Dancong Aria

Sipdowns are piling up and I’m so happy about that :)

I definitely put too much water in this oops.

Very tasty. Tannic without being bitter. Fruity without being sweet. Medium-bodied, but light enough to drink in the afternoon when I so often reach for a green.

Wow now this is a really good Dancong tea that makes me wish I would have gotten a larger size than the sample. Clearly a lightly roasted oolong but the roast is more subtile than with most Wuyi oolongs. This one has a very nice light and sweet fruity flavor to it and a REAL honey sweetness to it that I would actually naturally describe as tasting like honey might have been added when I know it wasn’t on my own without being told that it “is supposed to” taste like honey. Not to mention that this tea holds up very well to multiple gaiwan infusions for me.

Once brewed, the color is a light orange with a hint of pink. The smell is very mellow and at the same time rich with notes of what seems like exotic fruit. Smells nice. :O

After a sip, I’m impressed. It’s definitely flavorful and tastes almost how it smells. It has a unique flavor. As it cools its flavor is more pronounced. Definitely try this out if you’re into oolongs. Easily a new favorite.

This is a delicious tea! There is a definite mild scent to it that is unlike most other oolongs I have tried. I taste florals, peaches, and a definite honey note. I am a big fan, and look forward to the new few steeps!

This is the first oolong I’ve tried and I think I’m in love. Pretty gold color, honey-peach taste, and it resteeps! Something about the taste of this one just makes me smile. It’s complex but very pleasant.

I managed to get a grand total of three cups of this out of one teaspoon, although the third cup was a little weaker than the first two. All three were delicious, though. This tea seems difficult to oversteep. The taste is good both hot and cold—I forgot about my mug while doing some homework, and when I went back to it it was just as delicious cold. The strong herbal smell of the dry tea is my only complaint, but the taste is definitely worth it.

On first steep: I can taste the peach pit and a little bit of the honey but the floral taste really overpowers it. I’ll try for a shorter steep next time, right now it just tastes like bitter flowers.

Do I have the same tea as the rest of the people here? I don’t know. But mine doesn’t taste anything like flowers, or honey or fruit, all I can taste is rubber, burnt rubber… I tried different water temp ranging from 190F to boiling, varied time from 1 min to 3 min, still rubber no matter what I do.

The first cup I had was amazing. It tasted so strong of lychee and honey with the lingering vegetal aftertaste so characteristic of many oolongs. It also had subtle floral notes I’ve had several types of Dan Congs before, so I was excited to see what the second cup would bring.

Much to my dismay, everything I tasted was largely lost the second time around, except a little sweetness with the vegetal aftertaste (which was, of course, significantly weaker). The third cup tasted like water.

I was very disappointed given how expensive Dan Cong Aria is — I’m glad I got only a sample. However, after reading the reviews on here, I’m thinking I should have added more tea. Perhaps Adagio is being conservative on this one.

Brewed a couple cups of this tea this afternoon. Wasn’t expecting much, but was delighted to find a delicious oxidized oolong. A little earthy, a little nutty, a little sweet, and perfect for a winter day up here in Montana.