi-oxidized tea
brutusK
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Thu May 02, 2019 2:05 pm

Victoria wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 12:59 pm
Might be cheaper to just come to Los Angeles for one of TeaHabitat’s monthly tasting at 25$ for 10-12 teas. She does sell samples of DanCong also. I’ve been to tastings a few times, she steeps her teas Very light, like a whisper.
I hate to say it but depending where people are, flying to LA might actually be more cost effective as you point out :D
LuckyMe
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Thu May 02, 2019 4:36 pm

Part of what makes Dan Cong challenging, at least in my experience, is that its a very finicky tea to brew. It doesn't really do well western steeped or grandpa style. Gotta gongfu and lock in the right steeping parameters.

I've had some exquisite dan congs from Verdant Tea but I usually just buy samples because the top-shelf stuff ain't cheap.
theredbaron
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Thu May 02, 2019 6:17 pm

LuckyMe wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 4:36 pm


I've had some exquisite dan congs from Verdant Tea but I usually just buy samples because the top-shelf stuff ain't cheap.
Interesting. I just ordered a few samples there, also from their Yancha (i won't hold my hopes high though...), and what i found very interesting the traditional rolled Wulong and Tikuanyin - maybe they come close to what these teas once tasted.

Gong Fu style brewing is what i have done the past 25+ years every day, it's second nature by now
Last edited by theredbaron on Thu May 02, 2019 6:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
theredbaron
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Thu May 02, 2019 6:22 pm

brutusK wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 12:33 pm
The vendor recommendations here are on point. I will say though that even within a given vendor, dancong can be hit or miss, even at similar price brackets: having tried a few of the teas at teahabitat I would gladly pay for some sold at 2.5$/gram, but others sold at $2.3/gram are a hard pass for me. And when there's no individual sample sizes, it gets hard to try a lot of these sold only in 1-2 ounce packages :(

Recommendations of vendors are good, but I'd also ask for recommendations of specific dancong oolongs within a vendor too if you aren't interested in dropping hundreds of dollars in sampling an ounce each of a few teas only to find out you disliked half of them.

The problems with recommendations (especially for particular teas), is that taste and experience is very individual. What you may like i may not, and vice versa
For example, a lot of people like Yancha offered here in some popular shops. I have tried most of them, and i do not like the greenish style of roasting and oxidation. I prefer more soldid Yancha (but not roasted to almost death as in Thailand).
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Bok
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Thu May 02, 2019 7:49 pm

LuckyMe wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 4:36 pm
Part of what makes Dan Cong challenging, at least in my experience, is that its a very finicky tea to brew. It doesn't really do well western steeped or grandpa style. Gotta gongfu and lock in the right steeping parameters.

I've had some exquisite dan congs from Verdant Tea but I usually just buy samples because the top-shelf stuff ain't cheap.
Only the low to medium grade is finicky, good quality Dancong is forgiving to brew.
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Victoria
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Thu May 02, 2019 8:49 pm

Bok wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 7:49 pm
LuckyMe wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 4:36 pm
Part of what makes Dan Cong challenging, at least in my experience, is that its a very finicky tea to brew. It doesn't really do well western steeped or grandpa style. Gotta gongfu and lock in the right steeping parameters.

I've had some exquisite dan congs from Verdant Tea but I usually just buy samples because the top-shelf stuff ain't cheap.
Only the low to medium grade is finicky, good quality Dancong is forgiving to brew.
Hmm.. when distilled water is recommended by TeaHabitat for Tong Tian Xiang - Through the Heaven Fragrance and Dao Hua Xiang - Rice Flower Fragrance I’d say that’s pretty finicky. I’m curious @Bok which DanCong you are especially enjoying? Curious, because we both like roasted DongDing/High Mountain oolong and all the DanCong I’ve had so far has been on the light side. Maybe I’ll explore some darker ones.
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Bok
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Thu May 02, 2019 9:45 pm

@Victoria At the moment I am in the lucky and grateful position of having a variety of DC to enjoy, from the very fresh and almost green versions, over light and medium roasted to aged ones. Surprisingly, the greener stuff is also quite powerful and interesting in its own regard. I still prefer the medium roast more. Aged is also quite something, had some extremely powerful experiences, strange for an aged tea not to be mellow, but to the contrary, really energetic!

Milanxiang, Xinrenxiang and a couple of Duckshit. Those are all top quality and difficult to get wrong, nothing finicky, treat them light, push them hard, all the same very nice results.

Daohua xiang and Huangzhi xiang. Those are of what I would say lower medium quality, so more attention needs to be paid, easily bitter (but then I was told that a certain bitterness is what the locals in CZ do crave. Light brewing does not seem to be common in Chaozhou. Still, those teas, which I bought myself in ignorance of better quality (as the ones above). are not terrible, yet compared to the good stuff they clearly are having a lot of faults.

Recently with better DC trained palate I bought a 3x charcoal roasted Beitou Yelai Xiang and got some Xinrenxiang as a gift, these I have not brewed myself yet, remains to be seen how they fare to my benchmark top DC…

Talking to the shop owner/farmer, he said the higher up the teas are grown the less they should be roasted, as not to destroy some of the more delicate fragrances.
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Victoria
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Thu May 02, 2019 10:55 pm

Interesting top choices Bok, I will revisit those, thanks. I've tried your top three from someone coming through LA with family in Fenghuang shan. Unfortunately, they were not top grade, so I'll see if I can try them at a TeaHabitat tasting soon. Regarding what you say are lower-medium quality DanCong -if the price is any indication; the Dao Hua Xiang I have was one of Imen's most expensive DanCong 78$ for 1 oz., and the Huang Zhi Xiang Shi Gu Ping is as expensive as your first two top picks. The Phoenix Shit though is 110$ per ounce.

