Da Wu Ye (Big Dark Leaf) Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea

This is a tasty and good looking tea. HUGE crispy leaves, with many of them being quite green.

The dry leaves intoxicate you with a smell of tropical fruit, berries, light roast… The wet leaves and the tea itself emit a powerful mineral and roasted aroma, with spice and orchid notes adding some welcomed complexity.

The taste of this pale tea is very cheerful and uplifting: mineral, spice, pine needles, light orchid and fruit. It is sweet but not overwhelmingly so . The taste is fairly complex and over the course of multiple steepings I was able to focus on different notes. Oh, and it also has a nice evolving aftertaste.

It is a great “pick-me-op” tea and came in perfect on this dreary wet morning at work. This tea does not have any apparent shortcomings or weak spots: not everybody will LOVE it but it will be enjoyable for most tea drinkers.

Good, balanced Dancong with everything I want from this type of tea: the unique floral aroma as well as the sweet fruitiness, enough notes of various other things (spices, sweet potatoes, etc.) to make it complex enough to be interesting and constantly evolving, and the thick, creamy texture that’s probably half of what I love about Dancong (as well as sheng puerh). It’s quite sensitive to what tea to water ratio you use, a characteristic I took advantage of this time by using a smaller amount of tea and varying the amount of water I poured in my gaiwan. Unlike some other more affordable oolongs, it seemed to resteep forever as well. I got over 10 infusions from it today. I’m now out of Dancong, unfortunately. Not sure if I’ll reorder this or try something else first.

Light oolong with an amazing orchid aroma. It is light, sweet, creamy, and floral. This tea is creamy floral goodness in a cup.

Here’s a surprise: I opened the package of Big Dark Leaf and it appears to be filled with big dark leaves! They’re big, twisty, and deep green-brown. Dry aroma reminds me of green beans. Brews a medium yellow, a bit lighter than the Ya Shi Xiang.

Smooth taste with a strong mineral note, green wood, and a bit of half-ripe tangerine rind. Excellent aroma of honeysuckle, citrus, and warm candle. Whereas the Ya Shi Xiang had definite buttery mouthfeel, this tea is more light and clean; maybe watered down milk. There’s a bit of astringency, but practically zero bitterness.

While I prefer roasty-er oolongs, this is a very nice lighter roast and I prefer it to the Ya Shi Xiang.