212 Tasting Notes
So glad to be back at Dobra Tea in Asheville! This was where my passion for tea started. It was the first time I tried high quality loose leaf tea and immediately fell in love with it :). This one is quite nice. By the feel of the tea, the steeping temperature seemed around 160 F. I would brew this around 120-140 for longer infusion times. I wonder if it might be even more to my liking with that method.
My first time trying a Kabusecha and I definitely see how it is like a hybrid between a gyokuro and sencha. Medium sweetness, no bitterness or astringency, and a very fresh and umami profile overall. Went about 4 infusions.
Wet leaves: Vegetal, umami.
Taste: Sweet, vegetal, grass, umami.
Flavors: Grass, Sweet, Umami, Vegetal
Might be an off day for my palate? This is one I was anticipating enjoying quite a bit. 25 seconds for first steep, 30 second, 55 third. Just not getting much flavor out of it honestly. Think I need to try again another time. Will hold off on final judgement until then :).
UPDATE: Tried some again the following day and BOOM. Flavor hit me this time for sure! Adjusting my rating appropriately. My palate was not feeling it yesterday. Weird how that happens! I didn’t adjust brewing parameters or anything.
Anyways, this is mostly tropical fruit in smell and flavor and I love it! Not as rich as the Fushou Shan, but still fairly rich. Great value for the price. Would be interesting to do a side-by-side brew of this and the one from Eco-cha. Hard to say which one is better at the moment tbh.
Mild sweetness, no astringency or bitterness. Longevity is 4-6 infusions. Mouthfeel is creamy and rich. Notes shift more vegetal in the later infusions.
Harvest: Spring 2023
Cultivar: Qing Xin
Location: Shanlin Xi
Elevation: 1200 m
Dry leaf: Sweet
Wet leaf: Papaya, sweet, tropical fruit
Flavors: Sweet, vegetal, papaya, pineapple, tropical fruit, cream, floral, coconut, honeysuckle, creamed spinach.
Flavors: Coconut, Cream, Floral, Fruity, Honeysuckle, Papaya, Pineapple, Spinach, Sweet, Tropical Fruit, Vegetal
This one is better Western, and Eco-Cha’s can be better gong fu. The last few times I’ve had Eco-Cha’s I’ve actually preferred this one because of it’s bright energy. Eco-Cha’s can be more floral, and previous crops were fruitier, though recent crops from 2020 and 2019 and 2018 for me were more floral/vegetal.
Decided to give WFT a chance to redeem themselves, and boy did they! This tea is UNPARALLELED. There are simply no words strong enough to describe it’s beauty.
The color of the brew is clear, crisp, transparent and lime green like a gemstone. The flavor is perfectly balanced with excessively sweet and long aftertaste. High sweetness, no bitterness or astringency. Flavor is incredibly rich. Easily the richest flavor of any unroasted oolong I’ve tried. Longevity is about 6 infusions, but they are golden infusions infusions ripe with flavor.
This is PEAK Taiwanese oolong. I would drink this everyday if I could afford it. Just absolutely perfect and right up my alley! I am ecstatic to work my way through the rest of these samples (assuming they are all as I ordered them ;)) and see what other gems WFT has to offer.
Also this is the 100th tea I’ve tried and reviewed on Steepster! Quite fitting that I am rating it 100/100 then :).
Harvest: Winter 2022
Location: Fu Shou Shan
Elevation: 2500 m
Cultivar: Qing Xin
Dry leaf: White sugar, fruity, stonefruit
Wet leaf: Vegetal, orchid, floral
Flavors: Peach blossom, floral, fruity, vegetal, white sugar, sweet, grassy, spinach, rich, fresh, papaya, egg.
Flavors: Egg, Floral, Fresh, Fruity, Grassy, Orchid, Papaya, Peach, Rich, Spinach, Stonefruit, Sugar, Sweet, Vegetal
Well…this isn’t right. I ordered this tea, but I wanted it unroasted. Instead, they sent me the roasted version. I looked at my order on my account and I did indeed order it unroasted. Kind of disappointing that they messed up part of my first order. Anyways, it’s still pretty good. I will try not to let that part taint my rating of this tea.
No bitterness or astringency. Definitely a light roast, but the flavors are still predominately dark. Mild-mod sweetness. Mouthfeel is unremarkable.
I think given the strong coffee notes in this tea, and my dislike of coffee flavoring, it is not the tea for me. However, I can see how many people would find this tea quite enjoyable. Certainly a high quality tea.
