Phoenix Dan Cong is a famous Tie Guan Yin from Guangdong Province. The tea has a high aroma with a different taste between the first sip and aftertaste. Along with the fragrance of sweet potato, an aroma of litchi will also be felt from the liquid. Be aware of the infusion of this tea. If you use gai wan, remember to quickly pour the liquid into your pitcher, instead of a long time’s infusion. A shorter time for the first brew will bring a more wonderful taste because the fruity aroma is stronger by now.
Sample provided by TeaVivre.
My Review:
My first Dan Cong so I am not sure what to expect. The leaf is very dark and looks more like a black tea than an oolong. The dry scent is slightly malty/cocoa with very light roasty notes. I used half the sample in my press. The press was wet from being washed. When I added the leaf it picked up the moisture and became very aromatic. The scent reminded me of the leaves of a tomato plant.
I prepared this western mug style. It steeped for 2 minutes with boiling water. The brew is golden turning darker in the mug. The scent continues to remind me of lightly roasted tomato leaves.
I may have under leafed. It is a bit thin and mineral. I added a bit of sweetener to compensate. That helped a lot. At the front of the sip this reminds me of the Formosa oolong I recently reviewed. The aftersip goes to floral tiguanyin. I can taste just little more than hints of the roasting. This is light, sweet, floral, and only improves as the cup cools. TeaVivre mentions litchi and sweet potato. I am not sure what litchi tastes like but I don't think I am picking up either of these notes. There are some fruity notes late in the sip. This tea has a saliva producing characteristic that is very noticeable. Sorry if that sounds kind of disgusting. It is interesting.
I added more leaf for the second mug by using the other half of the sample. The cup now has much more and bolder flavor. This is such an interesting juxtaposing of flavors. There is the smooth and mild side of a highly oxidized, though lightly roasted, oolong. This meets up with the throat scratching and lingering floral aftertaste of a TGY. This is a very good and interesting cup.
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