239 Tasting Notes
At first I thought that the language was a little flowery for this shou’s writeup, but the more steeps I get through, the more I notice that it does taste a bit like pastry and barley.
It starts out dark and woody, with hints of chocolate. As it steeps out, it has a nice, savory breadiness to it. It’s very cozy and warming.
I never did get the vanilla and other things they described in their writeup, but regardless, this tea was a nice way to start the morning.
Preparation
As I’m pulling out Christmas decorations, I’m sipping down some of my oolong samples from my tea friend.
This tea is also dark and a little toasty, which is a nice warming flavor for a winter night. There’s a light floral flavor that, when combined with the roast, kind of tastes like roasted flowers. It works.
What I didn’t care for in this tea was the fruit element. The site says it’s lychee. I wouldn’t know, having never tried lychee. To me it’s that wild kind of funk that is translated by my brain as chemical. It’s tolerable, but not my favorite flavor.
Preparation
Going for a lychee black tea or a Dianhong with that profile is a better idea. Mi Lans usually have a grapefruit thing going on with the honey note.
Grapefruit! That’s what it was! I’ve been having trouble putting words to flavors these days, so thanks.
The joys of tasting notes and the imagination lol
I got a sample of this from a tea friend. That being said, this is not a tea I would have picked out for myself.
The roast and the dark flavors of the tea remind me of a really dark, heavy cereal of some kind, like a brown bread crossed with an oatmeal. Perhaps it’s the cold weather getting to me.
Then there’s another flavor on top of that. I had to look at the tasting notes to get an idea of what I could call it. Rye? Caraway? Something seedy and a little bitter tasting. A kind of odd funk that I can’t quite put a name to. I’m not much of a fan.
There isn’t a touch of astringency for me though, which is nice. It’s a pretty decent, warming tea.
Preparation
Though every Da Wu Ye Dancong I’ve had was different, they always have the weirdest combo of roast and sweet floral that confuses the shit out of my tongue. I mean I LOVE Dancongs, but the Da Wu Ye’s are powerful.
I’m just starting to explore the world of dancong, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about them yet. I think you’re right about the roast/sweet/floral combo that’s confusing. Maybe if it were only two of the three…
Berylleb has a good Dan Cong in my opinion. Andrew is also an awesome person to go to for that selection. The only Yancha’s that I liked from Verdant were the Qi Lan and maybe the Da Hong Pao, but more so the Qi lan. It’s got a nice jasmine like note with the roast. A lot of people do like the Da Hong Pao, though. It used to have a really high ranking on steepster. Otherwise, the only oolong I would get constantly is the Loashan Roasted Oolong.
Believe me, I’m over at Andrew’s practically once a week these days, and since he can’t really brew sheng with me anymore, we’ve been trying different oolongs.
Did you try the Yu Lu Yancha from Verdant? I have it, and the flavor profile sounds interesting, but I haven’t gotten around to trying it yet. I didn’t really care for the Da Hong Pao when I got their 5 for 5 deal. Like the Laoshan Roasted a lot, but what I really love is the creamy green oolongs, like Tea Urchin’s Snow oolong, Jin Xuan, or a good Shanlinxi.
I have not tried that one. Cross my fingers its good. And total same in preferences. And I wanted to try that Snow Oolong, but so expensive (love me some good Gaoshan). I’m lucky that Andrew sent me the awesome Shan Lin Xi that he did.
I had the same feelings about the snow oolong and didn’t get it, but then Andrew invited me over to try it, and of course it was amazing. Thank goodness for Andrew keeping us in good oolong.
The smell of this leaf is soooo strange. Sour zucchini mixed with old books? Luckily I never trust the smell of the leaf being indicative of the tea.
I’m getting a lot of what everyone else is getting: smoke, camphor, and wood. There’s still a bit of that green sheng flavor underneath, but it’s old enough that it tastes like zucchini rather than formaldehyde.
This session was pleasant enough, but I don’t think it’s a flavor I would actively seek out.
Preparation
Another quick review, as this was a sample I brought to work.
The roast, as it usually does, comes out as a nice toasty flavor. The last reviewer was correct though, as the dominating flavor is FRUIT by far. I wouldn’t call it peach. To me, it’s more like apricot and grape skins. Whatever it is, it’s STRONG.
There’s also a pretty strong floral component, that when combined with the fruit flavor reminds me of sitting in an orchard in springtime. Fruit blossoms!
A very nice sample. Thank you tea swap friend!
Preparation
It’s malty and astringent, and when overbrewed or overleafed, turns bitter and biting—nothing new for a hong.
It’s bright and dark at the same time. There’s a bit of an autumnal leaf pile and sweetness that lends to the bright side, with a hint of cocoa lending to the dark.
I think the astringency is a bit much in this tea to keep me from getting any more.
