How to brew Phoenix oolong (dancong)
Mi Lan Xiang, Ya Shi Xiang, Huang Zhi Xiang.
Intensely aromatic and quick to turn bitter. It shines with several flash steeps in a row before the times start creeping up.
Starting recipe
| Setting | Western (mug or teapot) | Gongfu (small pot or gaiwan) |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 190–212°F (88–100°C) | 190–212°F (88–100°C) |
| Leaf | 1–2 g per 100 ml | 5–10 g per 100 ml |
| Steepdial starts at | 198°F (92°C) · 3 g · 250 ml | 203°F (95°C) · 6 g · 100 ml |
| First steep | 0:45–3:00 | 0:03–0:15 |
| A whole session | 1:30 · 2:00 · 3:00 | 0:05 · 0:05 · 0:05 · 0:08 · 0:10 · 0:15 · 0:20 · 0:30 · 0:45 |
The details
Rinse
Not needed. Start with the first steep.
Drinking window
Keeps well: at its best for about 12 months once opened.
Caffeine
Contains caffeine. How much depends on the leaf, the water temperature and the steep time; the style alone is a poor guide.
Iced and cold brew
Cold brew: 1 g per 100 ml of cold water, in the fridge for about 8 hours. Keep it cold and drink it within a day or two. For iced tea now, brew a concentrated hot cup (the same leaf in half the water) and pour it over an equal weight of ice; Steepdial accounts for the ice in the total water.
How Steepdial adjusts
After a session you tap what you'd change: more flavor, less bitter, less drying. Steepdial changes one thing at a time, staying near the ranges above, and remembers what worked for that tea.
Short steeps and pour time
The first gongfu steep is 0:05. If your pot takes several seconds to empty, start pouring a little early, or turn on the pour cue in Steepdial.
More oolong
The whole guide →High mountain oolong
Taiwanese gaoshan: Alishan, Lishan, Shan Lin Xi
190–212°F (88–100°C) · 1.5–3 g per 100 ml→OolongTieguanyin
Anxi Tieguanyin, light and modern style
185–212°F (85–100°C) · 1.5–3 g per 100 ml→OolongBaozhong
Wenshan Baozhong, open twisted leaf
185–203°F (85–95°C) · 1.2–2.5 g per 100 ml→OolongRoasted rolled oolong
Dong Ding, traditional Tieguanyin, roasted high mountain
203–212°F (95–100°C) · 1.5–3 g per 100 ml→OolongWuyi rock oolong (yancha)
Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui, Shui Xian
203–212°F (95–100°C) · 1.2–2.5 g per 100 ml→OolongOriental beauty
Dong Fang Mei Ren, bug-bitten Taiwanese oolong
176–194°F (80–90°C) · 1.2–2.5 g per 100 ml→