Guang Dong Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea

I’ve been experimenting with this Phoenix Oolong the last couple days, brewing it both Western and Gong fu style. Either way, I found it to be very tasty with a deliciously fragrant aroma. When brewed in a gaiwan with a lot of leaf, I got multiple steepings, and picked up on honey, floral, and nectar-like notes as I went along. Teavivre’s instructions are to use 10 gm with 3 oz water at 212 F, with a quick rinse, then 2-3 second steeps for the 1st 4 steeps, then increase time slightly with subsequent infusions, good for more than 12 steepings.( I modified Teavivre’s instructions a little and used my 7 gm sample in 4 oz water),with good results. I have run out of time, so haven’t made it to 12 infusions, but thus far, am very happy with this oolong. My husband is the bigger oolong drinker, as I lean more toward blacks, but I anticipate re-ordering this since this is one we both like it a lot.

This sample was generously provided to me by Angel from Teavivre. Thank you so much!

I love dan congs, but I don’t love how every single one has had different steeping parameters. It’s so strange because theoretically these are all leaves from the same tree, you know?

Anyway, the recommendation for this one was boiling water, and I’ll try that next time, but it just seemed like that would be too tough on these leaves so I went with thePuritea’s recommended parameters, which are below.

Dry leaf was long and spindly, and had that trademark seaweed/salt air scent that I love. Reminds me of Tybee Island – which was where I grew up. My childhood summers were pretty much spent sunburned and water logged, and I loved every second of it. I don’t really miss the community down there, but oh, I miss the ocean. It’s been hard being landlocked these past few years and I hope to eventually have a coastline near me soon!

The main reason I’m going to try the recommended parameters is that the cooler water yielded a surprisingly thin steeping. Not as nectary, or as peachy as my other dan cong experiences. I didn’t get much of the lingering fruity aftertaste, either. It wasn’t overly bitter or astringent, it just…wasn’t what I’ve gotten used to a dan cong being. So I’m going to hold off on rating for now until I try it with boiling water.

But even while it wasn’t in top form, it was still fabulously relaxing and nostalgic…and I bet once I actually follow directions it will be perfect!

1 1/2 tsp for 8 oz

Beautiful aroma, gorgeous light gold liquor. Medium oxidized and not roasty. It has a lovely, fruity flavor.

Only downside was quite a bit of astringency in the finish. I’m going to try a lower temp next time to see if that goes away. Also, there was quite a bit of dust/fannings in one of my sample packets. It must have been the bottom of the bag. I will infuse just the larger leaves next time.

This is a type of oolong right up my alley! Not too green, not charcoally. Perfect when I want something a bit lighter than a black.

Giving this sample a go today, as I am out of milk right now. Thanks to Angel at Teavivre for sending me this one to try…she knows I like oolongs.

My first attempt, I think I let the water cool too much, and possibly under-leafed this as well. I got a much lighter and thinner liquor than I was expecting. I’m tasting something though, but I am unable to put my finger on it. It seems possibly fruity or buttery or brothy but maybe a little of it all?

Although I have a second steep coming, with hotter water and more leaf, so I can compare then if it was my steeping parameters or not. Water had cooled a few minutes (maybe 5?) and I did a 3 minute steep. this current steep I am using just boiled water and a 2 minute steep. We will see.

I am very intrigued by this tea though. The leaves are long, thin, and spindly…and the colour is a dark green with a slight purple tinge to them, I think. Someone said seaweed, and I think that is a good descriptor.

http://campl.us/gyF5P8XSsKq

What do you think?

EDIT FOR RE-STEEP:

So I used more leaf, hotter water, and less steeping time and I got a stronger brew. I’m not sure if that was for the better or not. I feel like I have gone in the opposite direction now and it is too strong a steep. I feel like I need something in between. I’m not getting sweet potato, but I am getting a saliva inducing feeling in my mouth. I am still tasting something fruity, but I am not sure. It doesn’t seem peachy to me, but someone mentioned grape, and I think maybe I am getting a raisin note, or plum or tart cherry, because I am getting a little bit of astringency with the juicy mouthfeel. There is a little smokiness too, I think, along with a mild floral note.