Harvest: Spring 2023
Location: Bilu Xi, Renai Township, Li Shan
Elevation: 2300 m
Cultivar: Qing Xin
Dry leaf: Roasted, toasty
Wet leaf: Same
Flavors: Coffee, chocolate, nutty, tiramisu, sweet
Flavors: Chocolate, Coffee, Nutty, Roasted, Sweet, Toasty
First of seven samples from Wang Family Tea (WFT). Everyone seems to ooh and ahh over this company, so I wanted to check them out for myself. I am quite impressed with this tea! It’s incredibly refined, clean, and elegant.
No bitterness or astringency. Medium-high sweetness. Aftertaste is long and sweet, lastnig 1-2 minutes at least. ONLY downside is it doesn’t have the greatest longevity in the world. Intensity dropped off after the first 2-3 infusions, but it was still very good. Lasted 6-7 infusions. Might fool around with temperature, steep times, and intervals on future sessions :).
This tea is from Cui Feng, which is a mountain in the Li Shan area, but not Li Shan itself.
I am very excited to try the rest of the samples I got! This one is pretty phenomenal! I could sit there and smell it for hours on end. Some of the most complete and prettiest leaves I’ve seen too. This is a great value as well, coming in around $0.50/g.
Harvest: Spring 2023
Location: Cui Feng, Nantou County
Elevation: 1800 m
Cultivar: Qing Xin
Dry leaf: Papaya, cream.
Wet leaf: Vegetal, floral, orchid.
Flavors: Sweet, cream, floral, fruity, orchid, citrus, melon.
Flavors: Cream, Floral, Fruity, Melon, Orchid, Papaya, Sweet, Vegetal
After a redeeming bowl of matcha, I decided to get back to it and give the last of my Verdant Dancong samples a taste. My first Ya Shi, or “duck shit,” oolong I’ve tried. As the story goes, this varietal scored it’s name because locals who discovered it thought it was so good, they wanted to give it an unpleasant name so no one else would want to try it!
No bitterness or astringency with moderate sweetness. Mouthfeel is very thick and jammy. Aftertaste is lemon tingly with a whipped cream fullness.
Like its namesake, this one rose from the ashes of inadequacy brought about by the first two samples I tried today! More complex, better mouthfeel and aftertaste, and just generally a more pleasant experience. I do wonder if all of these three samples, which were a year+ past production date, may have been significantly better when fresh.
While I have yet to be convinced that any other oolongs can match the consistent quality, crisp cleanliness, and price-to-quality ratio of Taiwanese oolongs, Dancongs seem to have a wider variety of flavors in my limited experience. Can’t wait to try other examples from different vendors :).
Harvest: Spring 2022
Varietal: Ya Shi
Location: Wudongshan, Guangdong
Elevation: 600 m
Dry Leaf: Floral
Wet Leaf: Floral, gardenias
Flavors: Cream, butter, floral, lemon jam, citrus, sweet, thick, whipped cream, sour.
Flavors: Citrus, Floral, Gardenias, Honey, Jam, Lemon, Pleasantly Sour, Sweet, Thick, Whipped Cream
This one is just okay. I wanted to like it based on the first few infusions, but it lost steam pretty quickly. Mouthfeel and aftertaste don’t stand out. Mild bitterness. No sweetness or astringency. Best part is the smell of the leaves. Looks like a light roast. The varietal, Da Wu Ye, means “Big Dark Leaf.” the leaves are quite whole with very few bits. I went about 7 infusions.
Not a very complex tea overall, but not bad per say. Not a great showing for Verdant or Huang Ruiguang today. Oh well…
I need some matcha rn haha.
Harvest: Winter 2022
Varietal: Da Wu Ye
Location: Wudongshan, Guangdong
Elevation: 600 m
Dry leaf: Juniper, lilac, floral
Wet leaf: Sage, pine
Flavors: Floral, lilac, sage, pine, vegetal, bitter.
Flavors: Floral, Lilac, Pine, Sage, Vegetal
I was just thinking I could use some matcha too. Must be the changing of the seasons
I was wondering whether to order some Dancongs from Verdant eventually, and this doesn’t help with my decision! Do you have any favourite affordable Dancong vendors? (I know about Tea Habitat, but they’re not exactly in the affordable category.) The only decent one I’ve found so far is Wuyi Origin.
