When I first got this tea I was troubled by it, as it didn’t seem to have the notes that Dragon Tea House had described. This afternoon I decided to steep it in the gaiwan at around 190f.
I did a quick rinse and then put the hot water over the tea for the shortest time possible, about 10 seconds, before pouring it into the cup. It definitely has an orchid aroma; very floral. The flavor of the tea itself is nice. It is slightly woody and slightly almondy. I am getting the tropical fruit notes in the finish which are nice. The finish ends on a definite sweet note and reminds me of a light pineapple/mango. In that vein, it has a similar flavor to a few ff darjeelings I’ve had over the years.
I wouldn’t say I’m a dancong oolong expert by any means. But, I think I prefer the honey orchid dancong because of the sweeter flavor. This is a little lighter on the sweetness and is more delicate.
I got a bit more brave after steeps & 3 and 4 to steep it for 20 seconds. Now I am picking up a bit more of the roasted and honey-ish notes, though they are subtle.
After steep 6, the flavor is still going strong but I gave up on it. I wouldn’t say this tea is above average, but this is also my first snow orchid tea, so it’s difficult to know. I am going to try giving this the cold brew treatment as something tells me it would make a super yummy cold brew.
I think every Dancong I’ve had has come from Verdant. That’s sobering. :/
I had one of theirs I didn’t care for… I can’t remember which one.