Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
This Dancong offers a full and engaging tasting experience. In early steepings, a crisp mineral or stone quality dominates the texture with a rosewood quality on the sides of the palate. Soon, a mouth-watering juicy note of apricot makes an entrance and continues to build up a thicker body for the tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have tried Dancong teas in the past, but I don’t think I’ve tasted one quite like this one.
The first two steepings produced a flavor that is very mineral-y, I can almost feel the minerals on my tongue! This experience was a little jarring – ok, quite jarring – because I found myself having very little to say about those early sips except for the taste and texture of mineral. As I continue to sip, I notice fruit tones – yes, apricot, just as the description suggests.
These first steepings are thinner than I expected from an Oolong, but that is not meant to sound like a bad thing, because I find the texture to be quite interesting, especially the almost grain-y kind of feel on the tongue. The flavor is light but it teases the palate with flavors to come: more sweet, juicy apricot, hints of wood, and a honey-esque sweetness that slowly develops in the background and then begins to wash over the palate with every sip.
With the third and fourth steepings, the mineral texture and taste remained, but it had softened somewhat, allowing for the apricot notes to shine through more distinctly. The sip starts off soft, almost silky, and soon develops a mouthfeel that reminds me a little bit of a Darjeeling tea with its light, crisp quality and dry, somewhat astringent finish. Even with the astringency, I find these steepings to be remarkably soothing, especially at the start with its silky soft (it’s almost fluffy!) presentation.
Later infusions become softer in texture. The mineral-y taste and texture is but a memory, and now I have a tea that is much more like an “Oolong.” That is, much more like what I might expect from an Oolong. The flavor is sweet and slightly creamy. I notice hints of spice and wood which meld together in a taste that I want to describe as “wilderness” – it is as if I can actually taste the “wild” in this wild-picked tea.
Quite remarkable, really, this tea. But really, as Verdant has proven itself to offer nothing but the best, I expected nothing less!
Phoenix Yunnan Gold from Tea Valley
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Valley
Tea Description:
Our Phoenix Yunnan Gold is quickly becoming a favorite in our fine selection. The lasting sweetness in every cup will keep you brewing for more. If you enjoy black teas, this is certainly not one you would want to miss out on.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been busy trying to get my tea stash organized – that’s my only excuse with being so behind on reviewing the teas from February’s Steepster Select box! Of all the months to be behind … February is not the month is not the month I would have chosen (fewer days to get caught up!)
This is the first of the three teas that I’m reviewing, and it is the only black tea of the three selections. This month’s theme is “Year of the Dragon” to commemorate the Chinese New Year. About their choice of this tea, Steepster stated:
The Yunnan Gold varietal uses the robust leaves of classic Yunnan black teas with a healthy portion of young, golden buds. In Chinese culture, the Phoenix is a complement to the dragon, forming both sides of Yin and Yang respectively, and we think the bold, fruity flavor of this brew is a fitting complement to the other teas in this month’s box. It’s a tea for coffee lovers, and it comes to us by way of The Tea Valley, a company founded by a China expatriate named Chaozhou, who returned to his birthplace to rediscover tea and its heritage.
Whatever reason they chose to put this tea in the Steepster Select box for this month, I’m good with it … because this tea is fantastic. It is a richly flavored tea with a delicious spiced overtone. I find that this tea is best served hot, but not piping hot. After it’s had a few moments to cool, the aforementioned spice notes seem to really come alive.
In the above description from the minds at Steepster, they mention that this is a tea for coffee lovers, and I understand where they’re coming from with that statement. It is a very full-flavored tea, quite bold and in that way it is quite similar to coffee. Fortunately, though, this lacks the bitterness that I have experienced with coffee – instead, I get a lovely honey-esque sweet note that I can’t ever recall tasting with coffee.
This is a remarkable Yunnan – deserving of high praise!