I’m about to have a bowl right now! Need some smooth, intense flavor after some weaker teas this AM haha.
Oooo I wish I could be of more help. I don’t have a ton of experience with Dancongs honestly. Only tried a handful and all have been from Verdant! I really did like the Mi Lan Xiang as well as the Huang Zhi Xiang I tried yesterday. I do want to try some other vendors soon like Wuyi Origin and eventually Tea Habitat (as a gift probs haha), but haven’t gotten around to it. If you want, I could send you 6 or 7 grams of the Huang Zhi Xiang to help you decide what you think! Could just be we have different tastes and you might like the ones I didn’t haha. DM me if you want a sample :).
Also have an unopened 5 g sample of their old tree wulong dancong that I accidentally double purchased if you want to try that one! It was pretty good, but I think not my style as much.
If you like Taiwanese teas I LOVE the Wang Family. https://www.wangfamilytea.com/
They are on my list to try next for Taiwanese oolongs! They seem very popular in the tea nerd community. Have seen some reviews saying they maybe dont last very many infusions though. Have you found that?
Wang Family Tea is excellent! I think most of their teas have good longevity, though if you do longer steeps, you might not get as many.
I guess it just depends on how many you are wanting to get out of it. I generally just don’t last long these days foe my sessions
Ugggghhhh this is the first bad tea I’ve had from Verdant. I figured if I sampled enough of their teas, I’d find one eventually. This is just very watery from the start with minimal flavor. Not even worth going past the 4th infusion. Jin Lan translates to “sworn brotherhood.” I swear that I will never drink this tea again.
Harvest: Spring 2022
Varietal: Jin Lan Xiang
Location: Wudongshan, Guangdong
Elevation: 1000 m
Flavors: Floral, thin, roasted, bitter, watery.
Flavors: Bitter, Floral, Roasted, Thin, Watery
Very unique smell and flavor! Orange blossom descriptor on the website is spot on. Actually everything about this tea is orangey. Should this be surprising? No. This tea varietal, Huang Zhi Xiang literally translates to “orange blossom fragrance.” What an apt name and another super intriguing tea from Verdant!
No bitterness or astringency. Trace sweetness. Strangly warming at first, with a cooling and refreshing aftertaste. Mouthfeel is crisp, zingy, and juicy. Aftertaste is tingly like you just bit into an orange and lasts 4 minutes at least (I timed it haha). Quite the sensory experience! Longevity is 6-8 infusions.
Really a wonderful tea. Is it worth $0.80/g? I think the opportunity cost is quite high there. I’ll stick with their Mi Lan Xiang for now. Curious to see if the other Dan Cong samples I ordered can hold a candle to that one ;).
Harvest: Spring 2022
Varietal: Huang Zhi Xiang
Location: Wudongshan, Guangdong
Elevation: 1000 m
Dry leaf: Orange blossom, roasted.
Wet leaf: Orange blossom.
Flavor: Orange blossom, orange, honeydew, sweet, brown sugar, floral, toasty.
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Crisp, Floral, Honeydew, Juicy, Orange, Orange Blossom, Roasted, Sweet, Toasty
Surprisingly good Rou Gui from Verdant! Far superior to my tastes to the Rou Gui I tried from OWT. Still would not purchase more of this at the price, but it is certainly easy to drink and very warming and kind to the soul.
Mouthfeel is fairly thick, sparkling, and mineral. Aftertaste is more a smoky/hazy feeling left in the mouth after swallowing. Quite fascinating really, as the only similar mouthfeel I’ve experienced is with Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong oolong (also Verdant). Mild sweetness. No bitterness, or astringency.
This one comes from the Li family of Wuyi. The plot of land on which this tea grows is fairly natural and interspersed with wildflowers and such.
Verdant’s oolongs continue to impress. This one is just less my style I think. I’d prefer a dong ding if I’m seeking these vibes from a tea. But I’d never turn down a few cups of this tea as it is objectively exquisite.
Harvest: Spring 2023
Varietal: Rou Gui
Location: Wuyishan Ecological Preserve, Wuyishan, Fujian
Elevation: 600 m
Dry leaf: Nutty, Brazil nuts, pecans, roasted
Wet leaf: Bitter nuts
Taste: Pumpkin seeds, pecans, nutty, roasted, smoky, coffee, pecan pie filling, sweet, cinammon, mineral.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Coffee, Mineral, Nutty, Pecan, Pumpkin Seed, Roasted, Smoke, Sweet