Here are green DanCong we had at one tasting a few years ago. At that tasting, I bought her Crystal White Long Jing.

IMG_5756.jpg
IMG_5756.jpg (708.5 KiB) Viewed 7141 times
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Bok
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Thu May 02, 2019 11:08 pm

Victoria wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 10:55 pm
Interesting top choices Bok, I will revisit those, thanks. I've tried your top three from someone coming through LA with family in Fenghuang shan. Unfortunately, they were not top grade, so I'll see if I can try them at a TeaHabitat tasting soon. Regarding what you say are lower-medium quality DanCong -if the price is any indication; the Dao Hua Xiang I have was one of Imen's most expensive DanCong 78$ for 1 oz., and the Huang Zhi Xiang Shi Gu Ping is as expensive as your first two top picks. The Phoenix Shit though is 110$ per ounce.
Thanks for your choices in return.

My lower medium was a lot cheaper, but I bought it in China, so comparison will not be helpful. Those I bought in Shanghai, my latest buy was in Guangzhou at a fraction of that price and at what I believe a very good quality (will open a can soon and do some side by side). So economic it was comparable to Taiwanese prices per jin! I think I really got the friendship price due to being introduced by one of his pals...

So I think as for any tea – no matter the xiang :mrgreen: – there are still varying degrees of quality as in most teas. Funnily the guys selling me those teas, was super enthousiast, showing me pictures of each bush we were drinking :lol:

So far my all time favourite so far is Xinrenxiang, not sure if due to the quality of that particular harvest or if it is the flavour in general.
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Bok
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Thu May 02, 2019 11:12 pm

Also I would like to mention that I really do think Chaozhou clay enhances those teas quite a bit! Except the greener versions. Tried it with modern and vintage CZ clay, both feel more balanced and rounded, yet without taking away anything I'd like to keep.

The greener ones actually did well in Hokujo... and Duanni, but that might be a highly personal preference of mine.
theredbaron
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Fri May 03, 2019 5:24 am

Bok wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 11:12 pm
Also I would like to mention that I really do think Chaozhou clay enhances those teas quite a bit! Except the greener versions. Tried it with modern and vintage CZ clay, both feel more balanced and rounded, yet without taking away anything I'd like to keep.

The greener ones actually did well in Hokujo... and Duanni, but that might be a highly personal preference of mine.

Indeed, i find that Chazhou definately enhances Daocong quite noticeably. However, i do think that as compared to Yixing, where older pots are better, vintage Chazhou pots are not a huge advantage, as long as the clay of the new pots is pure.
Lasa
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Fri May 03, 2019 6:15 am

theredbaron wrote:
Mon Apr 29, 2019 5:48 pm
Brent D wrote:
Mon Apr 29, 2019 3:58 pm
I have spent a good amount of time trying to source quality DC. Nothing I have been able to get ever holds a candle to tea habitat. I am currently working my way through about a dozen different samples from hojo, but im afraid Imen has ruined me.
Do be careful when looking for "budget" Dancong. Doping is rampant with scents and chemical flavoring.
There is a group buy that I am working on getting into. Hopes are high :)
Thanks a lot. That seems to be the consensus.
I may be interested in that group buy, would that be from a good source?
Hi. I am kind of new here. Been silently looking at this forum for quite some time. Never posted. I might be interested in getting into a group buy on Dancong too!
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Victoria
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Fri May 03, 2019 6:52 am

Welcome to TeaForum @Lasa. A word of caution regarding DanCong, I recommend you begin your journey with a reputable known source. Because real DanCong is from a single tree or bush and is sought after, there are many speculative vendors lurking around. I suggest you start at the top with this tea. My 2 cents.
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Bok
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Fri May 03, 2019 7:09 am

theredbaron wrote:
Fri May 03, 2019 5:24 am
i find that Chazhou definately enhances Daocong quite noticeably. However, i do think that as compared to Yixing, where older pots are better, vintage Chazhou pots are not a huge advantage, as long as the clay of the new pots is pure.
I think it depends. Vintage or old pots in general see hit and miss, but I agree the majority of Vintage CZ is often on the lower end of the spectrum. Antique ones on the other hand can be exquisite. Same goes for Yixing, old does not necessarily equal better, there is a greater chance, but no guarantee.
Lasa
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Fri May 03, 2019 7:31 am

Victoria wrote:
Fri May 03, 2019 6:52 am
Welcome to TeaForum Lasa. A word of caution regarding DanCong, I recommend you begin your journey with a reputable known source. Because real DanCong is from a single tree or bush and is sought after, there are many speculative vendors lurking around. I suggest you start at the top with this tea. My 2 cents.
Thank you Víctoria. I appreciate the word of caution, it is a good reminder. I have had bad experiences in the past and sometimes it’s easy to forget and get carried away. I do so enjoy Dancong especially Mi Lan Xiang
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