Phoenix Dancong by Aroma Tea House
Oolong Tea / Straight
$8.00 for 20g
First Impressions
Phoenix Dancong came to me in a foil and plastic resealable bag. The name of the tea appears on a bright, printed label with little other information. The back has the address for Aroma Tea House. The aroma of this tea reminds of roasted nuts – a mix of cashews and chestnuts come to mind. It has a deep, roasted aroma that is quite pleasant.
The leaves of Phoenix Dancong are beautiful – there are some beautiful long, wiry leaves that are reddish-black in colour. Phoenix Dancong is a straight oolong tea. I wasn’t able to find it on the Aroma Tea House website, but this tea comes from Guangdong Province, China.
Preparation
I opted to do an initial steep of Phoenix Dancong at 195°F (90°C) for 2 minutes. If you ever get a tea and you’re not sure about steeping times and temperature, or this information isn’t provided, you can use my steeping guide.
First Taste
Phoenix Dancong steeps to a golden orange. The aroma of the tea has a slight nuttiness that reminds me a lot of the dry leaf. The flavour of nut with a mild sweetness, it does continue to remind me of having a bit of toasted flavour. I found with a 2 minute steep, there is a slight astringnecy that is at the tail end of each steep. The astringency isn’t off-putting though, and gives it a layer of complexity that works well with the toasted flavours.
A Second Cup?
I resteeped Phoenix Dancong six times (seven steeps total), adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. The flavour stayed fairly consistent throughout with the toasted nuts flavour, and the sweetness did disappear by the second resteep. The astringency did get a little bit more pronounced with each steep, but it was still tasty.
My Overall Impression
I resteeped Phoenix Dancong six times (seven steeps total), adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. The flavour stayed fairly consistent throughout with the toasted nuts flavour, and the sweetness did disappear by the second resteep. The astringency did get a little bit more pronounced with each steep, but it was still tasty.
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