Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
In Taiwan Oolong Tea, Dong Ding Oolong Tea is an excellent kind highly praised by the world. Dong Ding is originally planted on Dongding Mountain, which is a branch of Phoenix Mountain, in Lugu Village, Nantou County, Taiwan. The tea is planted in the area at the altitude of 1000 meters. So this is also a High Mountain tea, which is known as its obvious floral fragrance. This Moderately-Roasted Dong Ding Oolong Tea is made of the tea leaves from Qing Xin Oolong tea tree. By roasting the tea, this Dong Ding Oolong has thick and soft leaf, smooth and brisk tea liquid. Meanwhile the strong floral fragrance makes it taste rich. This is the reason that High Mountain tea is more excellent than low altitude tea. What’s more, this brings more opportunities for tea lovers to try different flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
While I love nearly every Oolong tea that I encounter, I definitely have my favorites. Dong Ding Oolong teas are not what I typically consider “my favorite” but, I definitely enjoy them. And I really like this Superfine Taiwan Moderately-Roasted Dong Ding Oolong Tea from Teavivre.
The aroma of the dry leaf captured my interest immediately with it’s warm, roasted tones, a scent that translates into the brewed tea as well. This smells delicious and toasty, with floral notes dancing in the background.
I brewed this in my gaiwan, using short steeps and I got eight infusions of Dong Ding deliciousness! My first cup delivered a flavor that was sweet and nutty and the texture, soft and smooth. This first cup (which was a combination of the first 2 infusions) was lighter than the cups that followed, not just in flavor but also in mouthfeel.
The second cup was similar to the first, however, I noticed other flavors starting to emerge. A floral note began to reveal itself, and I liked the way this mingled with the sweet, nutty tones. Hints of fruit were distant. The texture here was a little thicker, reminiscent of a light broth.
The third cup – my personal favorite – is where the notes of flower really began to present themselves to the palate. Before, they merely hinted at their presence, but, it was this cup, the combination of infusions 5 and 6, that the toasted nut notes began to wane and the floral notes really peaked. The texture is silky, and the aftertaste is sweet. This cup also brought out some vegetative tones.
The fourth cup (and my final cup for this tea journey), was a bit lighter in flavor than the second and third cups, but still quite enjoyable. I found that the toasty notes were still present, but they were softer than they were in the first three cups. The taste was still nutty, sweet, and floral, but all flavors seemed to merge together into a seamless flavor, rather than being distinct and separate.
Another excellent tea from Teavivre!
2012 Fu Ding Bai Cha Chinese White Tea from China Cha Dao
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: China Cha Dao
Tea Description:
Fuding Ba Cha is a really healthy tea, it has the effect of medicaltreatment, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, anti-oxidation, anti-radiation & anti-tumor. We have customer with high blood pressure and this tea works out really well for him, just have a small cup everyday or every two day, is healthy!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This white tea really took me by surprise! Usually when I brew a white tea, I expect it to be gentle and of subtle taste. Delicate. But this has a much stronger flavor than I expected! Yes, this 2012 Fu Ding Bai Cha Chinese White tea from China Cha Dao has a softer flavor than say, a Yunnan Black tea … but for a white tea – this tea boasts a whole lot of taste!
The flavor is vegetative, but not in the same way a green tea tastes vegetative. This is more like a crisp, light taste that reminds me of freshly cut hay … hay that isn’t quite dried through, still has a bit of that fresh, green-ness to it. There is also a taste that evokes thoughts of dew drops on new spring leaves. It has that kind of freshness to it.
There is a mild nutty flavor to this as well as a creamy note that is really quite enticing … it keeps me sipping. The tea is very beautifully complex … the kind of tea that you want to steep on a lazy afternoon when you just want to relax and contemplate the beauty of tea. (And when do you NOT want to do that? Sure, we don’t always have TIME to do that, but I think we always want to, don’t we?) It is a nice tea with which to unwind, and it is gently restorative.
A really nice tea – the first that I’ve tried from this company. If this is any indication of how wonderful the teas from this company are going to be, I’m really looking forward to tasting more!
