One question that tea lovers often get asked is “which is your favorite tea?”
“Whatever is in my cup at the moment” I often respond. If pressed, I will narrow it down to 1 of 3- Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess of Mercy), Wuyi Yancha (Wuyi Rock Teas such as Rougui, Shuixian, Dahongpao etc) and Phoenix Dancong (Mi Lan Xiang, Xing Ren Xiang, Huang Zhi Xiang etc). On any given day, the answer could be anyone of these 3.
Some days, the invigorating sweet and sour taste of a traditional Anxi Tieguanyin enchants my entire being. I would enjoy all 7 infusions and swear I will never drink anything else.
Other days, the full bodied robust woodiness of Wuyi Yanchas are simply alluring as I explore its changes through multiple infusions, feeling the bitterness fade into a pure yet smooth sweetness.
Most days though, I find myself pining for the charming multi-faceted bittersweet family of Dancong, more precisely, Phoenix Dancong. Perhaps it is the fact that my mother’s side of the family came from Chaozhou, not too far from Fenghuangshan where Phoenix Dancong is grown, but Dancong has an inexplicable hold on me. Hours after my last sip, I can still recall how it tastes in my throat, the alluring mix of bitter and sweet, juxtaposed against its own respective fragrance.
It could be the mead-like fragrance of Mi Lan Xiang that lingers on my teeth. Or the almond nuances dwelling in the recesses of my tongue after I consumed my Xing Ren Xiang. Or how the cinnamon bark bitterness morphs into a tingling sweetness with the Rou Gui Xiang.
There is scarcely a boring moment with Dancong.
In my opinion, the allure is accentuated even more because Dancong is a finicky customer. It dispels the oft held theory that good tea is always forgiving. You can read more about the Teachat debates here and here.
Unlike a Tieguanyin that I can brew casually and still turn out fine, if I leave it too long, the bitterness in Dancong is overpowering. If the balance of temperature and infusion time is off, the aroma doesn’t come out to the fullest. That’s all part of the fun!
Perhaps that is because Chaozhou is the home of gongfu, where tea locals relish the challenge of extracting the most from the tea. Without gongfu brewing, it is impossible to appreciate all there is in Dancong, at least authentic Dancong. Ironically the lower grade Dancongs are far more forgiving and pleasant to the beginner palate. Delicate and sweet, these teas are artificially scented and it doesn’t take much to get the overpowering aroma to be released in the first infusion. Too bad that’s about all it’s good for. The second or third infusion, there is no mead. Or almond. Or ginger.
The good Dancongs preserve their fragrance through multiple infusions as they continually challenge your brewing technique . From lower water temperatures to shorter infusion times, you find yourself experimenting to find the right balance. One thing’s for sure though, the results are worth it. Do I sound like it’s my favorite tea? You bet, that’s what I’m drinking at the moment.
Maybe next month I will write about another of my favorite oolong teas as I sip it.
Tea photo provided by author
Featured image courtesy of zirconicusso of freedigitalphotos.net
That would be wonderful Derek. I love reading about your observation between the differences of high quality Dancongs and lower grade samples. I can’t seem to wrap my brain around why that happens but it is fascinating to note. I too have found that in general, the higher grade teas are more forgiving when brewing but there are always exceptions to any rule.
Do you occasionally enjoy green or whites teas or are you dedicated to oolongs?
Hi Michelle,
The main reason is a combination of 2 factors:
i) The farmers and producers as well as the local Chaozhou market love bitterness in their tea.
In fact numerous producers told me the way they brew tea for “outsiders” is different from their own consumption since outsiders can’t stand that level of bitterness.
ii) One of the biggest draw of Dancong is in the aroma.
While you can reduce the bitterness as I wrote about here https://www.peonyts.com/why-does-my-tea-taste-bitter-and-what-can-i-do-about-it-a-scientific-perspective/
many a times you compromise the aroma or mouth feel.
It’s harder to get a compromise.
Why this is not true for lower grade ones is that those are mainly made for ‘external consumption’, less bitterness and often artificially scented to produce an aroma that can be easily unleashed but will be gone by the 2nd or 3rd infusion.
As for the second question, I drink/enjoy all categories of tea, in this order of preference
i) Guangdong Oolong
ii) Minnan Oolong
iii) Minbei Oolong
order of i)-iii) may vary based on my mood :)
iv) Aged Sheng Puer
v) Wok-roasted green tea
vi) Taiwanese Oolong
vii) Baked Green Tea
viii) White/Yellow Tea
ix) Shu Puer
x) Steamed green tea
xi) Black Tea
Very interest Derek. I think us Americans have been led away from all things bitter and toward the dangerous flavor of sweetness from high fructose corn syrup. This is created obesity and illness to over 50% of Americans. Our pallets have been negatively influenced. The good news is that we can reawaken our tastes to simple pleasures. I gave up Coke in favor of green tea. It wasn’t an easy shift although it was life changing. It is interesting how a culture would come to appreciate “bitter”. Even those coffee devoted Americans don’t embrace bitter – instead preferring to use a variety of sweeteners to eliminate the inherent bitterness of coffee.
I do like your list of favorites. How interesting each of us is. Our tastes and preferences, be it tea, food, wine or coffee.
Derek, I love it when a post about tea makes me hustle after a cup! Now, where can I get a few grams of these lovely teas?
We do sell it but cost to ship stateside might be prohibitive for you.
Mandarin’s Tea Room and Tea Habitat are 2 highly regarded vendors for higher grade Dancong while Seven Cups would be a good choice for someone starting out.