Dan Cong

Dan Cong (the pureitea) from Quiltguppy-
Dry: rich scent of nectarines, lush fruity sweetness
Wet: yuzu, grapefruit pith, citrus, osmanthus
Leaf: long twisted, oxidized-umber hued leaves that when steeped, blushes evergreen and somber.
Cup: With a luminous, grapefruit yellow-green liquor, this Dan Cong resembles the Elegant Beauty I purchased a while back, but without the deep reddish veins and leaf color. The aroma is distinctly nectarine and the first steep offered a cup that was very flavor complex, with citrus notes ranging from grapefruit, to orange pith, to Japanese yuzu. Sweet and fruit fleshy in its texture, it rolls across the palate with a citrus pith like flavor that never manifests as expected bitterness and instead keeps bringing fruit to mind and remains sweet and lush. The first steep is fresh and lingering, citrus flavor dance around the palate. The second finds the sweetness slithering next to the notes of grapefruit, but another flavor begins to elusively assert itself. By the 3rd steeping, yuzu and osmanthus flavors begin to meld in the front, separating in the linger, allowing osmanthus to fill the mouth with floral and exotic aftertastes. I admit in the first extraction, there was a creaminess that I harkened to Thai durian pudding (without of course the ‘distinctive’ and ‘acquired’ taste profile). I can see this sitting well next to dishes spiced with galangal, orchids, or Szechuan peppercorns, or served next to chilled lychees.
Brewing: used 3g in a traditional 8oz Taiwanese gaiwan, steeped in 195 degree water for 3-4 minutes, with extraction times increasing and water temp cooling with subsequent extraction.
Thank you so much for sending me this lovely sample. It was a beautiful and unexpected gift!

**I definitly see how the influence of the Wu Yi area and pheonix oolong traditions filter into this tea and I imagine the mineral content of the soil is giving this tea its unusual complexity. I don’t know if I agree with the bittersweet chocolate/walnut descriptions, but can imagine that the teas profile with change with time and storage.

This tea was OK. Not bad just not exactly what I was looking for. Dan Cong is my favorite kind of tea and I don’t see the need to scent it with osmanthus. My infusions were actually 40 sec but I couldn’t get the slide bar on the right number.

I got a chance to revisit this with purified water and a higher leaf to water ratio with a shorter steep time. Yay!

It was definitely sweeter. I got more of the woodiness and less of the fruit, but the flavors were consistent through the entire taste, whereas before I was mostly getting an aftertaste. I thought I tasted some citrus as well, but more like the aftertaste of a lime than the lime itself. Then again, I’ve been thinking everything tastes like citrus recently.

Definitely a yummy tea! Mild and smooth and lovely in the afternoon.

Dayum this one smells good. Not the deepest or most mystifying Dan Cong in the land, it is VERY fruit forward with a pleasant dryness reminiscent of cheap white wine (Franzia Chablis?). Not much bottom end and the aftertaste is somewhat medicinal though still very nectarine.

Spend a lot of time just taking in the dry and wet leaf aromas and the deficiencies in taste will seem minor. I kind of like box wine anyway.

Received a CONDITIONAL 85 on WTR. This dan cong has been infused with natural osmanthus flower. It is not an osmanthus oolong varietal with inherent osmanthus notes.

The difference between the 2 is like an actual rose and a flower that has been scented with rose oil.

This is not a negative reflection on thePuritea company as a whole. Their updated product description for their dan cong provides clarification.

The leaves do have a distinct aroma. Abundantly apricot, and subtle cocoa. The dark gold brew aroma is reduced, more of a roasted apricot. Flavour is woody and sweet. As it cools, woody taste dominates, and astringency increases.

4.4 g tea (1/2 of sample order size)
12 oz water

The aroma from opening this tea immediately smelled rich. It steeped to a dark golden yellow. This tea flavor wise does not seem to pack a punch. It is complex. There seem to be some woodsy elements. I can sense the nectarine in the description a bit. There is a slight astringency on the tongue that i felt tighten. Then It carries a pleasant aftertaste for a bit.

After a few drinks, i’ve paired with a blueberry scone (wegmans) and it has paired nicely. The scone has completely cut out that bit of astringency. Overall this was a pretty good cup.

This is my first Dan Cong, so I do not have anything to compare it to.
When opening the package I was blown away by the aroma. I was worried that it might be too overwhelming in tea form, but it was very nice. I can see why so many people are drawn to this tea. I would recommend this one to any oolong lover.

Thanks to Kat_Maria for a sample of this in our swap! I can’t figure out dan cong oolongs. I know they’re supposed to have some kind of fruity taste, but all I can taste is a robustness that reminds me of English Breakfast teas and some pepperiness. Well, even if my taste buds are broken, I really enjoyed this tea. I think it would be nice for mornings when I don’t want a black tea, but still want something strong.

wow, very strong lychee fruit taste with a bit of nuttiness/woodsiness. didn’t expect to like it (i usually don’t like fruity teas), but surprised myself.