Mi Lan Xiang Dan Zhu 2017 No.525

Thank you so much for adding this sample from my request!

This Dan Cong is good. I followed the Gong Fu style they suggested fairly strictly, and started off with a 3 second rinse, and followed through with a 3-5-5-7-8-9-12-12 pattern.

The dryleaf reminded me of incense. It was woody like dragons blood or sandelwood, but it was unpronounced like bamboo. The tea still had that ripe peach aroma that Mi Lan’s usually have.

Drinking it was interesting. First steep had notes of hibiscus and passionfruit, and it was a little bit woodsy. The flavor was still ripe, almost like a good quality sheng.

The following one had the same notes, but more texture. It was creamy and sweet like guava, and the wood note, maybe almond, was a little bit more pronounced mid sip. Mild astringency came through.

Third (fourth if you include the rinse which I TOTALLY drank) yielded guava, hibiscus, pollen, almond, and then a weird pineapple note in the finish. I usually don’t get that, but it was sweet and sour.

The next one had more dimension. Peach became the flavor this time with a woodsy peach seed in the background, and a little bit more nutty. The texture was more creamy, and ended with a mineral hint in mouth feel. The bitterness came through a little bit, and again was pleasant.

The next one went back to hibiscus, peach, guava, mineral, and slight bitterness.

The second to last one was surprisingly sweet-grapefruit, mineral, honey, and some things that almost reminded me of candy, or the salty rim of margarita.

The final brew was floral, a little bit bitter, creamy, and fruity.

Again, the company’s description was accurate, though it was not as nutty as I would personally describe it since the fruit notes were a little bit more dominant in flavor. Nutty notes were a little bit more in the aftertaste, aroma, and texture. I was very pleased with this tea overall, but I would say it’s the kind of tea you need to devote a session to. It does require some effort in how you brew it because it can get a little bit sour, but it’s very pleasing. I recommend a try of this one if you know anything about Dan Congs. It’s a little expensive for me personally, but I am glad I got to try it.