85
drank Old World Qing Xin by Totem Tea
1607 tasting notes

Going for another Dong Ding so soon. Why not compare to learn? I’ve had this sitting in a jar with an absorber for probably over a year.

This is pretty dang different from the Taiwan Tea Crafts competition Dong Ding I had yesterday. Another awesome roasting, though. I’d classify it as more medium-roasted than light. Sweet, green, nutty anise cookie aroma and empty cup smell. The cooler and greener aspects like cardamom-pine-balsam-menthol and sweet grass are still able to shine brightly through a roast that mainly brings spice cookie-walnut-sweet almond-sandalwood flavors, fleeting molasses. There is an orchid undertone that seems to tie it all together. Impression of steamed milk on the swallow. Good bitterness that slides over the tongue and deposits in the back but quickly turns into sugarcane returning sweetness. Good astringency and minerality, too. Pleasant unripe peach aftertaste turns deeper. I get the classic high mountain oolong calmness which I actually didn’t experience in the Dong Ding from TTC. Moderately mouth and body cooling with an opening of the sinuses and ears.

Can’t believe I had two tasty Dong Ding oolong in a row.

Flavors: Almond, Anise, Bitter, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cookie, Cream, Floral, Ginger, Grass, Menthol, Milk, Mineral, Molasses, Nutty, Orchid, Peach, Pine, Plant Stems, Pleasantly Sour, Roasted, Spices, Sugarcane, Walnut, Wood

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 45 sec 5 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possesses off flavor/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s puerh, I likely think it needs more age.

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Sonoma County, California, USA

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