I think that I need to play around with the steeping parameters on this one still, to get the optimal balance of flavours I am looking for.

Thank you so much Angel for this sample!
I think we’ve been through the drill. I love dan cong. I love that I have 3 different company’s versions of this tea right now because I could possibly do comparative tastings.
The leaves of this tea are smaller than the other two brands; not that this is a bad thing. It has this interesting grape smell when I opened the baggie. After a ~1.5 min. steep the liquor is a light amber/hay color. It smells creamy and grape-esque. Oh this one is soooo good! It has notes of florals, honey, and fruit. It is an excellent dan cong and I’m guessing short steeps would bring out even more of these great flavors. This is right up there with Teavivre’s milk oolong.

I really love Dan Cong oolong teas. This one is no exception. I love this tea. The first steep was a bit difficult because it brewed a deep golden amber very quickly. So, it was a little bitter. The flavors weren’t that pronounced. The second steep, on the other hand, was beautiful. It was a light honey color. The leaves smelled delicious like peaches. I love the fruit and slight floral tones in this tea. The lower the temperature, the better tasting this is. It has some roasted and warm components to it. This is a darker oolong.

This is a great tea that can withstand several steeps.

Purchased some time ago, this is another tea I own that I forgot to leave a review.

First steep: tasting a lot of qualities that I expect from this type of oolong. There’s this kind of sweet-astringent flavour, slightly floral aroma, and the satisfying creaminess of an oolong.

Overall I enjoyed the tea. It’s nice to drink something besides tie guan yin when I want an oolong. My personal preference is to use a bit more leaf than I usually do for ball style oolongs.

Steep parameters:
500 ml glass mug, 3 tea spoons, 3 minute steep

Drinking this right now, after a long morning of cross-country skiing and walking (it was amazing!)

As this is an oolong, I expected a strong and bold taste, but got a very humble and fragrant tea instead. I suppose it’s too smooth for my liking, maybe not even strong enough, though I steeped it for a long time. I think it would work really great as a base for some kind of blend, but alone it’s not interesting enough for me :(

I will drink the remaining sample with great pleasure, but I don’t think I’ll order this one. Have a nice week everyone!

I’m supposed to be getting sweet potato out of this? not happening. It kinda tastes like a weed. Well, not that I know what a weed tastes like really, but you know…

It’s a tolerable drink, but the flavor is a bit boring. Oh well. But thank you moraiwe for giving me the opportunity to try this!

EDIT: as this cools down. I think I might be getting some of that sweet potato. Still not exciting though ヽ（´ー｀）┌

The processing seems to have treated the leaves well—they look nice and the “roasted” aroma is light and adds nicely to the overall scent. The dry leaf aroma is clean, of dried fruits, and slightly floral. This dan cong reminds me a great deal of Jing’s phoenix dan cong, with higher levels of florals and less pronounced peach notes in the liquor’s flavor. Smelling the wet leaves after the first steep takes me back to my early days of drinking loose leaf teas (Jing’s phoenix dan cong was one of my first). Hints of guava mixed with the regular floral and wood-charcoal aromas. At this point, the leaves are still tightly raveled, but reveal that characteristic green/red/brown coloration dan congs tend to have.

The liquor possesses a nice, light amber/peach liquor coloration, becoming progressively darker into the middle steeps. Always very clear, though. Excellent liquor aroma: sweet, floral, hint of inoffensive charcoal. Body is smooth with faint sparkling characteristics.

When it comes to the flavor, I have noticed that fewer leaves treat the brew better with this tea. When I really load up the gaiwan, I have difficulty finding balance between bitterness and flavor, even with cooler water and extremely short steep times. It was either way too bitter, or there was no bitterness paired with no complexity as well.

Anyway, when the parameters were acceptable, the flavor really shined. The first few steeps were sweet and buttery, with nectar and honey flavors and an aftertaste of peach. Astringency was minimal if steep time was in check, and a nice kuwei, or throaty bitterness, was present in the second and third steep. Yet, as with many dan congs, the infusions of this one become dull, flat, but very sweet, after around the fourth or fifth steep. At any rate, this is certainly one of the better “generic” dan congs.