Delicate, yet Rewarding
"Ordered 3 different Dan Congs to try them for the first time and get a feel for brewing and flavor differences. I can tell that this one had an elegance above the others in the "spiciness" department, in the tingling aftereffect and in the soothing feeling I had after drinking. It had less bitterness than other Dan Congs, but was trickier to find the right balance in comparison to the King of Duck Sh*t Aroma. Definitely ready to try other Dan Congs after this!"
— Jared F. (5/5)
Excellent tea at a fair price
"Smell: bread and wine Tasting notes: initially very sweet bread with lemon zest, then more and more of spices (ginger!) come out Brewing parameters: 8g/150ml, 95C 10s (keep first brew to drink last), then 99C 5s -> 5s -> +5s"
— Nikolay F. (5/5)
what can I say?
"It’s probably easier to engineer a non-thermal plasma fusion reactor than it is to describe how ridiculously good this dan cong is – and that’s coming from somebody who has drank more dan cong than most people have had hot dinners in their lives. It would be an understatement to say that I’m obsessed with dan cong, but I also feel like a caveman in a computer lab trying to describe what is, without a doubt, among the very best dan cong ever. I initially tried this tea back in 2020, and Scott was generous enough to share some of the 2021 harvest with me as well, both of which I thought were metaphysical-grade experiences… so this year I decided to stock up on enough of this to last me a while. First, if you bought this within 3-ish months of it being harvested, do yourself a favor and let it sit for a little bit. The leaves need some time to rest and release the roast. The true pungency and aromatic qualities really start to come out around 6 months in. Keep it in a cool, dry, dark spot, away from direct light and swings in temperature/humidity. The more time you give it, the stronger this dan cong gets and the more refined it is, especially in the second half of the session where the sophistication and elegance is just unbelievable. Once matured, you can easily get 15+ cups of truly phenomenal elixir, no problem. For now, being that this dan cong is still young and fresh, it’s not going to deliver as nuanced of an experience, but the front end is still loaded with tons of flavor. Here we go! Aroma of the dry leaf is sweet and floral. It responds very well to a warm water rinse (145*F) and yields aromatics of toasted coconut flakes that quickly give way to a thick, jammy, and full-bodied sweetness that is both fruity and floral. In the cup, it opens up with a strong and unmistakable note of galangal – pungent, viscous, and resinous, it’s almost perfumed, and oozes an earthy-sweet nectar that coats the throat and persists throughout the session. The texture is oily and viscous, very reminiscent of the superb Gui Hua dan cong that is offered through Scott as well. Cups 3 through 6 are a little muted, due to the fact that I’m drinking this too early. I can definitely perceive the roast, which reduces the clarity of the spicy ginger notes this tea will undoubtedly mature into in just a few months. Does anybody have a time machine I can borrow? Cups 7 through 12 bring the experience back on track. As the roast loses its grip on the leaves and thins out in the cup, the flavor profile comes back front-and-center. The mouthfeel and texture of this tea really come alive, leaving an excellent impression on the palate and a beautiful lingering aftertaste that is perhaps a hint of what is to be found after a few months of rest. I get a creamy, smooth hint of turmeric – not quite the earthy spice that is found in its flavor, but rather the sensation of the mouthfeel it imparts. Then again, I juice a pound of turmeric every week, so maybe I have a patina built up on my palate and am a little more sensitive than most... Anyways, the fact that I can even get 12 cups out of these leaves, being less than a month old, is truly remarkable. It is a testament to the high-quality, high-altitude nature of this tea. I’ll be back with a 6-month update on these leaves for y'all. Thanks for reading!"
— NN (5/5)
year and a half update
"Reviewing the Spring 2020 harvest here. I purchased a small amount and thought it was among the very best Dan Cong I've ever had. Now, about a year and a half later, I have one session left... well, had. :) I stand by my initial review that this is truly metaphysical-grade tea. It's not ordinary Dan Cong, and even among the high-quality Dan Cong that I've tried from Yunnan Sourcing and elsewhere, this has an extra layer of magic to it. It will move you in ways that are profound. It is easy to brew this tea in such a way as to allow the floral qualities to really shine, but it's a little more difficult to work that ginger-spice note out of the leaves. That's the real deal though, if you can get that note out you'll see the true beauty of this cultivar."
— NN (5/5)
