Ling Tou Dan Cong
Dan Cong from the Ling Tou area rather than Phoenix Mountain proper, grown at lower elevation from the Bai Ye stock. It is more available and more affordable than Phoenix material, and correspondingly less concentrated.
Character
Recognisably Dan Cong and considerably more forgiving — a sensible place to learn the very short steeps the category demands.
- Flavour
- Floral, Sweet, Fruity
- Aroma
- Honeyed, Orchid
- Mouthfeel
- Medium, Smooth
- Complexity
- Moderate
- Notes
- honey, gardenia, light apricot
- Aftertaste
- Sweet and floral, shorter than Phoenix material.
Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Region
- Phoenix Mountain
- Cultivar
- Bai Ye
- Oxidation
- Partially oxidised
- Roast
- Light
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Withering → Bruising (shaking) → Oxidation → Kill-green (fixation) → Strip rolling → Drying → Charcoal roasting
Brewing
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
5–6 g/100 ml · 95–100 °C · 6 authored infusions
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 90–95 °C · 2 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong
The affordable Dan Cong to a Phoenix Mountain aroma type. Learn the eight-second steeps on Ling Tou before paying for the real thing.
- Ya Shi Xiang Dan Cong
Both come from the widely planted Bai Ye stock, which is why they are the most available Dan Congs. Availability rather than quality is what separates them from the rarer types.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Anxi Huang Jin Gui
Shares 6 descriptors with Ling Tou Dan Cong: floral, fruity, sweet, medium, orchid and honeyed.
- Bai Mudan
Shares 6 descriptors with Ling Tou Dan Cong: sweet, fruity, floral, medium, smooth and honeyed.
- Bai Mudan Wang
Shares 6 descriptors with Ling Tou Dan Cong: sweet, fruity, floral, medium, smooth and honeyed.
- Gong Mei
Shares 6 descriptors with Ling Tou Dan Cong: sweet, floral, fruity, medium, smooth and honeyed.
- Huang Guan Yin
Shares 6 descriptors with Ling Tou Dan Cong: floral, sweet, medium, smooth, orchid and honeyed.
- Jingmai sheng pu-erh
Shares 6 descriptors with Ling Tou Dan Cong: floral, sweet, medium, smooth, orchid and honeyed.