I bought several Dancongs from Wuyi Origin in 2023 and have been trying them sporadically ever since, hoping the roast would fade and the underlying flavours would emerge. Based on the dry aroma, I’m not sure that waiting has been successful for this Dancong or for most of the others. I steeped 6 g of leaf in 120 ml of 195F water for 7, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 seconds, plus some long, uncounted steeps.
The dry aroma is of charcoal, roast, hay, wood, orange, peach, and flowers. The first steep has notes of charcoal, roast, hay, wood, cream, orange, and peach. The peach is actually a little more noticeable than it was last time, including in the aftertaste, though the roast predominates. The next steep adds honey, orchid, minerals, and a bit more peach. With steeps three to six, I get more charcoal and roast, although there’s still a peachy aftertaste. By steep seven, I taste more florals and citrus, with mineral, roast, and wood. Subsequent steeps are quite roasty and tannic but with notes of hay, wood, peach, orange, orchid, violet, and grass. The final steeps fade into hay, roast, wood, minerals, tannins, and vague peach.
I may have spoken too soon when I said the roast on this tea wouldn’t fade. I definitely taste more peach and orange than the last time I tried it, though the roast is still prominent. I think this is a solid, high-quality Dancong that’s still too roasted for my liking.
Flavors: Charcoal, Cream, Floral, Grass, Hay, Honey, Mineral, Orange, Orchid, Peach, Roasted, Tannic, Violet, Wood
