★★★★★
I've heard amazing reviews about this tea for years so I finally took the plunge to order some. I can see what the hype is about!
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.
I've heard amazing reviews about this tea for years so I finally took the plunge to order some. I can see what the hype is about!
Update. Reordered. Still loving this tea.
Well this is just delicious! Completely new to me, I'm ordering more. A delicate floral scent in the bag, light but with much flavor when brewed. I liked holding it in my mouth longer so I could sense it through my nose too. Moderately astringent. Peachy notes. A big favorite I won't mind paying a bit more to have.
It didn't really stand out to me as any different from some of the black teas I've had from Adagio.
Threw this away. Don't remember why I don't like it, but I don't.
Incredibly complex and lovely. Take your time with it.
Very good! I like it hot, but I'm sure it's great iced, as well.
This tea is delicious. The flavor is light and sweet with a hint of fruitiness. I am far from an oolong expert as I typically drink black tea. However, I have sampled a handful of Adagio's oolong teas and this one stands out with a unique taste that I really enjoy. I will definitely purchase dancong aria again.
Lots of flavor to this tea without any bitterness.
A great, everyday dancong. Mineral, light, airy feel to it. It is not as complex as some other oolongs, but still great to have a few steepings of. I got about five steepings out before flavor went away. Number four was my favorite, having the most sweetness that lingered after tasting.
So delicious! I love the dark tones and mild fruity undertones.
I love this tea! LOVE it! I first tried it as a sample and now I'm hooked. It's got a smooth, soft taste, but still full of flavor. I can't wait for my next cup!
A good oolong, a little bit fruitier where I prefer oolong that sits more on the 'earthier' side of the spectrum. Has the distinctive oolong taste, very good example for someone new to the tea.
We often see descriptions of fruit thrown around a lot in non-flavored teas. This may be noticeable by the expert tea connoisseur with a palate that can detect even the smallest of subtleties, but to the average tea drinker the aromas of fruit remain hidden and undetectable.
Unfortunately, this overuse of fruity characteristics means that we can never tell when a tea actually tastes like fruit and when it is simply just a compliment to the tasting experience.
Dan-Cong Phoenix Oolongs are one of the rare exceptions where the description saying 'fruity and floral' actually means that it tastes fruity and floral, and this is one of those teas. For those beer drinkers out their who enjoy the hoppy taste of an IPA, this tea tastes like an IPA.
My only complaint about this tea is that I have not had consistent results with each of my orders. The first time I had this it stayed true to my description above and presented an intensely hoppy, fruity, and floral experience. However, the last time I had this the tea seemed fairly flat with only mild to moderate remnants of the flavors I described.
This is, however, a dilemma with dealing with an agricultural product, and based on the price for buying bulk I am more than willing to return to this tea despite the change in quality on each recurring order.
Exhibits great depth of flavor for a lighter black tea. Nectarine and melon with a slight sweetness at finish are apparent on nose and palate. Retains all characteristics for second infusion as well. Stands up to whatever sweetener you may choose.
LOVED the fruity/floral flavors. It tastes as good as it smells. Please note the lower temp, as a full boil tends to make it bitter.
The smell of this tea is amazing! It has a unique taste to match the smell.
I did not get it. Nothing special. Taste almost doesn't exist. Gets bad after a little extra water in it. I will not bother to buy it again.
A pleasant cup with a light flavor. Relaxing at the end of the day.
Nice subtle flavor. But for a person like me, I was slightly allergic to it unfortunately.
Love this tea!! I drink it every morning. It has a nice full bodied flavor that isn't overly bitter, but has a nice crisp end. Great iced or hot.
Very subtle flavor and probably of little interest to American tastes. Acrid on the tongue, almost sour, this tea is almost undetectable unless you are very focused to it's flavor notes. I suggest you double the recommended amount and time to steep.
Love this tea. Has a natural/earthy flavor. I will definitely purchase again!.
Wasn't sure what to expect since I randomly took a chance on this but it was ok. Not sure if I'll order it again after I run out.
This is another great oolong from Adagio. It's lighter than some oolongs, and it's almost a bit difficult to classify. It has many of the characteristics of green tea - it's fruity with wildflower flavors. I would highly recommend dancong aria to the green tea enthusiast looking for an introduction to oolongs, and anyone looking for a fruity, refreshing oolong.
More of an earthy tea for sure but still really good! I recommend to someone who is just starting to get into lots of different types of tea.
