Old Master Dong Ding Oolong

Decent Dong Ding! I got the 2022 harvest of this tea from my MST order, and it was going very well until it fell off around steep 4. Beautiful leaves, beautiful aroma in wet and dry leaf, liquor is vibrant but a bit thin. The flavour was delicate and nuanced, nutty and warm which was amazing, texture is decent, slight astringent and juicy yet smooth. Character is decent, finish & aftertaste is average to decent, cha-qi is average, and steep longevity is mediocre, ending at steep 6-7. Overall, a promising tea that was really good at the start but fell off, hence the sub 80 rating.

2022 sipdown no. 1

Thanks Cameron for this tea!

There’s a lovely sweetness up front and almost none of the minerality flavour. I’ve been steeping this twice and both steeps have great flavour. If I ever decide to keep more roasted oolongs around, this would be a great addition.

We haven’t had a gong fu session in quite a while. I began to have trouble sleeping so we stopped having caffeine in the evening and we just haven’t made time during the day on weekends, plus it has been in the 90’s and humid so not the first idea that springs to mind on a Saturday after mowing.

Derk gave this tea a glowing report and I was intrigued because Ashman and I love the Dong Ding from Tin Roof Teas, and when I buy it we tend to speed through the 100 gram bag because we make big pots of it for breakfast.

This was the perfect tea to renew our gong fu sessions. It was everything I love about Dong Ding plus so much more.

The wet leaf after the very quick rinse had little aroma. It was saving it for later.

Ashman jokes about his inability to make notes on tea, saying, “This is hot and tea-ish.” For this one, he sniffed and said it reminded him of the smell of wood. I agree, and all Dong Ding smells of wood and toast to me. He agreed it was toast and not smoke.

The first sip was a mind bender. Creamy? Was that creamy? Not milky, mind you, but creamy. Yes, yes, it was. Then fresh wood aroma and fruit, and a flitting of sweetness through the cup. The sweetness lay on the tongue a moment and I was startled to be reminded of fruity gum. I think it was what others more accurately called roasted sugarcane. I need to try some real sugarcane.

Steep two was magnificent. All the flavors increased. I can not say that the woodiness took a back seat and the fruit stepped forward, rather EVERYTHING stepped forward. In fact, I felt there was more fruit and Ashman said he thought there was more wood. The flavor overall increased, and it stayed that way for all five steeps.

Magnificent. Worth the price and worth the wait. I can hardly wait to try the others, including the exciting free sample that was sent. I ordered enough to get free shipping and the package came quickly, registered mail. A good experience start to finish.

Complex layered and intense roasted sugarcane-caramel and floral sweet top/mid notes with a seamless transition into equally complex, mild nutty mid/base tones. Mouthwatering fruity peach finish with a long-lasting returning sweet fragrance. And look at that leaf!

This Spring 2021 harvest is structured in depth of taste, sweetness and feeling. Had two early (430am) mornings in a row and this evening during Mandarin class, this tea suited both situations so well. The way the tea melded with my constitution astounded me — the subtle complexity, the way it drank and how it felt with each swallow; it traveled with a light touch and with its heaviness, nudged itself into all the right nooks and crannies of my being. The 10g freebie made 3 bowls that absolutely changed my mind about Dong Ding.

Bravo, Old Master!

Wow!

It’s an incredible tea, I will say I prefer the Winter Pick to the Spring pick, as I find that the winter pick has a bit more caramel and nutty taste

Not familiar with dong ding’s. But this one must be very similar in roast level to the Korean Baked Oolong I had purchased in bulk. These leaves are more intact and there are more delicate notes to be found in here towards the later steeps, but they’re very alike in the overall comforting mood they offer. Good to learn!

song pairing: Nathan Goshen – חזרי אלי