Tan Xiang Oolong, Traditional Dong Ding Oolong Tea

A review Charcoal-baked Dong Ding Tea by Fong Mong Tea

I am finally having a cup of this Dong Ding Tea. In opening this last sealed packet, I am noticing the charcoal scent that is coming from the small pouch. As I pour out the contents into the palm of my hands I smell the charcoal. It is very nice, it makes me think of folks who are able to barbecue on an open pit or a charcoal broiler. I do not own these things but I have been around them.

I had my small pan filled with pure freshly cold water and I left it to boil slightly for a few minutes. I take my trusty mug that was freshly washed and put some of the Dong Ding tea rolls in the cup and I pour some of the water into the cup and left to steep for a few minutes.

I continue to smell the charcoal scent from my fingers, which seems to be coated with it. After about two minutes I remove the cover from the tea and yes the leaves are fuller in size, but still curled not full leaves as the previous oolong sampled.

This tea has that lovely golden orb color; liken to an egg yolk or cantaloupe melon. And the smell is definitely of charcoal and in taste it is the same as well.

1st infusion tea smells and taste strongly of charcoal and it is smooth. It is a pleasant cup.
2nd and 3rd infusion brings about more of the mellow-honey in that it is softer with not the harshness of the charcoal roasted flavoring. So heartiness and robust is more so with first infusion and with later infusion what is left is a soft-yellow dew of an oolong tea; that being Dong Ding tea.

The color of this tea was by far the most exciting to see. Visualizing the yolk of an egg, freshly cut Cantaloupe melon or the golden glow of the sun is what is captured and projected into this cup, my cup of tea for the morning.

I must thank once again the folks at Fong Mong Tea for allowing me to experience their teas from these samples sent to me. These oolongs have all been memorable and enjoyed by this reviewer. They are good teas.

Thank you, FONG MONG TEA, for the free sample

Fong Mong tea takes its tea packaging very seriously. Not only did all the tea samples come in vacuum-sealed foil pouches (Americans, think of the Food Saver infomercials), but there is also an oxygen absorbing packet in each pouch. Combine that with their very fast shipping time (less than 10 days from Taiwan to the USA) and you can expect very fresh tea.

The sample packs are 6 grams in size-enough for two brews of 3 grams each. With little margin for error, I used a digital scale to get a precise measurement of the tea.

The dry leaves are very dark green (bordering on Charleston Green)and are rolled into round cluster shapes with light brown tips protruding from the end, almost like a short fuse. The aroma to me smells like a general green oolong smell-maybe lightly floral and vegetal-and somewhat sweet.

As the brewed leaves unfurl, it turns out that there are two leaves in each cluster attached to a stem (the light brown fuse). Brewed aroma is pretty much the same although the roasting flavor comes out and enhances everything. Liquor is transparent and the color of straw or hay.

The flavor is more of the traditional floral/vegetal flavor I have experienced with green oolongs. However, it is smoother than others and has zero bitterness. I think it tastes a little better and is a little higher quality than say, Rishi’s Bao Zhong (although I am unsure if that tea is charcoal-roasted).

I’m not sure if I know green oolongs well enough to give this a number rating, but if you like quality green oolongs, you should enjoy this tea.

I’d like to thank Fong Mong Teas for sending me this sample!

I’m not a big fan of greens and oolongs, so I was not really sure about this one at first. I added a hint of sugar since the initial taste was a bit too strong for me. But then it got better – I could feel a nice bouquet of flavors – mint, floral hints and a decent strong roasty base.

This tea leaves an interesting tingling sensation in the mouth which I like very much, reminds me of mint candies. But the best thing about this one is the base. It’s deep and solid and is filling the whole spectrum of taste, so to say.

Overall, it’s not the best one I’ve tried, but it is definitely good and the mint-y hint is a really great touch to the taste.

Smelling warm, a bit woody and roasty with a lovely charcoal aroma, I tried this tea in a gaiwan, using 2g of tea. I rinsed the leaves and then covered them with 30ml of 80-degree Celsius water to start, increasing the amount of water as needed so the leaves would have ample room to open. The first infusion was 15 seconds, and gave a light, clear golden amber liquor. The flavour on this first infusion was already copious.

It begins warm and nutty, a less pronounced and more nuanced charcoal note, but becomes somehow cooling and for me at this tasting a bit sweat inducing, starting at the back of my neck. It tastes a more like a green oolong but still reminds me of a Wuyi Yancha. This is a very rich and complex tea and a delightful flavour experience. There’s a lovely consistency in the infusions with this tea. I added 10 seconds to each infusion and found that worked very well. By the 7th infusion I felt the mineral flavours were taking dominance and the rest of it was fading, so I made my 8th infusion the final one.

Thanks to Fong Mong for this sample , up today for tasting we have charcoal roasted Dong Ding oolong. I started by heating the yixing to get it nice and hot and then adding the leaves and giving a short little shake. I got a very strong aroma of Honey, roast, char, anise and Caramel. I decided to skip the wash on this as I dont want to lose the flavor of the roast which usually comes out strongest in the early roasts.

First brew I got much of the same aroma as the dry leaf but more intense, the dark honey flavor especially so. The liqour is a medium dark color and the flavor added in sweet and cinnamon as well. I really love how the yixing clay brings out the spice notes in oolong, it really makes the tea shine. The flavors in this tea are quite complex and trying to pick out all the different spices is very interesting. I do like this tea alot.

Second brew, I brewed it just a bit shorter as the tea has opened up a bit at this point. Ohh right choice, the flavor and aroma of char and roast is much stronger in this brew.. so nice.. sweet, honey, and caramel are still there but also a bit of minerality at this point as well. Also might be a slightly coffee flavor as well at this point, but its hard to pinpoint that with the strong roasted flavor.

Third infusion the tea is slightly lighter in color, the minerality is more in prominence now as well as sweet and cinnamon, the roast and char is starting to fade at this point, but there is still nice spice notes. This tea is a wonderful afternoon tea with the strong flavor profile, perfect for going with a sweet snack. I really recommend this one for any who likes the stronger roasted tea.

Highly recommended.

Backlog:

I like that I can really taste the charcoal baked aspect of this tea. It’s very apparent, and it’s a nice complement to the natural nutty notes of Dong Ding. A really nice Dong Ding.

Early infusions delivered flavors of honey and nutty tones with that distinct charcoal note. I could taste charred wood and hints of smoke and I enjoyed this dimension of flavor. There was a creaminess to the cup but it was more like a browned butter than a heavy cream or sweet butter flavor. It was smooth and silky.

Later infusions were a bit more unified. I could start to pick out flavors of peach along with the nutty flavors, honey notes, and hints of smoke.

It’s a really pleasant Oolong. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/11/25/taiwan-dongding-tungting-charcoal-baked-oolong-tea-from-fong-mong-tea/