Dong Ding Oolong Tea, Lot 635

I haven’t experienced much tea (any?) from Taiwan Tea Craft, but I’ve ordered their teawares a few times over the years. When I first saw the ash glazed “genie” pot with the circle handle a few years ago, I had to have that. Their little “Pocket” $35 clays pots are a nice value. I think Oolong Owl reviewed some of those little pots awhile back. In my last teaware order, I decided to show them some love and try their tea. I enjoyed this Dong Ding. The dry leaf smell had some roasted nuttiness and some fruity smell, as well. Wet leaf was very fruity. I went for about 8 sessions with this tea and it held up well for me. I was having my tea during a meeting, and there were some longer breaks between sessions, so I would heat the water back up, and it seemed to do better with just off the boil water in later steepings. I may have added a touch of bitter that way, but I don’t mind a little bitterness if it brings out stronger flavors. I prepared this in the red Pocket Duo Zhi shaped pot from TTCs. Pour was great on that little pot. I felt some caffeine buzz shortly after consuming this tea.

My car broke down last month forcing me to rely on mass transit to get to work while I try to find a new car. This has effectively doubled my total daily commute time to 3:30 hours, not counting the time to the train station, and involves 4 transfers between buses and trains. As bad as that may sound, its actually a lot less stressful than driving in rush hour traffic. I can easily pass the time reading, YouTubing, and people-watching. It does however expose me to the elements. I’ve really felt it these last couple of days when the weather dipped below freezing here in Chicago prompting me to put aside my green teas in favor of roasted oolongs and blacks.

This is a basic but pleasant dong ding with chocolate and toasted nut overtones. Along the way, there are hints of spice, wet rock minerality, and a peach-like fruitiness. I also picked up whiffs of chocolate chip cookies (Chips Ahoy to be precise) and s’mores in the wet leaf but didn’t taste it in the tea. It’s warm and toasty without ever tasting burnt even when hit with boiling water. The roast on this tea is mellow thus allowing you to taste more of its underlying character. I’m a little disappointed though in how quickly it fades. The flavor starts to drop off around steep #4-5 leaving behind kind of an oily aftertaste. Then again, it’s a budget tea so expectations need to be adjusted accordingly.