Country of Origin: Taiwan
Leaf Appearance: dark green, tightly rolled
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: yellowish gold
Dong Ding is a Taiwanese oolong that I have a special relationship with. It is only of the first teas that I truly fell in love with when I started my journey more than a decade ago. Has it really been that long? Sometimes we forget about old favorites in favor of shiny new teas. Getting a sample of this in the mail was a great reminder to get back to my roots.
Eco-Cha has been one of my go-to Taiwanese tea specialists for a long time. This tea was grown at about 700 meters above sea level in Lu Gu Township, Nantou County. I was intrigued by the description on Eco-Cha’s website, which stated that it was made with an early strain of the Qing Xin cultivar that is no longer readily available.
Leaf
The dry leaf of Eco-Cha Dong Ding was a deep, dark green and tightly rolled into fairly large-sized balls. This tea has a medium oxidation level so they looked much less dark under my bright photography lights. I noticed a toasty, nutty, and faintly floral aroma that became more pronounced once the tea was added to my pre-heated gaiwan. My gaiwan is about 125ml so I opted to use 7g of tea. It doesn’t look like much but this is a tea that will definitely need room to expand. I used boiling water and started my infusion time at around 30 seconds, gradually getting longer over time. The leaves were quite large once they fully unfurled.


Liquor
Eco-Cha Dong Ding brewed up a bright, yellowish gold. The taste was buttery and sweet with just a hint of comforting toastiness. There was a pine-like coolness in the middle palate followed by a light and airy creaminess. It didn’t quite taste like it but my brain kept thinking of fresh kettle corn. Yum! There was just a touch of astringency but no bitterness at all. There were hints of orchids but that aspect very, very subtle. This oolong would be a great choice for those who do not like the super flowery, nuclear green ones. Later infusions had a bit of smoke that I had not noticed earlier in my session.
Have you tried Eco-Cha Dong Ding? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Dong Ding Oolong Tea sample provided for review by Eco-Cha.

I have yet to try tea from Eco Cha and this Dong Ding reflection sounds so appetizing! Thank you for sharing, DD is one of my favorites!