Snowflake Dancong

I’ve been drinking this Dancong for a while, but am having trouble doing it justice in a review as I find the flavours to be complex and the roast overpowering. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 200F for 7, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

The dry aroma is of honeydew melon, tangerine, orchid, herbs, hay, and roast. The first steep has notes of honeydew, orchid, banana bread, honey, grass, minerals, almonds, cream, wood, and heavy roast. The second steep adds a bit of tangerine and grilled peach, especially in the aftertaste, along with violet and drying roast. Almond, cherry, honeydew, peach, and orchid are more prominent in the next couple steeps, but wow, the tea is drying. It tastes like a mouthful of almond skin. At the bottom of the cup I smell grilled peach and pineapple and some honeydew melon—all of which are things I’d rather have in the tea. The fruit comes out a little more in the next couple steeps, along with honey, other flowers, and some vegetal flavours. Steeps seven and eight have notes of butter, orchids, banana, honeydew, almond, and roast, with lots of astringency. The fruit peters out in the next few steeps, with almonds, wood, honey, minerals, and roast being the most notable flavours.

This Dancong has a lot going on, much of it good. However, the roast is a bit too heavy for me and I can’t get past the astringency. I’ve sent the last few grams of this tea to Derk, who should appreciate it more.

From Leafhopper, thank you :)

Full-figured fruity flavor, smooth spices (clove and wintergreen) in roasty honey, indolic white florals. Mix of green banana and unripe pineapple astringency with cactus bitterness (more feel than taste), neither of which dominates the character. More complex progression than I’m in the headspace to take note of but it’s a natural flow.

Decent aroma (milk chocolate turning Christmas punch), better aftertaste (violets and morphing fruits in brown sugar syrup), some cherry-pineapple burps. Medium-strength muscle-penetrating feel.

Liking this one quite a bit! Fun to experience the range of taste associations but not one I’d often drink.

This is wonderfully aromatic with a good amount of complexity. It’s primarily fruity, lots of florals too. The mouthfeel is almost oily, as usual for Dancong. It tastes best to me with slightly less tea than you’d expect to need flash steeped with boiling water, although it can take longer steeps just fine if that’s what you prefer; this seems to be pretty low on bitterness for a Dancong no matter how it’s brewed.

SIPDOWN:
4.5 grams / 85 ml gaiwan.

Sad to see this tea gone. But it was 50 grams, lasted for quite long (order 18th August 2018). Gone!

Anyway – prepared in gaiwan, quite strong in my opinion. Preheated gaiwan brings floral notes, with hints of honey. 15 seconds – first steep, golden liquor. Velvety taste of floral and honey as well was aromas. I like the smoothness.

Second one was 5 seconds longer. LIquor still nicely golden.
Now little of bitterness comes up. But still very floral, little stonefruits, and little of something I know but can’t recall what is it. But still I am impressed.

3rd. 15 seconds again (previous was too astringent for my taste I guess)
I smelled the wet leaf and I noticed like a peppermint scents. In taste the stonefruits are getting stronger.

Those caramel cookies are bit too sweet.

4th, I think another 15 seconds.
Floral notes hits again. Smooth.

5th
Overleafed I think. No much space for water in my gaiwan. Decided to make long steep. 30+ seconds. And it is good! I was afraid of astringency. Nope. Actually it is maybe even better. I am noticing an energy boost. I don’t know if it si qi or how it is called. I don’t even want to know. It is energy – I do not care what is it called. But certainly I feel something what is going to keep me awake. And I need it.

6th
1 minute+. Last one. Water is gone. I do not care if I can do more. I am happy with this. After sipping, let´s go vote. Then some grocery shopping for lunch. Then studying. Means of transport or Algorithms? I can not decide.
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Peppermint aroma all from wet leaf. I like the wet leaf aroma so much, but none of it come to liquor. Interesting. Yep, as a tea it smells like stonefruits. In taste very mineral.

SIPDOWN! And now. This tea is gone. If you want something good and simple – this is worth. It is quite cheap. And you get 50 grams of tea which you can do in any way you want to. Gaiwan, western, grandpa. All goes well!

Have a nice day :)

Juicy, silky mouthfeel. Nice floral notes with a little bit of a raisin-y sweetness.
Got a good 10+ steepings out of it (lost count though).