Dong Ding Oolong

Brewed this tea western, gongfu, and this time grandpa style.

Ehhh wasn’t particularly impressed or unimpressed. I’m starting to realize I really just prefer greener oolongs and this lightly roasted dong ding is solid but not that special imo.

Might repurchase if there’s a nice sale and I’m low on my oolong stock.

Sipdown (601)!

As I mentioned in my last note for this tea, I had a very odd amount of it left. Not enough to brew Gong Fu, for sure – but still a strange amount for a Western mug. I did make it Western-style though, just in the largest mug that I have…

This was delicious; I really don’t know why I was so unimpressed with it the first few times I tried it because this tea and the time prior were so good! Sweet, toasty and nutty with honey and floral elements. Nothing to complain about here at all!

I usually like to pick up floral oolongs from Tea Ave in the Spring (namely Rose/Ginger Lily) and I haven’t yet done that so maybe I’ll have to place a Tea Ave order sooner rather than later, and add in more Dong Ding as well…

This is a very tasty oolong. It is slightly roasted but very light. It does not overpower the taste of the tea. I am not sure what to call the sweet notes of this tea but it was good.

I steeped this eight times in a 120ml gaiwan with 7g leaf and 190 degree water. I gave it a 10 second rinse. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, and 30 seconds.

Brewing up the sample tea bag that I was sent! I’m just western-style brewing this in a smallish teapot. After about a 1 minute brew, it comes up pale yellow. It has a calm, mellow flavor profile, with an immediate punch of light, roasty flavor and hints of maybe corn and bready grain. I’m not yet picking up too much in the way of fruits, but I might notice some more as I brew.

The second steep comes out deeper in color and flavor. There’s a little more of the roasted note coming out here now, but still nowhere near as much as a heavily roasted oolong (good by me!). It has a very rich and round flavor profile, with a sweetness and a mouth coating viscosity. Very enjoyable and looking forward to trying some of my other Tea Ave purchases!

This one reminded me of plain popcorn, predominant in both the scent and flavor, but there’s a lot more to this tea. Early steeps had a faint aroma that reminiscent of dried cherries; subtle flavors of orchid and cinnamon with a lingering aftertaste of homemade bread. Following this through 6 steeps, the latter half became sweet and mild. A deliciously toasty tea–perfect for those who don’t want an aggressively floral oolong.

I had this tea this afternoon and brewed in a gaiwan. I tend to prefer the lighter oolongs compared to the more roasted ones. This one was roasted but it was very light.

On the first infusion it brewed up a pale yellow. It was so creamy with a bit of sweetness and a very light roast. Soooo good.

2nd infusion, was still good but roast was a bit more pronounced and the creamy flavour a little less.

3rd was similar to the 2nd infusion.

The first cup was my absolute favourite but it was very good throughout.

I’m not in the mood to review today, so I will keep this short. I’m mostly writing this review for my own future reference.

Dry leaves in warm gaiwan smell buttery and like toasted sunflower seeds. After a rinse, they smell like a nice blend of roasty notes, herbs, and flowery green mountain plants.

On the first infusion, the infusion is quite pale in color, and the taste is mostly of sweet toasty notes and sunflower seeds.

The second infusion is a lot more floral and less dried-fruit-like than what I’m used to with Dong Ding oolong. It’s reminding me more of the usual high mountain oolong flavors that most have in common.

But then, the third infusion brings a bit of those fruit-like notes I’m used to, a bit creamy, still pretty floral, a bit of roasted taste. The fourth is a little less floral and more sweet. Mellowed a bit.

Overall, while my experience with Dong Ding is not really extensive, I wouldn’t have been able to tell this is a Dong Ding just by drinking it. It was good tea, but not really indicative of some of the flavors I have liked in other Dong Ding teas. It kind of dabbled in generic Taiwan oolong turf, which is neither a good or bad thing.

Magnets is hard, I mean it, those stupid super tiny rare earth magnets used in miniatures are a giant pain. So I am trying to redo some of my magnetization today by removing magnets (and the occasional polarization problem) and using bits of metal instead. I am currently covered in dried glue, impaled, cut, and generally beat up, I worry that the magnets are beating me at my own game!

