★★★★★
This has an amber color with a nice nutty and sweet taste to it. I'll enjoy the maximum steeps out of this one.
A rare tea from Phoenix Mountain in Guangdong province, China. Perfumy, orchid, and almond. Smooth and refined texture with flavors of fresh apricot, peach pit, and honey. Incredibly long finish. This is a tea to take your time with!
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Dancong Aria, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
This has an amber color with a nice nutty and sweet taste to it. I'll enjoy the maximum steeps out of this one.
This isn’t a bad tea but I find it a bit forgettable. It’s a little bland and just not very interesting
I wanted - and expected - to love this tea. I am a huge fan of oolongs, and by description this tea should be right up my alley. It was also recommended to me by some friends whose opinion I trust.
Alas, I have tried this tea multiple times, at multiple temps, steeping for varying lengths of time. And every time, instead of getting orchids, almonds, and apricots I'm getting fishy, sharp, and metallic. It is so bitter that even sugar doesn't salvage it. I mean it is truly undrinkable.
Given the other reviews and my friends' own recommendations, I'm inclined to think that something bad has happened to this particular batch, rather than that my experience is representative of the tea on the whole. For this reason, I'm giving it 3 stars instead of 1, and I will try it again next year when Adagio has gotten a new crop. But if I had nothing to go on but taste alone, this would be a 1-star tea.
Another pricey one, but we'll worth it. A nice little treat for myself every so often.
I adore this tea. I tend to brew it Gong Fu style, but now and then I'll do a straight 3 minutes in a clay pot. Gong Fu will provide the best flavors in my opinion.
This is a great dancong that is also a good mixer. I would like to see adagio offer more dan congs like this. Smells great dry and brewed! R. Maiuri
When I brewed this tea at 195 in a clay pot, I noted a fruity light taste reminiscent of dates with honey or caramel. A second steep yielded more of a honey floral profile, and by the third brew, there was not much taste left apart from a light mineral flavor. Brewing gong fu style at temps of 170-180, it was an entirely different tea. Lower, quicker brews gave prominent floral orchid honey notes, with a background of caramel. By the sixth 90-second brew, the tea was still smooth and buttery, a bit more mineral, less honey, and much less floral. This tea is reminiscent of a lighter Oriental Beauty or a sweeter Da Hong Pao. Lower temp brews give no bitterness, just sweet complexity. I wouldn t say it was perfumy, but it was mouthwatering, with almost a white grape aftertaste. This tea becomes sweeter as it cools and keeps me reaching for more. I m not usually a fan of darker oolongs, but this one is so good, it ranks up with my all-time favorites. If you love this one, try the Masters Teas Formosa Red Oolong for a step up in quality within a similar flavor profile.
I'd been wanting to try a Phoenix dancong, and kept hearing good things about this Aria! A quick rinse of 5 grams in the gaiwan, then 3 minutes @ 190f. All the famous notes, present and accounted for. Can't wait for my long day off and the next few steeps.
A good tea and worth trying to see if it is something you like. The tea certainly has the advertised floral, perfume aroma notes, but I found the taste fell slightly flat and dry. It has some mineral type notes I was not expecting. All in all, I found it decently interesting, but it's just not for me. This tea is very sensitive to over-steeping, and will quickly take on unpleasant characteristics if you overdo it with time and/or temperature. If you enjoy putting honey or sugar in your tea, I think this could serve as a good base oolong.
I was really excited to try this one but ended up a bit disappointed. It has an ever so slight medicinal taste that makes it hard for me to enjoy
This oolong is my favorite of the ones I have tried! I like earthy mineral tasting oolong teas and Dancong Aria is an ideal balance of bitter, earthy, and smooth. It is truly comforting tea.
A delicious not rolled up oolong that is certain to be one of my favorites going forward.
Although I never considered this tea one of my favorites; it was a pleasant, well priced tea that was part of my 'tea rotation'. Like many things in life, now that it's been out of stock I realize that it is indeed one of my favorites as I'm really missing it as part of my morning ritual. I hope to see it available again soon!
A smooth yet mineraly oolong. It’s similar to a black tea with its dark liquor and oxidation- it’s plummy, sweetly chocolatey, and can even go with milk. You can steep lightly or strongly for an interesting variety of brews. I think this is a good blend to have around for an in between oolong and black, almost more on the softly black side.
The first time I tried this steeping at 195°F for 3 minutes as indicated on the product page, it was overwhelmingly bitter to the point where I couldn't really even taste the tea and was undrinkable. I tried fresh leaves at 180° for a little under 3 minutes Western style and it turned out significantly better although still with a slight bitterness, so this is definitely one that needs a lower temp and is tricky to get right. The aroma is floral honey, and the tea is a light honey color with thin but smooth body. I do get a bit of a dry fruity flavor like peach fuzz on top of some nutty base notes, with some light floral in the finish that isn't overly perfumey. I may purchase another sample bag of this to experiment with gongfu brewing, but right now it's not one of my favorite oolongs from Adagio.
A lovely lush cup of dark, warm, and subtle fruit tea flavor. I love oolong for its smooth finish without any bitterness in aftertaste. A subtle flash of apricot and almonds completes its lushness. What a wonderful tea to sit back and relax with, having a
smooth and refined texture with flavors of fresh apricot, peach pit, and honey. Incredibly long finish.
Oolong Tea | Moderate caffeine | Steep at 195° for 3-5 minutes.
