Tung Ting Charcoal Roasted

Its been awhile since I have had this tea! This was one of the first teas that I drank that really changed my whole outlook on tea in general. One of the first teas to make me break away from Teavana. I will admit I purchased this tea almost a year and half ago because of Kevin Rose. He said that this was his favorite tea. Long story short this was one of my “first” teas. Yes, I have always drank tea since I was little but never really saw the full range and complexity to it until I had this. It it made me want to buy more and try more.

I’m an oolong girl, and I have had many roasted and charcoal roasted oolongs that don’t measure up to this one. All you get is charcoal, and thats it with other charcoal roasted oolongs. This tea has a caramel fruitiness to it. A sweetness on the tongue that makes me smile cup after cup.
It is also a very forgiving tea. I can’t tell you how many times I let this oversteep, or used hotter water the I should have. This always produce a good cup of tea. Roasted fruitiness:)
Great for a person who is just getting into tea.

Its funny I have never written a review of this tea until now. It was at the bottom of one of my tea jars waiting for me to open it up again. I’m on my 6th steep now, and it is still going strong.I know that this tea is good, but I think I love it because it started me on my tea journey that continues to grow.:)

This is about my favorite oolong, when I want a comforting cup of no nonsense tea. This is the tea that made me understand the phrase mouthfeel. It is like your old jeans that get better and better and never let you down. Oddly, I adore the charcoal roasted aspect, and yet I can’t stand smoky teas. Lapsong, Caravan, just thinking about them makes me frown. So I would not call this smoky. It’s toasted! (Feel free to picture Don Draper giving the sales pitch).

I so appreciate that this tea co. is trying to support old traditions in tea production. I love that they are not only buying direct, they are actually controlling the process. I really respect that; this tea is superb and affordable.

I love this tea when it’s raining. I haven’t quite developed a taste for aged oolongs yet- they’re quite new to me. But I would say this tea is pleasant- it has some of the character of a roasted Taiwan oolong, but masked with a layer of aged depth to it. Interesting, not an everyday kind of tea for me but definitely satisfying and something about a rainy day makes me love brewing this tea.

Echoing tea. One of a kind scent. Fruity apricot taste with a caramel hint to it. Remarkable everyday cup of tea.

This tea is heavenly! The taste is both roasted and floral. Very interesting tea with high quality.

Another tea I’ve had sitting in the back of my cabinet. Maybe since 2014 or 2015.

There’s not a lot I can say about this tea. The dry leaf aroma is sweet with notes of caramel and toffee and it pretty much sets your expectations right where they should be. Once you rinse the leaves there’s an aroma of smoke that joins the caramel and toffee.

Flavor is right there with the aroma. There’s a pleasantly unaggressive smokiness. The sweet notes of caramel, toffee, and a hint of pear are strong but not cloying. There’s a bitterness that hints at chocolate or a dark roast coffee. The tea has a medium body with a creamy mouthfeel.

And that’s it. From the start of the session to the end. If those flavors are what you’re looking for this tea has some of the best balanced examples of them I’ve tasted, but there’s just not enough here for me to get excited about this tea.

lol! the aroma from the steeped leaves actually reminded me of being in a canteen at a marks and spencers (M&S is a department store if you dont have them in the US) roasty with a bit of fruit. Aroma from the cup has the oily/buttery smell of a dancong. tried it 3g western style, too weak.

5g 100c 1 minute in the gaiwan, however, the aroma, of the steeped leaves, i swear down, was a really nice british-indian curry. i kid you not. the taste, however, wasnt strong enough again. weird.

second steep, straightaway after. for 2 minutes. still smells of curry hahahaha. a bit bitter and chocolate-savoury. oversteeped, slight yucky aftertaste.

im a bit tea’d-out so i iwill update this review later when ive experimented more. any suggestions on how to brew from anyone who knows this tea would be great.

I had almost forgotten about this one. I’ve been rotating through my most recent Red Blossom Tea Company purchase, and I guess I skipped this one!

I had a little more remaining than the normal 2 heaping tablespoons for my 32 oz Bodum Assam tea press, so I just put it all in, not quite 3 tablespoons but probably close. I kept the steep time to the short end for a Formosa Oolong, and hot damn did it turn out good!

The aroma is nice and complex, with an initial burst of charcoal roasted goodness, followed quickly by sweet, caramel, almost coffee hints.

The taste is just as complex. The roasting process is definitely the first taste and feel, I can actually imagine Mr Chen controlling the longan fruit wood fire in order to get the perfect amount of roasted taste. Big, but not at all overwhelming, and certainly plenty of room for the sweet, caramel second tastes.

I’m sad that I used the rest of these leaves in this batch, I’ll definitely need to steep it 4 times to enjoy this incredible brew the next 4 days.

Butterscotch! So much butterscotch! This is probably my favorite oolong tea (other than another charcoal-roasted tung ting that I received as a gift). I’m not usually a fan of oolong, but this tea is excellent. The tannins are present but well-hidden, and it’s hard to over/under-steep this tea to an unpleasant extent. Loses flavor after a few steepings.

Great Stuff. Definitely has a smokiness to it…but with great underlying complexity. It drinks like an expertly crafted cocktail.