Da Ma Ye Phoenix Mountain Dancong

I got this one as a sample a few months ago and never reserved the time to try it. Well, I had a lot of free time today and decided to give it a go. It’s funny because I just finished 10 steepings when the mail comes in, I got the reserve month package and this happened to be in there! So, now I have more!

To start off, I used my 3.7oz yixing I dedicated to dancongs. It has (depending on how full of water it is) a 4-8 second pour. So, usually I put the water in and immediately start pouring out.

When I opened the package I was immediately greeted by a wonderful scent! It smelled like juicy grapefruit with wildflower honey, a touch of maple syrup, and the slightest hint of some spice…sweet cinnamon perhaps? There was another note that was predominate, but I couldn’t place. After getting the package in and reading the description, I concluded that it’s the honeydew melon.

The wet leaf smelled roasty, dark floral (orchid), maple syrup, wildflower honey, and fruity. By fruity I mean grapefruit and honeydew.

The first infusion was an explosion in my mouth! There were notes of roastiness, honey, maple syrup, a wonderful juiciness of grapefruit and honeydew. There was an interesting orchid note and creaminess that I can only describe as resembling a tieguanyin.

The second steep was more orchid notes and creaminess with a hint of a vegetal note. This was definitely tasting more like a lighter version of a tieguanyin than anything. There was even a thickness of mouthfeel that lasted well into the aftertaste.

Third steep was super thick, mouth coating.

Fourth and fifth steeps went back to being super juicy, the tieguanyin effect was starting to back off. The fifth steep I started to taste that hint of a spice element..clove? Nutmeg perhaps? It was very faint, so it was hard to tell.

The sixth steep went back to tieguanyin. Then the seventh steep was super juicy! I feel like I’m getting whiplash here!

The eighth steep decided to take it easy on me and was a nice balance between super juicy and thick mouthfeel lasting into the aftertaste. The mouthfeel was coating my entire mouth, but was focusing on the tip and sides of my tongue.

Ninth steep was a huge explosion of juiciness again! It was so juicy it felt like I had just bit into a ripe plum or melon where the juicy runs down your face! There were notes of orchid (as usual), orange and grapefruit, the honeydew, and a hint of clove.

The tenth and final steep I took with this started to go back to tieguanyin. The mouthfeel so thick and heavy. The aftertaste so long lasting. I also got a hint of almonds in the aftertaste with this one. I’m taking a break from it for now since my head is swimming and the bathroom and I are becoming close friends!

Thank you Invader Zim for sharing some of this with me!

I have trouble tasting special tea’s alone. If at all possible, I prefer tasting with other people who appreciate tea as much as I do. I’ll usually taste the tea first, then take the rest for a comparison tasting with other people. It’s fun!

I took some of this sample to share with Joe, Eric, Sam and George while the tea shop was quiet. It had snowed and business slowed down for a few hours. This was perfect timing.

Eric set up a Gaiwan and some small tasting cups, washed the leaves and began pourings. We accomplished 6 steepings with great success.

What amazed me first was the scent of the wet leaves. The aroma almost knocked me off the high bar stool I was sitting on!
Man-o-man this was some strong but delicious scented tea!

Floral, a little savory, orchid, honey. It had little scent droplets with wings that fly way up into your sinus’s and explode like pop rocks! Honest!

I told the tea guys that if I pass out, put the wet leaves under my nose. I’ll revive!

The flavor of the tea was milder than the aroma. Hallelujah!
It had a sweet, juicy floral bouquet with a slight roasted finish. (You can see the light roasting on the edges of the leaves)

There’s orchid…and honeysuckle fading in and out…changing, elusive.
Every steeping was like scarves being pulled off a belly dancer one by one as she weaves and turns mystically around and around dancing to the music… with her eyes enticing you to follow her, hands and feet moving with grace.

An exotic floral taste, one that doesn’t give up after two or three steepings.

Everyone was impressed. Quality tea.

I have some more tea left to drink alone.
Really good tea is something I like to taste several times and savor.

Thank you Invador Zim!

I just wrote a story on my blog called Christmas Eve Call. It’s about a call I got from the Police Department one Christmas Eve.
My children were small and a waitress where I had breakfast had remembered my name when she was attacked in her home…
THERE IS MORE www.teaandincense.com

Thank you to David Duckler & Verdant Tea for this sample!
I’ve actually had this sample for awhile. It was included in one of my purchases, some weeks ago, & today seemed like a good day for sampling. I’ve been just chilling out most of the day, recuperating from all of my early morning gigs & late night tea parties (more on that in a bit). Usually on Wednesdays I have private students from 10 am to 8pm. Today I only had 3. My first student (an adult) came at 11:30, during her lesson we drank Watermelon Xylo (Butiki). After her lesson we hung out for another hour, just gabbing & drinking a pot of Yun Nan Dian Hong Black (TeaVivre). She loved both of those teas!
Then I had some free time to work at my desk, answering emails & phone calls (I bid a new year’s eve gig, and booked another gig for march 2).
I had a student at 4:00. (I polished of the last of my Adagio English Breakfast during that lesson).
Now I’m relaxing with this Dancong. I have another student at 7:30, but for this moment, I have tea.
The initial smell of the dry leaf was vaguely familiar. I had to carry on passive smelling for a few minutes, and then I got it! Hain Carrot chips!! When my children were young, I ran a food coop (for about 17 years actually). Among other things, I often ordered cases of Hain Carrot Chips. They had a sweet toasted carrot flavor & the kids loved them. So the smell of this leaf is mildly sweet & reminiscent of those.

Wet, the leaf continues with that sweet roasted root veggie aroma.

My Formula: 4 G + 4 oz (rinse 2X) + 3 secs = a sunny yellow liquor.

!. Steeps 1 – 4: In order to kick back & relax, I brewed them back to back, and combined them in a little pitcher. The tea has a luscious quality to it, it’s mouth watering, & I’m thinking of a cream of roasted carrot soup, sweet & savory. There is also a floral element.

2. Steeps 5 – 8: These brewings smell like sugar, or some kind of nectar, its a sweet & floral smell. Actually, it kind of reminds me of honeysuckle blossoms. It’s a mild tasting, slightly fruity nectar. My taste buds are taking turns flashing on and off, what I think of as a ‘sparkling’ sensation, that is always followed by a subtle taste of salt, or at least the sensation of it, if that makes sense.
I’m also getting the honeydew melon reference, & it is mildly sweet & mouth watering.