“An Ode to Tea” Alphabet Challenge – X
Catching up again! This is the closest thing to an “X” tea that I have, so here we are. Dancong hasn’t historically been a favorite of mine, but this one came in a Bitterleaf sampler that I ordered a few years back, and I’m willing to give it a chance!
Used 5 grams for about 120ml of 190°F water, and steeped 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 30s or so.
I was surprised to find this not very floral at all. It actually reminded me of a Bai Hao, with sweet honey and syrupy dried fruit notes over a base of crisp autumn leaves. There was a bit of fig, apricot, and golden raisin all rolled into one. I also tasted brown sugar a couple of steeps in, and then it got more leafy and woody for the last few steeps. At one point there was a lovely spun sugar note at the end of the sip.
It was tasty! It lost a bit of complexity as the session went on, but this is also from 2017 so I’m sure it’s lost a lot of its subtleties at this point. I was just happy it wasn’t floral overload! :3
Flavors: Apricot, Autumn Leaf Pile, Brown Sugar, Cotton Candy, Dried Fruit, Fig, Honey, Raisins, Roasted, Smooth, Stonefruit, Sweet, Wood
I think you should get bonus points for having an X on hand!