Here’s yet another spring 2018 Dan Cong from Yunnan Sourcing! The name and the low price convinced me I needed 25 g of this last year. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 7, 10, 12, 16, 20, 25, 30, 40, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
The dry aroma is of orchids and jasmine. The first couple steeps have notes of pungent jasmine, orchids, cucumber, green pepper, light roast, herbs, and grass. Subsequent rounds add peach, nectarine, and lavender, although the aroma is stronger than the taste. As Togo mentioned, the aftertaste is long, herbaceous, and persistent. The fruity notes are slight and disappear when the tea cools down. By steep seven or so, this turns into an herbaceous, vegetal, floral Dan Cong with some roast, minerality, and astringency.
This is a good Dan Cong that lives up to its name. If the last part of my gongfu session was kind of boring, it’s a reasonable price to pay for the lovely first steeps.
Flavors: Cucumber, Floral, Grass, Green Pepper, Herbaceous, Jasmine, Lavender, Mineral, Orchid, Peach, Roasted, Vegetal
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It’s been a while since I’ve tried any YS dan congs. From past experience, they are a good value but middle of the road in terms of quality. I haven’t come across any truly exceptional ones.
To be fair, I chose dan congs from the lower end of the price spectrum, so the more expensive ones might be commensurately better. Also, their Bai Ye black dan cong is amazing if you like sweet potato teas, and I’ve enjoyed their Ba Xian and Bai Ye oolongs as well. Where do you get your dan congs?
Yeah I’ve mostly had the budget Dan Congs at YS as well. I’m sure their pricer stuff is better but I hesitate to buy without sampling first. I’ve had some very good Dan Congs from Verdant. Their high elevation Mi Liang Xian, Ba Xian, and Xing Hua Xiang were really exquisite. Luckily they have samples which makes it easier to try a bunch of them.
I feel the same way. I don’t want to pay $1 or more per gram for Dan Congs if they aren’t fantastic. I’ve always meant to order from Verdant, so might have to give them a try.
It’s been a while since I’ve tried any YS dan congs. From past experience, they are a good value but middle of the road in terms of quality. I haven’t come across any truly exceptional ones.
To be fair, I chose dan congs from the lower end of the price spectrum, so the more expensive ones might be commensurately better. Also, their Bai Ye black dan cong is amazing if you like sweet potato teas, and I’ve enjoyed their Ba Xian and Bai Ye oolongs as well. Where do you get your dan congs?
Yeah I’ve mostly had the budget Dan Congs at YS as well. I’m sure their pricer stuff is better but I hesitate to buy without sampling first. I’ve had some very good Dan Congs from Verdant. Their high elevation Mi Liang Xian, Ba Xian, and Xing Hua Xiang were really exquisite. Luckily they have samples which makes it easier to try a bunch of them.
I feel the same way. I don’t want to pay $1 or more per gram for Dan Congs if they aren’t fantastic. I’ve always meant to order from Verdant, so might have to give them a try.