Xing Ren Dan Cong (Almond)

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
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Caffeine
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Edit tea info Last updated by Geoffrey Norman
Average preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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From Canton Tea Co

In Gonghou village, the tea farmer Lin Songzhu (pictured above) is famed for his expert tea-making skills. His Dan Cong teas are rare, skilfully made and very, very special. We are delighted to have two of his teas this year (this Dan Cong and the Jiang Hua Ginger Flower Dan Cong).

Lin Songzhu carefully selects the right trees on his plantation for this tea – they must be Ju Duo Zai trees around 80 years old. This selection of leaves, alongside his expert and dedicated processing methods ensure the best flavour. The farmer stays up all night to process the tea so that it receives just the right level of oxidation to bring out the natural almond flavour – not an easy process, it can only be done by the most skilful tea makers.

The higher altitude the tea trees grow at, the smaller and thinner the Dan Cong leaves – hence why these leaves are quite tightly twisted. Even after several infusions in a gaiwan the leaves will still be quite twisted – a sign of a high mountain tea processed with extreme skill.

About Canton Tea Co View company

Canton Tea Co is a London-based tea company trading in high grade, whole leaf Chinese tea. We have exclusive access to some of the best jasmine, white, green, oolong, black and authentic puerh teas available. In our first year, we scooped Six Golds at the 2009 Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards. Our Jasmine Pearls won the top three star gold award, endorsing it as the best available in the UK.

5 Tasting Notes

98
348 tasting notes

Today is a day for mustering courage in applying for writing jobs…which requires more writing. There’s only one type of tea I turn to when I need a jolt, but not a “big” jolt – oolong. As if by serentipi"tea", my Canton Tea Club delivery arrived.

Granted, I’d already reviewed it and done a write up for this offering, but it was one I couldn’t help tearing open again. It was almost as perfect as her older sister. That and it was as tart and buttery as I remembered the first time.

If you would like to learn more (as well as see my personal history with Dan Congs), go here: http://www.cantonteaco.com/blog/2012/10/canton-tea-club-week-3-xing-ren-dan-cong/

In the meantime, I’ve got a rant about steampunk to write, and jobs to apply for.

Yay.

Update: The steampunk blog in question, if you want: http://www.lazyliteratus.com/1834

I should…uh…probably apply for jobs now.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
gmathis

Much courage to you! (My perpetual whine is that it’s not fair being a writer in a world that no longer reads.)

KittyLovesTea

Good luck with the job applications :) I believe that writers are important people even in this day and age, if you can write something that inspires even just one person then it’s all been worth while.

Geoffrey Norman

@gmathis – Actually, that’s not quite true. Children these days are reading at a far greater level that most adults over 30. Problem is, I don’t know how to write for young adults…er…yet.

@ch3rryprinc3ss – Thankee, dear. I believe so as well. Or at least, I have to believe it for my own sanity. Heh.

Azzrian

Wishing you all the best on the hunt!

Geoffrey Norman

Thank ya, dear.

gmathis

Good point. Thanks to a librarian buddy, I’m rediscovering YA literature and enjoying it immensely.

Geoffrey Norman

@Gmathis – Anything by John Green is magical.

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92
1379 tasting notes

This is tea number 3 from the Canton Tea Club. The almond in the title is what seriously peaked my interest’o’meter in this one and the longest I could wait before trying it was a day. Congratulations also to Geoffrey Norman for being this weeks special guest. Bravo.

Whilst raw this tea looks like your average oolong, long rolled up leaves of a dark brown and slightly dark green colour with a fresh and slightly floral fragrance.

Once brewed this picks up a slight nuttiness in the smell (to add to the floral and fresh fragrances) and it’s also got a slight sweetness about it. The colour is a light honey colour (yellow but with a slight brown tinge).

The first few sips show sweet floral tones that have fresh and nutty flavours. I love tea’s that taste very similar to how they smell and this is definitely one of them. As for the nuttiness I mentioned above I would say that almond is an appropriate nut to resemble the flavours to as it’s not an overly sweet nut and is somewhat creamy/buttery and so is this tea.

There is some strength to the oolong itself which I believe is a result from using Ju Duo Zai tree’s of around 80 years in age to create this beautiful blend but it’s not as strong as a matured oolong. A strength of something in-between would be a perfect(ish) description.

As I am writing this review my tea has cooled slightly which has brought out some of the sweetness and butteryness and around luke warm temperate now is perfect for me.

In one word this tea is: BEAUTIFUL.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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75
6105 tasting notes

Thanks to KittyLovesTea for a sample of this far too long ago!

Although the leaves look dark, this oolong brews up lighter than expected, and it appears that the leaves are actually kind of a dark green. I think it may have been a poor choice to sip this after Verdant’s Mi Lan Dancong Black, because this tea is lighter and greener, and I’m having difficulty tasting the nuances. There’s definitely a green-oolong-esque aftertaste, and lots of mineral notes to start off… but things get a bit murky in between. I didn’t look, but I assume ‘almond’ refers to notes in the tea as opposed to flavouring; I’m not picking it up, but again, palate contamination. I’ll leave it for a bit and try again.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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