This tea is absolutely stunning. Just incredible. I wish I could remember how I brewed it the last time I had it, I think it was in my Gaiwan for short steeps. The first steep was too bitter but after that it started tasting so flowery and light. I love how unique it is as an oolong. Definitely pick this up if you like black oolongs and want to try something new.
A fine oolong. I'd like to have it next to a cup of Oodarjeeling for comparison. I really enjoyed the latter.
Have the next cup of Ooodarjeeling. They're both excellent. This is still my favorite Oolong.
my brother likes to call this one donkey kong. I really like it, If you steep it for a while it gets a little bitter, but i like it both ways.
I really like this tea. The flavor is not as robust as I would have expected, but I still enjoy it very much. Other reviewers have said that the tea is overwhelmingly floral - I detect the floral but it is far from overwhelming (unlike the jasmine teas which I can't stand). The taste definitely lingers after you have finished drinking and I really like that.
Complex is an understatement. I love this tea, its subtle flavors and wonderful aromas are outstanding..
This one is definitely a keeper! Wonderful, smooth flavor. Everything you would expect in a great oolong tea and more!
Probably my favorite oolong I've tried other than Pouchong. May try to play around with the temperatures a bit more, curious to try at closer to 180/186 F.
After not having quality tea in a while. This was amazing! My current favorite.
OK, not great. Not memorable. I have much
better tea to drink than to waste time on this one.
This is my favorite oolong and my favorite tea of all the 25 plus varieties that I have tried. This is a real complex tea that changes flavor with number of steeps, steep times, and as it cools. I find the first steep best at 2 minutes, then increase by a minute for each subsequent steep.
Oh Dancong Aria!! Where have you been all my life???? I love this tea so much. It belongs right up my oolong alley. My other favorite Ti Kuan Yin might have some competition now. This tea is so many different things without trying too hard. I might have to nickname it Sybil. Floral and sweet and yummy and just too many other adjectives I have stuck in my head because I am an awful writer. YUMMMM. I find that a tidbit of honey complements it perfectly. Will be ordering it in bulk
Very good oolong! Nice peach pit/ nut taste to it!
Very nice taste, be sure to brew at proper temperature.
At first taste, I was overwhelmed with the perfumy taste of the tea... but it does tell you that in the description. When it cooled and I tasted it again, I detected the more subtle flavors, I liked it better.
Although I liked this tea it was not what I had anticipated
This is a rich, smooth tea, honey-gold colored and very tasty. At first, I didn't notice anything flowery about it, but when I used less tea and steeped it for only 3 minutes, the sweetness came through beautifully. No astringency, just a nice harmonizing of sweet and savory. This is a keeper, a tea to buy in quantity and enjoy frequently.
It tastes very good. Love the flowery smell and benefit of this tea...wish I found this earlier.
This tea is definitely a complex tea. The first time I brewed it I got this light, honey flavor that coated my mouth and was very enjoyable. The second time I steeped it I got a heavy, bold, nut flavor that had a slight bitter finish to it. I am very curious as to what different steeping times and temperatures will do to this blend.
Very sweet smelling...reminds me of a sweetened nut milk. Has a floral side, but is very mellow and very drinkable. Will try again.
Relatively new to loose leaf teas and this has quickly become one of my favorites.
A decent, delicate tea that has light, subtle flavors. Not amazing, not terrible, but better than just alright.
I bought this in hopes it would be similar to a discounted product from a competitor, called 'phoenix mountain dancong'. It's close, and I imagine if a master's version were ever offered it would be spit on. The competitor's product was Smokey, spicy, smooth and floral. This has some floral notes and a little smoke to it, but overall it was far too tannic even when brewing at a much lower temperature, and time.
This is a wonderful tea! It has such complexity that I can revel in it with each sip and each cup. Each time I make dancong aria its complexity (each aspect of which is pleasing) surprises me, and that in itself makes me very happy that my 20-something son 'converted' me from coffee to tea.
We use 1 to 1 tsp. per cup and steep for 4 mins. at 195F. You can resteep once at 195F for 5 mins.
I really enjoyed the burnt peach flavor of this tea. I prepared it using a gaiwan, and I would recommend doing a much shorter steep time than your usual oolong, as the flavor of this tea is quite strong. I prepared 5-6 g of it for about 15 seconds for my first steep, and increased my steeping time by 15 seconds after that. I found that the initial wash of the tea was quite flavorful and ended up drinking it as well. I believe that you could also try experimenting with a lower temperature as well to decrease the bitterness of this tea.
It's a unique kind of oolong tea. The smell is great!