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“Yeah. The aroma has a goji berry tartness and the decadent sweetness of a strawberry and rhubarb preserve. At first I am met with the sweetness of dark honey and clove but there is a subtle...” Read full tasting note
This nicely aged Dong Ding oolong has enjoyed perfect storage.
The leaves were picked over 2 years (1980 & 1981), combined and packed in airtight jars.
They have been opened recently and I’ve bought a limited quantity for sale.
The aged taste of the tea is clean and pure retaining much of the taste of the original tea combined with the mellow richness that comes with ageing. The roast has been fairly light allowing the actual flavour of the leaf to come through.
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Yeah. The aroma has a goji berry tartness and the decadent sweetness of a strawberry and rhubarb preserve. At first I am met with the sweetness of dark honey and clove but there is a subtle flavor of sugar cane and a definite flat fruitedness I can only describe a tasting like persimmon. The hui gan of flaky fruit pastry and a subtle hint of mild curry powder is sweet and complex.
As I progress through the gongfu session, the structure of the tea is revealed and the dryness of good bourbon comes out to match the color of the liquor. There is revealed an underlying flavor of sweet tobacco and rich spice pushing the fruit flavors into a withered and warm mulled cider.
I just tried this. Wow. Your description surpasses anything I’m capable of. I would just add, however, the agedness of this: nothing like the forest floor of puerh, but still an earthy, spicy. oldness.
So, CF, which pot did you use? I first tried this in my Yancha pot, then tried again in one reserved for lighter rolled oolongs (Anxi and such) and I preferred the latter. I don’t think one should knock off too many high notes from this one. But it’s so different from anything I’ve had.
hey, thanks for commenting! this tea is easy to love, im glad you enjoy it. i honestly forget where i picked this nugget of info up but i read somewhere (not on the the seller’s site – it was some blog post) that this particular tea has not been re-roasted like a lot of aged tea and is an example of proper ageing. that’s all well and good but it has the taste to back it up. that quality “oldness”.
im going to make a confession: i don’t own an Yixing pot. i use an ash glazed gai for all tea except darker puer (unglazed clay gai) and some indian red teas/flavored teas (tetsubin). yeah, its not ideal but i haven’t gotten into the art of teapot matching. im only now distilling which teas i really like (i mean REALLY like) from the myriad i’ve tried. this is one of them :-)
this one is interesting because it doesn’t have the character of yan cha. it is a roasted Taiwan tea from Dong Ding mountain so the pot you chose would be the more appropriate choice but it really is in a class belonging to roasted Taiwan tea.
I had the aged dong ding again tonight and it’s becoming a favorite. It’s really interesting what you said about “proper aging.” I’m buying that argument! Also, totally in agreement about the overemphasis on pots. Though I admit I really enjoy my pots, I find that my rather ordinary gaiwans are what I go to when things get serious. Like now. Thanks again CF.
Dont get me wrong . . . I want a Yixing pot one day. Also I dont trust myself with the high end eggshell porcelain gaiwans because I know I will break it. I once had a set of six double glass insulated teacups and they are all broken. So for now at least, the hardier the piece the better I guess.
You should try the 1988 Taiwan tea (unroasted) from Cloudwalker. Like the Dong Ding it is a great value.