Friday, February 22, 2008

2007 Dan Cong Classic

This one is from Tea Spring, and my very first. I tried it last fall, not knowing what to expect, and was quite impressed.

Note on pronunciation: cong is pronounced like chong.

This tea goes through a "higher" level of oxidation, which you can smell in the bouquet, something darker lingering in the background. The rinsed aroma is peach, then a breath, then peach. Like candy. Its vivid, and I can taste it.

I like the warm peach liquor. I do enjoy the various colors of different tea, burgundy, yellow, gold, peach, green; its a splash of color in a field of brown, beige, and white tea ware.

First infusion is light, a little too light; my fault--too little leaf or too little time. Its sweet, not peachy, nothing like the fragrance promised, but it is there in the finish, faint, with a dab of bright astringency. The second is...not harsh, but its not soft, leaves a dry mouth feel, which persists into the third infusion, though this one is sweeter.

So. I hate to admit this, but I didn't label my pictures when I took them last week. So I had to spen about ten minutes trying to match them to the correct teas. I think I got them right, based on the leaves and the color of the tea, but who the hell knows for sure. Just sayin'.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Howdy sir,

Good article, as ever.

Btw, I think "cong" is pronounced "tsong" in a rising tone. (In Mandarin, not sure about other dialects.)


Toodlepip,

Hobbes