Dong Ding Oolong from Peony Tea S
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Peony Tea S
Tea Description:
In spite of its curious sounding name in English, the Dong Ding Oolong is one of the most well-known and beloved teas from Taiwan. It’s strong rich flavor and lingering aftertaste has enchanted countless drinkers across the generations.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The more acquainted I become with Peony Tea S, the more impressed I become. This is a company that is dedicated to delivering the very best teas … and this Dong Ding is proof of it. While Dong Ding is one of the Oolong types that I have a little less experience with (I’m much more familiar with Tie Guan Yin and Ali Shan, for example), of the few Dong Ding Oolongs that I’ve tried, this is certainly right up there with the very best! It is so delicious, my mouth actually seems to water in between sips as my taste buds anticipate the flavor of it.
What I noticed first with this Dong Ding was it’s fruity character. It has a strong fruit-like presence, with tastes that are reminiscent of sun-dried fruit such as a dried plum or possibly a raisin. It has that sugary sweetness of the dried fruit … and then I notice a more caramelized kind of taste to it … like raisins that have been reconstituted and then cooked back down into a sweet, caramel-y sauce.
There is very little floral note here – oh… there’s some, certainly. I notice a certain amount of floral tones in just about every “green” Oolong I encounter, but, the floral tones seem to be washed over by the sweetness of the fruit. In the background, I notice a hint of nutty flavor that begins to develop.
Also in the background, I notice the faintest vegetative note – almost like it’s tempt the palate into a game of hide and seek (“try and find me!”) and along with it is a savory quality. Not quite sour … not quite. Not at all bitter. Very smooth, sweet and relaxing to sip, but all the while, it keeps my taste buds guessing with its complex character.
This Dong Ding is truly memorable – one of the best I’ve tried. Sweet and caramel-y; those are the flavors that stand out the most to me. Some astringency, a slight dry sensation toward the tail, leading into the aftertaste that is gently sweet.
Taiwan Green Style Dong Ding Tea from Fong Mong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea on eBay
Tea Description:
The hand-plucked leaves of Dong Ding Oolong are grown in the Dong Ding region of Taiwan at the elevation of 740 meters. At this elevation, the leaves absorb moisture from the surrounding fog and clouds every morning and afternoon which is ideal for Oolong plants. Due to the unique geographic location and stringent selection of leaves, this is the finest Dong Ding Oolong from the Dong Ding estate.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a fabulous Dong Ding … it is sweet with strong fruity notes. Usually with a greener style Oolong like this, I expect a strong floral note, and while there are some flowery tones to this cup, I taste more fruit than flower. Very nice.
The fruit tones taste somewhere between peach and plum. It is pleasantly sweet with hints of sour. There is a nice roasted note to the background, reminding me a bit of toasted grain. The floral note is subtle and develops as I continue to sip. The astringency toward the end is slightly dry and leaves the palate feeling clean. There are some crisp, delicate vegetative notes as well.
The first couple of infusions start out very light – touching on all of the flavors I mentioned. With subsequent infusions, I notice the vegetative tones emerging more, and the floral notes becoming more distinctive. The fruity notes of the first few infusions begin to subside, and a savory bitter tone starts to reveal itself, offering contrast to the sweet flavors of this cup.
The final infusions (I steeped this tea six times) were much more vegetative and floral than the first infusions, but they were still very tasty. I do think I preferred the fruity notes of the first couple of infusions, but, overall, it was a very pleasing experience from start to finish, and the transitions of this tea are fascinating to explore.
Meng Ding Snow Bud (Xue Ya) Tea from Life in Teacup
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yellow
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Tea Description:
This is a Yellow Tea made with earliest spring leaves. The oxidation is light. It’s flavor is closed to that of green tea, with more honey sweet aftertaste due to oxidation.
Taster’s Review:
What a remarkable yellow tea. Of course, I’ve loved every yellow tea that I’ve tried, however, there is something about this one that gives it a uniqueness over the others that I’ve tasted. While other yellow teas have a somewhat delicate quality about them, this one seems to be more assertive.
Immediately, I noted the sweetness which is more like a sweet grass kind of flavor during the sip and becomes more honey-like toward the tail and into the aftertaste, revealing a bit of the floral tones of the honey-esque sweetness with the aftertaste. After the first couple of sips, I tasted notes of hay and a delicate earthiness that provided interesting contrast to the honey tones.
As I progressed toward mid-cup, other flavors revealed themselves. I could taste a mild vegetable flavor, reminiscent of lima beans that have been simmered in a kettle for hours … you know, that sweet, buttery lima bean flavor that reminds you of home? The flavor is remarkably smooth, with no bitterness and only a trace of astringency at the tail.
A delicious yellow tea that offers a memorable tea journey from the very first sip right down to the very last drop.