It's a dan cong kind of year - tasting many varieties.

I think we can all agree tgat there's a lot if stress an uncertainty in the world today, which has reminded me that there's no sense in holding off on drinking the good stuff. Lately I've found that the good stuff in all of the many dan cong oolongs I've collected, and I've been finding every excuse to drink them with my family and tea friends.

Dan cong is one of those oolong where you get what you pay for. Bargains on good dan cong are hard to come by. Cheap ones are barely more than sweet but flat oolongs, and the ones that really wow you tend to break the bank. Hence the good ones have been brought out sparingly until thus year.

The first one we brought out was a top-tier mi lan xiang (honey orchid scent) from Spring Cottage that ran $700/lb when we bought it a few years ago. The floral/peachy scent really packs a punch and goes on and on and on. Dan congs often only get 3-4 brews where the scent and flavor really pop, but this one doesn't fade at all until after the first liter or more.

The second one was an unnamed dan cong running $360/lb from "Ken's shop", the name we give to a tiny shop in Richmond B.C. attached to a small herbal apothecary with a very long and forgettable name. This one also is strongly impactful, floral but with a hint of lychee like notes (not lychee scenting). Oddly small leaf for a dan cong, but the quality is so super obvious as you drink it.

The fourth was an AliExpress cheap d version that ran about $10 for 100g As you might expect, it was a good reminder of why one spends the money on good dan cong. Barely any resemblance to dan cong flavor, despite the leaf looking good. No aroma to speak of even at the hottest temperatures. At least they had the decency to label it "Light aroma dan cong."

Then a number of sessions with an interesting and fun treat: I was gifted a holiday box of dan cong samples of many varieties from iTeaworld. In addition to familiar styles like mi lan xiang, almond scent, and cinnamon scent, there were several I had never seen before like night scented, ginger flower scent, Huang Zhi scent and osmanthus fragrance. I have to say that I really love comparative tea sampling sets, and I wish more vendors did them. A dan cong comparative set like this is a first for me.

The mi lan xiang was an very good example of the style, with strong floral and peach notes that lasted multiple infusions before slowly fading. The night scented was surprising similar in notes to the mi lan xiang, but was gentler in all aspects while still being flavorful. All of the versions were worthwhile experiences, good enough to clearly demonstrate the differences in style. I would rate them borderline higher specialty-shop grade, or lower top-tier grade. They don't wow quite as much as the true top tiers ones we started the month with, but I wouldn't be ashamed to share them with any of my tea industry friends.

Now the search to find new dan congs to keep this winter tasting trend going!