Discontinued. Similar tea available.
“I liked this at the parameters I used initially, the ones recommended by thepuriTea. But Teavana’s steep parameters are slightly different, so I thought I’d give it a try just as an experiment. ...” Read full tasting note
“I had not been in the local Teavana for more than a year, but saw their signage for their Heavenly Tea sale, and thought I would check them out. Most items of my taste were already gone, but the...” Read full tasting note
“This looks like a more official post for the dan cong so I’ll be putting the rest of my tasting notes here. I steeped this a bit long today (~40 sec.). The liquor is a light amber color and has...” Read full tasting note
“Steep Information: Amount: 2 tsp Water: 12 ounces, boiling Tool: kati loose tea system 12oz Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes Served: Hot Tasting Notes: Dry Leaf Smell: vegetal, toasty Steeped...” Read full tasting note
The name ‘Dan Cong’ means ‘one bush’ and follows a special process in which each tea tree is harvested and processed individually. Every tree produces a unique type of fragrant leaf, which are then fermented only on the edges giving the middle part of the leaf a natural, fresh taste. This exceptional Oolong tea becomes more complex and improves with age. The flavor begins with a roasted honey taste and ends with lingering floral undertones. Originally the tea was only given as an Imperial Tribute.
Picked some of this up in their sale, for the price it was hard to resist for a straight oolong. Brewed about two and a half teaspoons in my gaiwan. First steep was five seconds, each progressive steep five seconds longer. Did five steeps, I’m sure I could have gotten many more.
This was an interesting drink. It brewed up very dark, despite the short steeps, with a dark golden liquid and a heavy aroma, vaguely vegetal. Someone else compared it to a pear; I wouldn’t say that, but it did have that kind of heavy fruity-planty quality to it. On its own, it was somewhat underwhelming; blended with dried fruits to bring out that natural headiness it could be very good.
Originally given as an imperial tribute, and what a tribute to my tastebuds. The leaves are long and full, a dark brown with a bit of lustre. A stone-influenced scent of honey emanates from the leaves. The tea produces a dark amber liquer, and a strong waft of earthy sweetness arises from the cup. The taste delivers this earthiness, with a nice honey-ish undertone carrying the tea through to a crisp, metallic-sweet finish, reminiscent of a pear.
A note on my time: thirty seconds is much too short for standard teapot-strainer infusion on an Oolong tea. This tea was prepared in a yixing clay teapot, in the gonfu style. I will do another review in my gaiwan, but I doubt it will be as flavourful then.
Got in store prepared by the General Manager.
Tasted very leafy and pretty fresh, similar to fresh spinach. The only problem was that I don’t believe enough tea was used in the preparation as their was very little flavor, though I like my tea strong so who knows.
This was the first tea I bought when I stumbled upon Teavana while vacationing in Florida. I tried the sampler they had and instantly fell in love with this tea. Yes this tea is expensive ($25 for 2oz) but worth every penny. Every time I brew this tea, I find the flavours change very subtly, all depending on how you brew it. If I won the lottery, I’d drink this tea every day but until then, this is a “treat” tea, only having a few cups now and then. According to Teavana, this tea improves with age. Besides tasting amazingly delicious, this pricey tea can be re-steeped several times and will keep you pondering on the many subltelies this tea holds. Go try it for yourself and let me know.
This is my first Oolong. One of my tea drinkin’ friends gave me a small sample.
To me this has a very full mouthfeel. I tend to enjoy teas with such a mouthfeel so I was pleased. The flavor profile was dominated by a nutty note, that was surrounded by a bready note. Not a bit of astringency
I like this enough to drink it again. (And enough to explore oolong as a type of tea) I could drink this on days when the office is a bit too hectic to drink puer (with precisely timed infusions)
This is a great straight oolong, just not quite as good as the Monkey Picked in my opinion. I am definitely enjoying it more than the Six Summits. I actually preferred the second steeping to the first, it was mellow and tasty. I am glad that I picked this up during the 75% off sale, and might go back for more before it goes out of stock.
I decided to revisit this tea at work on Sunday. My tastes have been evolving and I wanted to approach this from a new perspective and with shorter steeps. I wrote this off as too roasted and fragrant nine months and again two months ago during a tasting. I stuck to green oolongs until I discovered Oriental Beauty and even then preferred Teavana’s Emerald Dan Cong and Verdant’s Phoenix Mountain (both of which I need to try again soon). But the two 30 sec steeps I had the other day were roasty toasty deliciousness without being over powering. I can’t say I got peach or floral but I thoroughly enjoyed them and saved the leaves to take home in a cup, but someone pitched them. I have a serving at home saved for a tasting, but will likely revisit soon.
I’ve had several “Dan Cong” oolongs before. This one is very good. It has been well roasted and oxidized with a hint of sweetness. Normally I would have rated it higher but I’ve had a private reserve version of this tea from a different vendor that is far superior.
This is just not my cup of tea. I had my first cup of Phoenix Dan Cong at my friend’s home. My impression of his Dan Cong from Guangzhou was an orchid aroma with a hint of honey followed by an intense, long-lasting aftertaste. I decided to give Teavana’s Phoenix Mountain Dan Cong Oolong a try and the result was rather disappointing.
I followed their exact brewing instruction of 1.5 tsp for 8 oz of water at 195 F for 3 min. The infusion was flat—- nothing close to the complexity I tasted from my friend’s no-brand Dan Cong. I tasted roasted vegetables and a very mild hint of licorice. The aftertaste was soft and only lasted for a few brief seconds.
I decided to give it another try and brewed a new batch for an extra 30 seconds (3.5 min). Astringency increased but the taste and aroma remained the same otherwise.
