Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Naivetea
Product Description:
1st Place 2011 North American Tea Championship Aged/Baked Oolong
Layered flavor, notes of toasted rice and caramel, lingering refined sweetness.
Mouth Feel: Soft with medium and smooth body
Aroma: Subtle, roasted aroma with hints of cane sugar
Ingredients: Ching Shin Oolong
Oxidation/Fermentation: Medium, 30%
Roast: 30%
Origin: Dong Ding, Central Taiwan
Elevation: 700 meters/2,296 feet
Taster’s Review:
For the month of October, the Steepster Select theme was “Oolong October.” Needless to say I’m overjoyed about the theme, as Oolong is one of my favorite types of tea. (And no, we didn’t skip a month. The first month was August, received in August. The guys at Steepster decided to change it up a little after that first shipment, so now the teas we received in September are October teas… and the teas we receive in October will be November teas… and so on).
Anyway, this is the first tea that I tried from our three Oolong selections in the October collection. I was thrilled because I love Naivetea’s Oolongs – they have a wonderful selection and their flavored Oolongs are amazing. I haven’t yet tried their Dong Ding, so I was definitely excited by this opportunity to taste it.
The first thing I notice is the aroma of the dry leaf. It reminds me of the smell of autumn … specifically, the smell of the woods in autumn, when earth and wood is damp and the leaves are drying and there is a distinct note of smoke in the air from a nearby cabin’s chimney. The fragrance of the brewed tea is a different, but still quite enjoyable: warm and roasty-toasty, with hints of earth and vegetation.
Mmm! This is an absolutely perfect tea choice for autumn! It is sweet and toasty, with an caramelized flavor that teases the palate. It has a somewhat vegetative taste, but it is more like a roasted vegetable flavor: you know that sweet, slightly charred taste of vegetables that have been roasted at a high heat? You can still taste the vegetable there, but, much of the natural sugars in the vegetables have been caramelized. A sweet yet savory taste. Yeah… that’s pretty much like what I’m tasting now.
Unlike some of the greener Oolongs, this has a thinner texture. It isn’t a buttery or thick mouthfeel, it is soft and light, which allows me to experience the complex layers of this Oolong. So happy to have had the opportunity to try this Oolong – it’s outstanding!
Dong Ding Cui Yu Oolong – Competition Grade IV from Life in Teacup
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Product Description:
Production Region: Nantou County, Taiwan
Style: Traditional medium roast
Taster’s Review:
I love teas like this – ones that are full of mystery and intrigue.
The mystery begins with its welcoming aroma. It is a lightly roasted scent with hints of a floral quality. It’s very intriguing; beckoning me to sip.
The sip starts out with a light roasty-toasty taste. What is so unique about this particular “roasty-toasty” Oolong is that that toasted flavor is delicate and doesn’t overwhelm the cup. Instead, it is so light that it keeps me curious – did I just taste that? And this curiosity keeps me sipping.
There is also a sweet vegetative taste to this Oolong that slowly evolves into more of a floral note. Yet another subtle tone that keeps me wondering.
This particular Competition Grade appears to no longer be available on the Life in Teacup website, however, there are similar Oolongs that are available, and I highly recommend getting some before they sell out!
I prefer this tea hot, but it is alright iced too. I have never been less than impressed with the teas I’ve received from Life in Teacup. Their teas are always of utmost quality, and this tea is no exception. This tea is delightful!
Nostalgia Dong Ding Oolong with Jasmine & Fresh Mint from Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Product Description:
Rich and complex charcoal-roasted Tung-Ting oolong tea produces a fruity aroma that is exquisite with the cool mint and rich jasmine. These rolled leaves provide up to 4 infusions.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is very interesting.
First of all, as a cup of this tea sits before me, it smells amazing. Like intoxicatingly (I don’t know if that was a word before now, but it is one now!) amazing. But with such an enchanting smell … I become a little apprehensive when it comes to taking a sip. What if it’s too perfume-y?
After all, it is a perfumed tea. That alone sort of indicates that it might come across as perfume-y tasting.
However, it doesn’t. The perfume melds with the buttery creaminess of the Oolong tea to create one of the most unusual yet delightful teas I’ve tasted in a very long time. The Oolong has a slightly roasted back note that seems to tie all the flavors together quite nicely. It’s a very unified taste.
That is not to say that the jasmine is not strong, because it is. It is quite strong (this tea is for jasmine lovers only!) and tastes very floral. But it tastes like a natural floral flavor; not a chemical-y, artificial-tasting, lab-recreated perfume.
The mint is quite a bit more subtle, but the flavor of it develops as I continue to sip. Similarly, the scent of the mint develops as I continue to smell the tea. The first couple of times I could barely smell the mint, and now it is more prominent, although it is still not as strong as the jasmine.
I recommend brewing this in a gaiwan – using short steep times. 30 seconds (or less) for the first infusion; increase by 15 seconds for each subsequent infusion. Any longer and you may wind up with a very strong jasmine taste.
If you love jasmine (and I do!) this tea is the ULTIMATE. You really must try it!