Skip to main content

Dong Ding, 2020 Spring from eco-cha

From Vendor:

Harvest: Hand picked in small batches. Spring 2020. Yonglong, Nantou.

Elevation:  700m

Medium oxidized, heavily roasted tea with a hearty, complex, and robust character.

This farm is managed by a father (Mr. Su) and son team who inherited their family tradition as artisans of Dong Ding Tea. Their tea has been awarded first prize in the world's largest Oolong tea competition, and they consistently achieve top awards in their local competition of traditionally made Dong Ding Oolong.


This family's tea gardens are 30-40 years old, and are solely comprised of an early strain of Qing Xin Oolong that some some farmers consider to be an heirloom strain that is no longer readily available.

Review:

Dry leaf: rolled balls appear heterogeneous in size. Color is even. Moderate scents of charcoal roast.

Brewed 7.8 g / 125 mL boiling water in porcelain

Rinse / 40 s / 30 s / 40 s / 50 s / 1 m 10 s / 2 min / 4 min / 15 min

Wet leaf: medium charcoal smokiness. Tropical fruits clearly evident behind the smoke. As steepings progressed, a charred barrel sweet bourbon aroma develops.

First steep is mildly smoky but with a very nice fruity buildup reminiscent of a punch blended with both fresh fruits and dried fruits blended with an aged fruit liquor.

Second steep has perfect balance between smokiness and fruit. In my mind's eye, i had a vision of a single plume of incense that gently envelopes a tray of chinese herbs, dried tropical fruits and pineapple cakes. The taste is layered and multidimensional. Smoke has strong charred bourbon barrel and vanilla characteristics. There is some moderate cooling effect after drinking. Strong drying astringency on the tongue and in the throat but very mild bitterness.

Third steep is much more smooth, creamy and honey sweet compared to second steeping. Smoke curtain has definitely lifted a bit to reveal the more gentle qualities of the fruit. Greater minerality is evident and the finish is more fruit forward. Drying astringency is still present but greatly reduced.

Fourth steep is even more smooth than third steep. Pineapple cake is in forefront along with milk chocolate and mild coffee.  I am reminded of wuyi yan cha oolongs. Bourbon is still evident but tastes a bit more diluted in a good way. Astringency is further reduced

Fifth steep is even more smooth than the fourth steep. Very reminiscent of a mild coffee in the front. In the back, some char remains and there is the emergence of a green grassiness and vegetal taste. 

Sixth steep. I increased the time to 2 minutes to squeeze out more oxidation and roast flavors. The fruit punch from the first steep is back but also with chocolate and some charcoal. Very smooth and balanced.

7th steep. Increased to 4 min. Very comparable to fifth steep but slightly more fruity. Green vegetal notes are less bitter. There is a slight hint of dessert wine aroma. Overall, quite refreshing.

8 steep: increased to 15 min to get everything. Almost no oolong character left, leaving just a slightly bitter vegetal brew.

Overall: complex tea with decent stamina.






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sanxia Premium Mi Xiang Qing Xin Black Tea, Lot 944, spring 2020 from taiwan tea crafts

 From vendor: STYLE OF TEA Formosa Black Tea PICKING DATE April 2020 OXYDATION LEVEL High BAKING LEVEL None TERROIR Sanxia ADMINISTRATIVE REGION New Taipei City PICKING STYLE Hand Picked CULTIVAR(S) USED Qing Xin Gan Zhi GARDEN ELEVATION 500 m ________________ Steeped 5 grams in 125 ml pot using 90 to 95 C water. 20 sec / 20 sec / 25 sec / 40 sec / 1 min / 2 min /4 min Wonderful honey and blueberry taste and aromas. Mild muscat notes reminiscent of second flush insect bitten darjeeling.  Slight astringency at back of throat. As liquid cools, there is more acidity. Acidity is tempered using lower temp water.  Body is relatively light. May benefit from clay. Leaves: more than 1/3 appear broken, possibly during rolling process. Very little evidence of insect bites, which are required for this genre of tea. Had very good flavor for 5 steepings before tapering off.
Post a Comment
Read more

Longfengxia High Mountain Spring Oolong Tea, Day 5, Lot 948, 2020 taiwan tea craft

From vendor: PICKING DATE May 2020 OXYDATION LEVEL Low BAKING LEVEL None TERROIR Shanlinxi ADMINISTRATIVE REGION Nantou County PICKING STYLE Hand Picked CULTIVAR(S) USED Qing Xin GARDEN ELEVATION 1750 m Review: Dry lead is intensely flowery with prominent yellow stems Brewed 5 to 7 grams/100 mL boiling water in kobiwako. Lower leaf is okay due to intensity of flavor  but higher leaf has stronger sweetness in later steeps. For 5 g: Rinse / 55 s / 45 s / 55 s / 1:10 / 1:30 /2:30  Brewed leaves have strong pastry and tropical fruit Steeps 1-2: Taste of green mango, citrus, and baked pineapple pastry.  Clean minerality and medium to thick mouthfeel. There is strong perfume of oily flowers, mainly rose and some lavender. At higher leaf to water (7 g per 100 mL) there is some slight green astringency. Steep 3-5: fruit notes are much more mild but still present and long lasting. Much more buttery. There is slight green brandy like astringency. At higher leaf to water ratio, frui...
Post a Comment
Read more

2020 Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea from teavivre

From vendor: Origin: Qiandao Lake, Chun'an County, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China Season: Spring Tea Harvest Date: March 25, 2020 Tea Bush: C. sinensis cv. Jiukeng Tea Garden: Qiandao Lake Organic Tea Garden Review: Brewed 5.2 g in 170 mL 75-80 C water No rinse / 30 s / 30 s / 40 s / 55 s / 1 m 30 s /2 m 30s Dry leaf: pale green and slightly yellow, suggesting lighter oxidation than standard. Small leaves, consistent with earlier harvest. Plenty of white fluff in bag and on leaves. 1 bud 1 leaf > 1 bud > 1 bud 2 leaves. Mild scent of nuts. Wet leaf has strong scent of sweet freshly blanched green beans or corn. In the mouth, persistent vegetal sweetness mostly of asparagus and corn mixed with milder aromas of raw nuts. Good minerality gives this all a nice structure and a "crisp hardness" like small bell ringing. Long aftertaste of sweet vegetal notes, butteriness and minerality. Astringency is very controlled. Overall, aroma is a bit too mild.
Post a Comment
Read more