Honey Mole - Feng Huang Dancong, Wudong Mi Lan Xiang

I’d really thought I had this before but there is no tasting note so I guess maybe not. That or Steepster is pulling another disappearing act. However, today I had it during a gong fu session before class. I used exactly 4 grams and as soon as the water hit the leaf, it gave off a very strong oolong scent. Unfortunately, the first few steeps were so strongly mineral flavored and drying that I dumped the first out and had to push to get through the rest. After the third steep, I gave up. I will try this western style or perhaps only use the recommended 2 grams because as it was, I was not a fan.

An Earthy Chinese tea that tastes like a black tea. I guess I was hoping for a sweet/plum-like oolong with a bit of a roast. Maybe this is 90% oxidized, but I swear this tastes like the many golden tippy Yunnan blacks I’ve tasted. There is some sweetness, but mostly a leathery/Earthy flavour. I would have liked more sweetness or something floral/fruity.

Dancong especially Milan Xiang at its best should be very thick, with a full body and a very tropical fruity profile and this is exactly what this fellow combines and even more. This again is by far one of the best Milan Xiang I’ve ever had. I tried many but not as fragrant, full bodied and so well balanced composed as this one. A masterpiece of its own. Mango, passion fruit a hint of pineapple a slightly nutty accent of sweet roasted almonds and pumpkinseeds a good amount of sweet ripe peaches and a nice sugary sweet aspect of cherry blossom hi-chew (Japanese fruit gums). This profile really lets your Dancong heart beat fast as a Speedster! This is the miracle of tea! This fellow keeps his strength of taste for at least three steeps after that a nice bouquet and liquor is still pleasing your tasting buds but with a slightly greener lighter touch to it – the tropical fruit note is now more noticeable within the long fragrant aftertaste

Free Sample from teabento with our order. I’ll be sending the rest over to VariaTEA . This isn’t a preferred tea for me – i’m not the biggest fan of oolongs, though some are delicious. This one is ok but has that taste that i’m not a fan of when it comes to oolongs. It’s an almost floral, mineral like taste. A decent cup but i’m good with this one cup :)

A very mellow and tasty Dancong with strong orchid and nectarine notes accented by minerality, leather, green wood, grain, honey, and wet earth. A very rich and complex brew

Thanks to Teabento for providing this sample. I really enjoy dan congs, though I don’t have much experience with them. Due to some over-enthusiastic pouring into a damp teapot, I steeped about 4-5 g of this in 120 ml of water. I kept the temperature around 205F and followed Teabento’s instructions for gongfu brewing: 15, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 120, and 180 seconds.

True to the name of this tea, honey and florals are the dominant flavours in the first steep, backed up by stonefruit, citrus, and grains. The roast doesn’t seem to be obtrusive, though it’s not soapy or way too flowery like some other dan congs I’ve had. I oversteeped the second brew by a couple seconds and it ended up being dry, meaning that this tea isn’t too forgiving. Still, the honey, orchid, citrus, and malty notes come through.

From the third steep onwards, there’s more maltiness and roasted character, though the other flavours are still very much present. I can even understand how Teabento can describe this as woody or mossy. The aftertaste is long and fruity and a lovely aroma persists in the cup. The tea remains pretty consistent until the final steep.

This was an excellent dan cong. I can only hope that the other dan cong samples I’ve been accumulating since 2015 are aging as gracefully.