Country of Origin: Taiwan
Leaf Appearance: deep green, tightly rolled
Ingredients: oolong tea
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 205 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: gold
I have an yixing teapot that is dedicated to Dong Ding oolong. The name translates to cold summit or icy peak, which refers to the mountain by the same name where it is grown. Unfortunately it’s been neglected as I ran out of this wonderful Taiwanese tea some time ago. I couldn’t resist picking up some when I visited Le Palais des Thés shop in SoHo. This part of their Grand Cru line of high end teas. I made this in my gaiwan the first time around so that the clay of my pot wouldn’t affect the taste. It was full of orchid aroma and sweet floral taste with a subtle vegetable note. There was no astringency and the aftertaste lingered long after each sip. One of the things I love about Dong Ding is that it is a marathon tea. I did five consecutive infusions and probably could have gone for more if bladder had been capable of holding that much tea. A second session with my yixing produced a deeper and rounder version of the tea. They both have their merits but I think that I prefer the yixing version. Keeping in mind that I have not used this pot in well over a year, it becomes obvious how much of a difference a dedicated yixing can make.
You can find out more about this tea here.