It seems that so far it is Taiwan week, though I can say that was not intentional, but maybe I will run with it. Today we are taking another look at new company Tea Ave (using their awesome aroma tea cup set again, woo!) and their Dong Ding Oolong. So here is the deal, I am just going to come clean, though I am sure a lot of you already know this, Dong Ding Oolong (especially roasted) is hands down my favorite Oolong, possibly my favorite tea. This presents some problems when it comes to reviewing it, because I tend to be extra critical but also easily blown away by it, so let us see how this one measures up. The aroma of the tightly curled leaves is, as expected, delightfully pleasant, with notes of sweet honey and toasted sesame seeds, there are also notes of spicebush, chestnut, and a gentle orchid note. This is a lightly roasted oolong so it still has the floral notes along with the sweetness that roasting brings out, Tea Ave’s website (and awesome packaging) gives the roasting level a 4 (out of 10 I am assuming) and I certainly agree with that.

No surprise, this tea got tossed in my yixing pot for the official steeping, sadly it did not all fit in the aroma cup, so I had to break out the cha hai for the extra. The brewed leaves is a really nice blend of sweet roasted chestnut and sesame and a really surprising potent blend of honeysuckle, lilac, and spicebush. That spicebush note is what makes Dong Ding my favorite I thing, so many happy memories of spicebush flowers. The liquid is not as strongly roasted as the brewed leaves, in fact it has a bit of a vegetation greenness to it, along with spicebush and a touch of chestnut at the finish.

The first tea really starts out floral and sweet, notes of honeysuckle and lilac, a tiny hint of spinach…and then hello roasted! The midtaste and finish is all about the roasted sesame and chestnuts with a sweet honey taste all throughout. The sweetness lingers for a while after sipping experience is finished.

Second steeping time! The aroma is much toastier this time, it is still sweet and floral, but the toasted notes are really starting to shine through with richly toasted sesame notes and of course the spicebush. The taste is also much toastier, starting off with sweet sesame seeds and a bit of toast and delectable honeysuckle nectar. Towards the midtaste the tea picks up a spicebush note and, here is the fun part, there is a finish of sunflower seeds. That is a new one to me, I like!

Third times the charm, I really need to stop saying that because it makes it seem the previous steeps were meh and I need the third steep to make them better…which I don’t, I just never know how to say ‘hey third steep’ I guess I could just do that. So the third steep takes off where the second steep’s aroma left off, mostly all roasted notes of chestnut and sesame seeds, a hint of toast, and that lingering bit of spicebush. The taste is really similar to the second steep, with lots of toasty notes, including notes of actual toast, sesame seeds, and chestnut. The finish is mild honey and spicebush, delicious. Yes, I liked this tea, it passed the delicious taste with flying colors.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/03/tea-ave-dong-ding-oolong-tea-review.html

Many thanks to Tea Ave for providing me a free sample to review!

Brewed gongfu-style in a gaiwan. 10 second rinse. Steeping times: 10, 10, 15, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 120.

The dry leaf aroma smells roasted and seaweed-y. This roasty quality becomes more powerful once the leaf is rinsed, after which I also get cooked dark vegetables, such as char, kale, and spinach. Using the aroma cup, I’m able to smell the liquor aroma, which is unexpectedly different – fresh strawberries! A little apricot appears later on.

The liquor is pale gold, lovely appearance in a white cup. Full-bodied, very flavorful yet light. Creamy and soft texture. I feel of mid-summer, a sunny and breezy afternoon. Definitely a summer tea.

The first infusion of the session greets me with roasted vegetables and a pure sugar aftertaste. The second tastes of grilled yellow zucchini, which I find to be sweet cooked just right. The third is still vegetal, but this note is but mellower. The texture is at its creamiest, and there is a fruity aftertaste.

Infusions four through six are nearly pure fruit: strawberries, bananas, and peaches. The texture is no longer creamy, but is still soft as ever. Roasted vegetables return in seven through nine (probably because I drank them after an hour break and had to become accustomed to drinking this Dong Ding). A peachy sweetness lingers.

This is the last of my sample sachet’s from Tea Ave. Thank you for the opportunity to try your wonderful oolongs.

I had this tea earlier this week and didn’t write a tasting note about it immediately so hopefully I remember all the important details of of this one. I remember being suprised that I enjoyed this one more than the TGY. The texture of this tea amazed me. Like most of the TeaAve teas that I tried it had a creamy smooth, melt in your mouth, kind of texture. It seems to enhance the experience so much. I remember this being slightly fruity, with a slight roasted flavor. This one I would definitely pick up again. I unfortunately only had the opportunity to steep these leaves once. I wish I would have had the time to do more, but such is life sometimes. I look forward to an order with TeaAve in the up coming months!