Old Master Dong Ding Oolong(Winter 2022 In Stock!)
Old Master Dong Ding Oolong
(Winter 2022)
** We have been sitting on the 2023 winter pick of this tea since November waiting for it to become just right. It is ready now and we hope that you enjoy it!**
In 2019 we expanded the 'Old Master' series with this beautiful tea and it has quickly become a classic. This year's tea is another beautiful variation on the theme of past years. Produced by an 81-year-old tea master from the main village of Dong Ding, this complex tea gives rich creamy sweetness, sweet/sour fruit, roasted caramel and more as the leaves unfold. And it will only get better with age.
We buy as much as we can of both limited productions of this beautiful tea, the Spring and Winter picks. The spring pick, much more suitable for stronger roasting, is a gorgeous mix of warm roast, complex fruit and caramel. The winter pick, with its thicker leaves and cold weather processing, is more suited for a lighter roast, which creates a flavor profile of a warm but soft roasted upfront, with an amazing lingering sweet/floral aftertaste. It is easy to tell that both are made by master hands.
This tea is one of the signature teas of Mountain Stream Teas. It is worth a try even if you don't like roasted teas. In fact, it is worth a try especially if you don't like roasted teas!
Elevation: 800m
Status: Conventional Tested Safe
Cultivar: Qin Xin Oolong
Season: November, 2023
Oxidization: 40%, Middle Roast
Method: Hand picked, processed on site, electric roasted, very small batch
Region: Dong Ding, Nantou
Recommend Brewing Style:
Gong Fu Style: 3-5g per 100ml, ~100C water, 30, 45, 60 then add 5-10 seconds steeps in gaiwan. Lasts 4-5 steeps.
Western Style: 3g per 100ml, ~100c water for 2 minutes. Lasts 2-3 steeps. Very suited to western style brewing!
This tea is dessert. Think vanilla cake. I don't love highly roasted teas, but the roast on this is gentle and perfect. I tend towards the lightly-oxidized, greener, more floral oolongs, personally, so I'd recommend this for anyone who wants to try something a little darker and richer. Will be buying again, for sure.
Looks like I'm the first reviewer for the Spring 2022 pick. Not a huge fan of roasted teas, so this one was still a tad roasty for me. After taste has medium tannins. Very warming tea on a cold day. Not picking up on much sweetness.
This tea is one of my favorites. It’s light on the stomach so not too heavy in the morning. The flavor is delectable. The energy is divine. To be honest it makes me wanna dance !!! And I cannnnnnnt dance ! That’s how I know it’s good ! I agree with all the other 5 star reviews.
I love Dong Ding and usually fly through a bag quickly, making big pots to drink with family. This one was prepared gong fu.
It has everything my former Dong Ding had and so much more. The roasty goodness has many additional layers of flavor that make it shine above any other I have tried. Bravo!
This one really should be kept a secret. Great price quality relationship if you like them lightly roasted at a price where you can just have a never ending series of steeps, a few cuppa or the pot for the family on a lazy Sunday afternoon - no regrets
I shall be very sad if this one ever drops off the list…