Phoenix Mountain Dan Cong Oolong

I had not been in the local Teavana for more than a year, but saw their signage for their Heavenly Tea sale, and thought I would check them out. Most items of my taste were already gone, but the salesperson did a good sell on this Oolong, which was 75% off and did smell fantastic. I brewed up a gaiwan full when I arrived home, and am mighty glad for the purchase.

1st steep: 4 minutes at 200 F, yields a nice amber brew with nice aroma of roasted bamboo. Taste is really surprising. Honey and toasted almonds… a bit like the Honiglebkuchen cookies that I had as a child. Faint wisp of floral notes are there waaay in the background.

2nd steep: 3 minutes at 190 F. Stronger aroma, wonderful flavor. Less sweet, more toasty, and definitely a well defined oolong flavor. Quite surprised by the excellent quality, and beautiful color.

More steeps to follow, and can recommend picking this one up at this deeply discounted price.

So, I’ve had one other dan cong to date and that was from thepuriTea. I loved it but unfortunately came to terms with the fact that it was quite…expensive for my very limited budget.

Still, the dan cong has been my most favorite oolong to date and I really wanted to have one on hand at all times. Enter in that awesome Teavana sale and the dan cong being 75% off and I just couldn’t resist. Even though I had not tried their particular stock, I bought a half pound and hoped it would be good. I got $100 worth of tea for $25, so it was a good deal, if nothing else!

Preparation notes: 2 tsp. per 8 oz. (about 6 ish grams tea total) for 500 ml. water in the Breville at the below parameters.

I must note that these were not the parameters Teavana recommends. I will try it at their parameters next, but for now I went with what I used with thepuriTea’s sample to compare them.

Dry leaf: Smelled very roasted, even a tinge malty. I got impressions of salt water/air, and honey as well. It reminded me of a black tea. The black, needle like leaves were surprisingly unbroken, despite the transport of shipping. So far, so good!

Steeped tea: The steeped tea smelled amazing! It smelled like a roasted green. The taste was roasted and nutty, with a slight hint of a vegetal layered in there somewhere. Really, the nutty and roasted notes take center stage during the sip, though. As it cools there is the slightest whisper of a hint of astringency, but I don’t find it unpleasant and am sure it would go away with a slight decrease in steep time.

The texture of this tea is thick and nectary, with the end of the sip bringing out a kind of honey/sweetness. My favorite part of the dan cong before was that prolonged peachy aftertaste and I was most hopeful that that would be recreated here. While I don’t get peach, I do get apricot, and though the aftertaste was prolonged, it was nutty rather than fruity. I have plenty of this tea to experiment with, though (squee!!!), so I will play around with this to see if it changes.

My overall impression of this is that it was an awesome deal and I’m glad I sprung for it. I probably won’t rebuy it (it probably won’t be available anyway by the time I’m out), but I will definitely be seeking out other dan congs when I have the money.

Yum! My favorite oolong varietal without a doubt.

This looks like a more official post for the dan cong so I’ll be putting the rest of my tasting notes here.
I steeped this a bit long today (~40 sec.). The liquor is a light amber color and has some really prominent honeysuckle notes to it. It also has some interesting nutty notes to it as well. I am really missing the mineral notes that are so unique that were in the Asha Teahouse dan cong. This is a really good dan cong and I can’t wait to try more varieties!

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 12 ounces, boiling
Tool: kati loose tea system 12oz
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vegetal, toasty
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal, slight toasty
Flavor: toasty, vegetal
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: slight astringency
Liquor: translucent dark brown-green

I know I should not use boiling water, but I am at work and busy / lazy / distracted

Resteep:
2 minutes+, boiling, 12 ounces

Usually a little better (less astringency)

This tea puts up with 2+ steeps, boiling water, irregular steeping times and is still consistent and a great drink at work.

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2012/02/teavana-loose-leaf-oolong-tea-phoenix.html

Bought this on a steep (bahahah!) discount from Teavana this new year. Brewed pseudo-Gongfu style in my Finum.

First, I have a cold and feel crummy. I can’t smell much of anything and my tastebuds are somewhat compromised. I just wanted something a bit bolder that might break through all this crap. With that said, I’m not going to number rate this tea until I have a chance to revisit it when I’m feeling well.

I brewed this with just-boiled water, so I gather it was about 195-200ºF, a bit over what was recommended by Teavana. I did a quick rinse and then brewed only for about 2 mins, as the 3 min directions seemed excessive. I’d say I was right. A deep amber color, the tea came out quite bitter, but had a nice lingering aftertaste. Again, I’m pretty shredded from this cold, so what I got was a nice warming full-mouth feel sweet aftertaste that lingered over my palate. It invigorated my dull achiness and gave me some caffeinated life.

The 2nd infusion I rolled things back and went more traditional with a 30 sec steep. The things I liked about the 1st steep remained, but without the bitterness, replaced by a light dryness. I think I’m going to like this tea when I’m feeling better… Hey, I’m feeling better! That’s what I was hoping for with this tea and that’s what I got. Usually a green tea drinker, down deep I wanted something warming and invigorating, without being ridiculous. Check!

3rd infusion continues the theme, and I’m hoping when I do this tea again it will reflect subtle nuances. Had I not brewed the heck out of this on the first steep, I bet I could get 10+ infusions out of this stuff. But right now I’m going to end this review, keep steeping and keep feeling better!

This tea has a smooth body and a unique flavor in my opinion. The leaves of this tea is dark so you can see it was well roasted. I get 4-5 good steepings with different experiences with each cup like it should be. What do I get out of this tea in a nut shell? Well, I get a light sweetness almost floral and a nice dose of a nutty or woody flavor. Picture drinking some hot liquid off of a older darker and rich tree bark that has a flower on the bark too and you are surrounded by a lush full green forest that just brings peace to your surrounding that is how this tea comes off. I would recommend this more for a dark oolong lover or someone that wants to try different teas. I would not recommend paying Teavana’s premium price of $25/ 2 oz but well worth it on sale like it was not to long ago.

