Dong Ding Oolong

This is the last new tea to try that I took from MzPriss’ Unflavored teabox the last go around. Not sure how I should be steeping this one. The teaspoon wasn’t a full one, so I didn’t want to fill the mug all the way to the top. I think it turned out perfectly each steep anyway. This has a lovely flavor from the first cup and really stays delicious with each steep, even though there are subtle changes. That’s what I love about oolong: even though each cup has differences, it always seems like the perfect cup anyway. This one reminds me most of kettle corn! I thought it was the sticky rice flavor left in the infuser from the last tea but the kettle corn flavor is still there on the third steep, so I’m pretty sure it’s this tea. It’s smooth, sweet, buttery. I know kettle corn has hints of sweet and savory (and butter), just like this oolong, but it ACTUALLY tastes like kettle corn. The second steep also seems to have hints of pineapple. A huge amount of flavor is in one teaspoon. Easily, everything I’ve tried from Single Origin has been delicious and it’s very tempting not to buy everything I’ve tried.
Steep #1 // 10 min after boiling // 2 min steep
Steep #2 // 5 min a.b. // 2 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 2 min

Teeny Tiny Traveling Tea Box

Mmmm a lovely roasted oolong to start off my morning! I haven’t had an oolong like this in a while :)
Nice tightly rolled leaves that expand like lovely, pale/light yellowy/green liquor after the first steeping.
Just a really great tea!

from the (Mostly) Unflavored TTB

I like this one. It’s still green and floral, but also roasty and nutty at the same time. It has a really nice mouth feel as well, buttery. And it’s nice and sweet.

I think I’ll add this one to my wish list, so I remember to buy it. I’ve decided that there are enough SOT teas that I’m enjoying that I will place an order when my cupboard is back down to a comfortable level. Right now, it’s overflowing (literally. You should see the piles I have elsewhere because they won’t fit in the pantry) and I need to be patient. Patience…yeah, yeah, yeah…how long will that take?

From the Unflavored TTB.
One of the disadvantages of a TTB is that there is a tension between using a lot of tea and leaving more for future participants. I’m also trying to taste a lot of different teas, so I don’t want to spend half the day with a single tea. So for this tea, I did a weird compromise between a western style and gong-fu: steeping 2 grams of tea in 6 oz of water for several 2-minute steeps. It let me get a sense of the tea without using a lot of tea or feeling like I wanted to do 10 re-steeps. It seemed to work out reasonably well.

1st steep (2 min): Soft nose is straw with grassy/spicy undertones. As it cooled, the spice became more prominent. The taste has a good mouth-feel, with a blend of straw and grass and a hint of spice. 2nd (2 min): Smell is now grass and toast. Much richer flavors. Less grass, more spice. By the third steep (5 min):, the taste is really deep and rich. Not much grass at all.

(From the Unflavored Traveling Tea Box)

I’ve only had two infusions of this one so far, but I’m enjoying them quite a bit. The flavor is roasty and nutty with a touch of floral right at the end. All of the flavors are mild without begin too subtle making this easy to sip and savor while carrying on with other things.

Single Origin Teas has really impressed me with the quality of their teas. There are a few more in the box, and I’m looking forward to trying them all.

(From the UTTB.)

This is a gentle and unassuming tea. Lightly roasted, with a buttery taste and floral background. It’s clean. Fresh. Green. It’s like spring water and flower stems to me. I prefer more oxidized oolongs, but this is still nice. It’s just not something I could see myself craving.

Thanks to Single Origin teas who provided a sample for review!

This is a nice green oolong! A little nuttier than I am used to. I am enjoying the nutty flavor but I tend to prefer brighter greener oolongs, I think. Ones with a tangy note. This one has a gentle floral element that I like though!

This one is nice and pretty sweet though! I steeped it western style.

Last tea for Oolong Week! This one is a nice medium roast Dong Ding. This Dong Ding has really nice roasty flavor, nutty sunflower notes, savory elements with a sweetness that shows up in later infusions. Very crisp, clean and fresh tasting tea.

Later steepings has a bit of bitterness, similar to nut shells, and a hint of astringency.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/dong-ding-oolong-single-origin-teas-oolong-owl-tea-review/