2009 First Grade Honey Orchid Phoenix Dancong Oolong from JK Tea Shop
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: JK Tea Shop
About JK Tea Shop:
JK tea shop is established by a group of tea lovers and experts in Guangzhou, China, who are out of love for Chinese fine loose leaves tea, wish to promote Chinese fine tea and tea wares, and share the fun of drinking tea and healthy life styles with all the tea lovers in the world.
JK tea members have been travelling all over tea-producing areas in China for many years, and have become good friends with the tea farmers or tea factories. We guarantee almost our teas are directly from the tea farmers, family workshops or factories, that is why our price is so competitive. Our tea knowledge and expertise grant us the privilege to guarantee the quality before handing the teas to the clients. Besides, located in Guangzhou, where there is the world’s biggest tea & tea wares market-Fangcun tea market, we are able to get into touch with the latest tea information and events at the first line, and share all those events and information with all tea lovers.
Taster’s Review:
I bought this tea some time ago, and it had been inadvertently stashed away with some other teas before I had a chance to try it. I guess I can look at this as a shame that in my carelessness I’ve not tried this earlier, but, I prefer to look at it as I found a hidden treasure!
And what a treasure it is! The thick texture of this tea reminds me of a delicious Chinese Hot and Sour soup. And while this tea does not possess “hot-spicy” notes like that soup would, it does have a savory sour note that arrives at mid-sip. Delicious!
The aroma is mesmerizing! It smells deeply floral with beautiful sweet and savory tones to it. So amazing.
This tea is aptly named. It is sweet like honey, with a beautiful orchid-like overtone. It has a lovely complexity to it. A fruit-like flavor that is both sweet and sour. This is a delight to sip, and the leaves render many delicious infusions.
This is a fantastic Oolong tea. While this tea is no longer available on JK Tea Shop’s website, I urge you to visit the website for 2010’s Honey Orchid Oolong, and be sure to visit often to watch for this year’s Honey Orchid Oolong offerings. You’ll be glad you did!
Classic Phoenix Oolong from Element Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Element Tea
Product Description:
Fine, long-twisted, single-stem leaves provide a light amber-yellow cup that carries a highly fragrant aroma of honeysuckle and almond. This Oolong has a smooth, delicate finish that you won’t forget.
Taster’s Review:
This is an excellent Oolong. Of course, I say that often when it comes to Oolong as they tend to be my favorites. Well, my favorite is actually yellow tea, but, I have Oolong a lot more often because it tends to be easier to locate and a little more affordable. So, when considering these factors, I could easily argue that Oolong teas outshine yellow teas.
But enough of that. There is enough room in my tea cupboard (but not much room! haha!) for both yellow and Oolong teas.
This is a fine Oolong. The dry leaves are very dark and twisted, indicating that these are a deeply oxidized variety of Oolong. The leaves unfurl slowly and submit many flavorful infusions (which means more tea and a better value!) But, something else that is intriguing as the leaves unfurl, they reveal themselves to be a little bit more green than the dry leaf.
The first few infusions are smooth and slightly buttery. There is a nutty essence as well as a sweet, peach-like flavor in the background. There is also a floral quality to this tea.
The description provided by Element Tea suggests a honeysuckle-like fragrance and that aroma translates into the flavor as well, with a pleasant honeysuckle-esque taste and even a whisper of delicious, savory bitterness that introduces itself to the palate at about mid-sip and then seems to be quickly washed away by the sweet, nutty taste. That savory bitterness peaks out right at the finish too, and it is rather enticing!
By the third infusion, I taste a little less of the buttery taste and a little more of the floral note. The nutty flavor is still there, but, it is a little less sweet than before. These changes in taste are what I would call “transitions” – they are gentle and not in stark contrast to the previous infusions.
The later infusions are much like the third. I managed six very flavorful infusions from one measurement of leaves. I chose to brew this tea in my gaiwan, and I think that this is the best vessel for brewing a good quality Oolong such as this.
If you like Oolong … this one is an absolute must try! It has such a lovely, silky texture to it that treats the palate to so many wonderful layers of flavor. I love this tea!