The second and third steeping are the best. I have grown to enjoy the roasted and earthy flavor, yet while remaining very smooth.

*Quick Note.

I’ve had this for a while but I don’t drink it too often. I experimented a lot with this tea, as I received a big batch as a gift.

Brewing it Teavana’s way (1tsp per 8oz water at 195F), I found it a little flavorless and uninteresting. I tried brewing it gong-fu style and got a much better result.

Using lots of leaves and short steep times, this tea makes a very interesting cup. The wet leaf smells fantastic, like hot raisins mixed with other dried fruit. The taste is lightly toasty, with sweet (dried) fruity undertones.

I enjoyed this tea even though I feel it’s a little pricey.

Picked some of this up in their sale, for the price it was hard to resist for a straight oolong. Brewed about two and a half teaspoons in my gaiwan. First steep was five seconds, each progressive steep five seconds longer. Did five steeps, I’m sure I could have gotten many more.

This was an interesting drink. It brewed up very dark, despite the short steeps, with a dark golden liquid and a heavy aroma, vaguely vegetal. Someone else compared it to a pear; I wouldn’t say that, but it did have that kind of heavy fruity-planty quality to it. On its own, it was somewhat underwhelming; blended with dried fruits to bring out that natural headiness it could be very good.

Originally given as an imperial tribute, and what a tribute to my tastebuds. The leaves are long and full, a dark brown with a bit of lustre. A stone-influenced scent of honey emanates from the leaves. The tea produces a dark amber liquer, and a strong waft of earthy sweetness arises from the cup. The taste delivers this earthiness, with a nice honey-ish undertone carrying the tea through to a crisp, metallic-sweet finish, reminiscent of a pear.

A note on my time: thirty seconds is much too short for standard teapot-strainer infusion on an Oolong tea. This tea was prepared in a yixing clay teapot, in the gonfu style. I will do another review in my gaiwan, but I doubt it will be as flavourful then.

Got in store prepared by the General Manager.

Tasted very leafy and pretty fresh, similar to fresh spinach. The only problem was that I don’t believe enough tea was used in the preparation as their was very little flavor, though I like my tea strong so who knows.

This was the first tea I bought when I stumbled upon Teavana while vacationing in Florida. I tried the sampler they had and instantly fell in love with this tea. Yes this tea is expensive ($25 for 2oz) but worth every penny. Every time I brew this tea, I find the flavours change very subtly, all depending on how you brew it. If I won the lottery, I’d drink this tea every day but until then, this is a “treat” tea, only having a few cups now and then. According to Teavana, this tea improves with age. Besides tasting amazingly delicious, this pricey tea can be re-steeped several times and will keep you pondering on the many subltelies this tea holds. Go try it for yourself and let me know.

I’m on my 3rd 8oz pot of this this evening. I drank it yesterday as well. It’s my first dark oolong, so I haven’t got anything to compare it to, but I think it’s delicious. At first I thought it tasted a bit phlegmy, but I’m starting to like what I’m now thinking of as the roasted taste. The aftertaste is of peaches. I’ve been using a large teaspoon, almost boiling water, and an initial one minute steep, which I prefer to starting with 3 minutes.

This is my first Oolong. One of my tea drinkin’ friends gave me a small sample.

To me this has a very full mouthfeel. I tend to enjoy teas with such a mouthfeel so I was pleased. The flavor profile was dominated by a nutty note, that was surrounded by a bready note. Not a bit of astringency

I like this enough to drink it again. (And enough to explore oolong as a type of tea) I could drink this on days when the office is a bit too hectic to drink puer (with precisely timed infusions)

This is a great straight oolong, just not quite as good as the Monkey Picked in my opinion. I am definitely enjoying it more than the Six Summits. I actually preferred the second steeping to the first, it was mellow and tasty. I am glad that I picked this up during the 75% off sale, and might go back for more before it goes out of stock.

I decided to revisit this tea at work on Sunday. My tastes have been evolving and I wanted to approach this from a new perspective and with shorter steeps. I wrote this off as too roasted and fragrant nine months and again two months ago during a tasting. I stuck to green oolongs until I discovered Oriental Beauty and even then preferred Teavana’s Emerald Dan Cong and Verdant’s Phoenix Mountain (both of which I need to try again soon). But the two 30 sec steeps I had the other day were roasty toasty deliciousness without being over powering. I can’t say I got peach or floral but I thoroughly enjoyed them and saved the leaves to take home in a cup, but someone pitched them. I have a serving at home saved for a tasting, but will likely revisit soon.

I’ve had several “Dan Cong” oolongs before. This one is very good. It has been well roasted and oxidized with a hint of sweetness. Normally I would have rated it higher but I’ve had a private reserve version of this tea from a different vendor that is far superior.

Wow I’m in love this tea… I can get quite a few resteeps and the taste I can’t describe it but it kinda reminds me of Silver Needle a bit.

I got this a long time ago when it went on sale.

Tastes planty and a bit nutty; I suppose you’d describe it as earthy. Very smooth and calming. It needs to be consumed hot. It gets ultra-gross when it’s even slightly lukewarm.

Maybe I’ll edit this later… I’m not used to this kind of tea and the words aren’t coming to me to describe it.

I absolutely love this tea. It has a sort of oak-ey, nutty, honey flavor. It’s high in umami, and you can breathe in and taste it again after sipping it. It resteeps very well, with the second and third steeps being the sweetest and most savory. The fourth steep starts to get very light, but longer steep times do help.