Fenghuang Dancong Oolong Tea Honey Rhyme Mellow Grade One

The last of my free samples from AprTea. Thanks so much! These types of oolongs are usually tough for me to describe, but I’ll give it a try. The leaves are dark and twisted, but wide, with a red/purple tinge to them. The flavor is certainly very sweet with a caramel note, almost like a minty cooling feel after the sip. There is also a roasted flavor, not too much but noticeable. (The roasted flavor might be why I don’t gravitate towards teas like these, but it is pleasant enough here.) Almost a starchy quality too. The flavor is definitely CARAMELIZED something or other. It’s very much like maple syrup over roasted maple leaves, if I had to describe the flavor. With the third steep, the roasted flavor is mostly gone and I’m left with an incredibly sweet and smooth drink. I don’t think this one can be oversteeped, and I think I could have kept steeping past three mugs. If I had to stock up on this TYPE of tea, it’d probably be this one. Though again, I don’t have much experience with these types of oolongs because they aren’t my favorite. But this was certainly an enjoyable tea drinking session.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug // 11 minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min

Dry leaf aroma is not very strong and mostly roasty, with some floral and black bean notes in the background. After the wash, the smell becomes a bit sweeter. The aromas I get are maple syrup, green bell pepper, honey, cranberry, must, cookies, freshly cut wood and rosehip. It is not the most pungent smell, but the complexity is there.

Tastewise it reminds me of a mix of cider, rosehip tisane and dark roast coffee. The aftertaste is more floral, I get hints of thyme, lavender and honey. Overall it has a tad too much roast for my liking. One other aspect, where I feel this tea is lacking is the mouthfeel. Even with crushing a bit of the leaves (my standard practice for Dan Congs by now), the infusion is fairly thin.

This is a decent Dan Cong for people on a tighter budget or everyday drinking. If what you are looking for is complex aroma and roasty taste, then you will probably find the price/quality ratio adequate.