This unroasted oolong delivers a full flavour profile that reflects traditional processing methods and the grower's mastery.
Flavour
Floral, earthy and savoury notes with a hint of honey and subtle spicy finish
Harvest
Qing Xin (Green Heart) cultivar
Hand-picked
Spring
Phoenix Village, Lugu
Processing
Traditional Dong Ding processing
Medium oxidation
Unroasted
Elevation
700 metres
Occasionally a tea comes along that is a pleasant surprise, and this oolong is it. Over the years, it has become customary for Dong Ding to be roasted. In fact, we used to offer a Dong Ding that had been roasted over charcoal made from the bark of Longan fruit tree. While this was a customer favourite, we’re just as excited about this tea.
The same grower produced this Dong Ding in the traditional way, without roasting the leaves. The result is a complex flavour profile. It’s floral, fruity, earthy and spicy with a clean finish. There’s something for everyone. If you want to taste a true Dong Ding, you’ll love this tea.
Serve with a dessert like spice cake or raisin bran muffins for breakfast. For dinner, pork fried rice with a side of buk choy in an oyster sauce and spring rolls.
3g per 250 mls (1 cup)
First infusion: rinse leaves with 90C water for 10 seconds and discard water; infuse for 3 minutes at 90C
Additional infusion: gradually increase steeping time for second infusion.
7g (2 tsps) in 100ml Gaiwan
First infusion: rinse leaves with 90C water for 10 seconds and discard water; infuse 20-30 seconds at 90C
Second and third infusions: infuse 20-30 seconds at 90C
Additional infusions: double infusion time with each additional infusion
3g per 250mls (1 cup) of room temperature water
Brew in a tea flask at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Taste as it's brewing and strain the tea when you like the flavours.
Dong Ding translates to "Frozen summit or "Icy Peak" and is the name of the mountain where the village is located. This Dong Ding is from a small plot in Phoenix Village that has some of the earliest history of traditional oolong tea production. The farm was planted 30 years ago and the tea plants are noticeably different from those cultivated in the last 2 decades.
Tea grown on this ridge that rises above Dong Ding Mountain on the north side of Lugu produces teas with a unique flavour and character, likely linked to the climate and rare red soil. The climate is distinctly cooler than in Central Lugu and experiences more weather variations such as fog intensity and rainfall where the moist heat builds to that elevation and drops.