A little bland but salvageable tea. Not my first choice during gongfu but I do keep it in rotation as it does last
Many infusions
I found drinking this kind of a frustrating experience. I could taste glimpses of the peach and honey notes other reviewers talked about, and they were great, especially the honey sweetness. But they were underneath an overarching taste that just seemed like a mediocre and bitter/astringent black tea. I tried a second steep at a lower temp (175F), but there wasn't much difference. I'm going to try cold brewing this to see if that's better, but unless it makes a much better iced tea than hot, I wouldn't buy this again.
This tea had a good taste, I didn't find the orchid taste but enjoyed its flavor. For the money, I will probably try something different. You won't find a new favorite if you keep drinking the same old same old. 5 grams Brewed in a Gaiwan over 5 steeps, 10 seconds-20 seconds.
Brews a hazy yellowish color. Slightly toasted flavor with a rounded aspect. No unfavorable flavors. 3.5 stars
BREWED Gongfu style. This is a MUST!!! It has long lasting flavor through each infusion!
Absolutely love this tea. I have added a little bit of Hibiscus petals, the floral notes a a good compliment.
this is a nice strong oolong. I go a little light on the leaves and steeped it shorter than I've seen in the comments and when I did I could really taste the fruity undertones and it was delicious
I was on a mission to find my 'perfect oolong' that was similar to the one served in my favorite small, family owned Chinese restaurant and after trying many types I finally found it! Delicate, crisp, lightly floral, zero astringency or bitterness, it is the perfect compliment to any Asian inspired meal.
I am becoming obsessed with oolong teas. This one is more forgiving then some when I forget that I am brewing and leave it for 10+ minutes.
I've made several cups so far and I like it best with a small amount of honey and a little cream.
Nice to to relax with while reading.
Beautiful fragrance. It puts me in mind of the sun warming the leaves of a stonefruit tree. Literally just delicious. I usually steep it twice. 2 minutes the first time and 5 the second
This tea is the definition of fall. It has hints of those warm spices that make you feel cozy.
This year's crop of Dancong Aria is inferior to past years. There is no hint of anything nutty, floral, or sweet no matter how many varying ways it is steeped--amount, time, temperature. Very sharp mineral taste leaving the mouth dry with no lingering sweet finish. When I opened the pouch it didn't have the wonderful sweet, nutty aroma. I repurchased the tea based on past experiences. In the future, I'll try a sample first before buying larger quantities if I buy it again at all. As an update: after several attempts to redeem this tea, I threw the whole batch out. It smelled bad before brewing, it tasted bad, it smelled bad after brewing. I had ordered a large amount of tea based on past experiences. From now on, I'll only order samples first and then contact Adiago to confirm future purchases are from the same harvest. Shame.
I normally do not like straight oolong teas. I have no idea how but this tastes decent and has an aftertaste almost like pumpkin spice mix.
It's very good and does have a slight fruity taste to it. Sometimes the descriptions can be overblown, but this one is correct.
Unlike any other oolong I've had before! A unique sweet and floral experience. So good!
This is a nice tea, with a slight hint of a floral flavor. Definitely has a good calming effect and pretty unfurling leaves. Just not my favorite oolong.
I actually overstepped most of my communitea sample because I got distracted. So, I will have to resteep later and amend this review. I love Adagio’s oolongs, so I’ll give it 5 stars!
This tea has a nice peachy flavor . It was surprising because on cold its more floral
This may be one of my favorite oolong teas that I’ve had to date! Delicious and simple yet so aromatic and flavorful
This is an interesting, complex, and delicious tea. The flavor reminded me of apricot, golden raisins, and almond.
I've had so many great Dancong's with their sweet floral quality. This was not one of them. I know they can be temperamental if not steeped just right, but I could not get this one to rise above bad.
I’m so mad because I got distracted and thought it needed boiling water and that’s what I brewed it at. What I got was slightly bitter (my fault) and I tasted the peach notes which were real not fake. I hope to try this again some day.
Taste and smells like leather. Zero sweetness, just bitter and leather flavors come through. I followed the instructions perfectly, it's just not my cup of tea. I usually love Oolongs, this one is just awful.
This is a complex tea! Usually notes of fruit and similar flavors in teas (that are not separately flavored) are more on the subtle side of things. Not in this tea! The aroma has an orchid/flower aroma along with something else I cannot quite place. The description says almonds, but I’m not entirely sure. The taste is just as complex. There’s the fruity taste that reminds me of those little cups of fruit you can’ buy with syrup in it. Peach and apricot? Yep! There might be a toasted note somewhere in there, too. For a straight oolong tea, this is a very interesting find! It may not be for everyone - some people may find the complexity and strength of fruitiness too overwhelming or distasteful, but I am glad to have had the chance to taste one.
Meh. It's not terrible, but I wouldn't spend money on it.
A classic Oolong with a lovely flavor. I got three steeps out of it without loosing flavor.
I don’t have a lot to compare it to yet but very nice aftertaste that lingers. Will have this one again.
Slightly fruity, slightly floral, a beautiful cup of tea. Be careful not to oversteep or use water that is too hot. If you brew this tea carefully, it s exquisite.
Best oolong ever. Dab of honey and a 3 minute steep at 185.
One of my favorite oolongs. I generally prefer green oolongs, but this has a lovely fruity flavor. It tastes very spring/summer to me. If you like peach or floral-type of teas, try this one! It makes a wonderful cup
Great oolong tea with interesting floral complexity. Notes of apricot and peach.
Light with a slight peach-y flavor. Really enjoyed this tea!
Pretty dull flavor for me with woodsy hints. I wish the apricot and peach flavors stood out more - that's what interested me in this tea!