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This is yet another review I have put off posting for some time. I have been sitting on this one since mid-late July, but oddly, this was a review I was looking forward to posting. Aside from the fact that I kept finding older reviews I needed to post and ended up prioritizing them, I did not have much reason to keep this one waiting in the queue. I know that Verdant Tea’s Dancong offerings get a bit of a bad rap these days, but honestly, I did not find much wrong with this one. I cannot say that it was one of the best Mi Lan Xiangs I have tried, but it was very good nonetheless.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 208 F water for 6 seconds. This infusion was chased by 14 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of orchid, honey, lychee, and citrus. After the rinse, I detected stronger orchid and honey aromas as well as more defined scents of pomelo and candied orange peel. The first infusion then brought out some woody scents as well as aromas of caraway and baked bread. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered notes honey, wood, baked bread, and orchid that were chased by a pleasant creaminess. The subsequent infusions brought out aromas of violet, roasted almond, and cream on the nose. Notes of candied orange peel, pomelo, lychee, and caraway belatedly appeared in the mouth along with interesting impressions of sandalwood and wholly new notes of minerals, malt, violet, roasted almond, pear, caramel, and grass. The final few infusions offered notes of minerals, malt, cream, roasted almond, and wood backed by caramel and grass impressions.

This was not all that deep of a tea, but it was very pleasant and easy to drink. I could see it making a fine introductory Mi Lan Xiang or a very nice daily drinker if the price were a little lower. I loved the way the honey and orchid aromas and flavors popped in this tea. Check it out if you are looking for a more approachable Dancong oolong.