MEM Tea Tung Ting

Country of Origin: Taiwan
Leaf Appearance: dark green, tightly rolled
Steep time: 20 seconds
Water Temperature: 195 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: buttery gold

MEM Tea Imports is a new-to-me company based in Cambridge, MA. They are a wholesaler and retailer of loose leaf teas. Some of you might be wondering about the name Tung Ting. This is the Wade-Giles transliteration of the more familiar Dong Ding. Many tea companies still use these names even though Pin Yin is now the standard system for transliterating. Dong Ding is named after a mountain in the Lugu region of Nantou, Taiwan. The name is usually translated as frozen summit or icy peak.

Leaf

The dry leaf consisted of fairly large, tightly rolled balls. They were fairly green in appearance with a minimal amount of stems or broken pieces. I noticed a pronounced nutty aroma as soon as I opened the bag. My preference for making this type of tea is always gongfu but I really appreciate that MEM Tea provided a variety of brewing instructions. This is a huge help to consumers, especially when they are first starting out. I especially loved the gaiwan diagram!

Liquor

MEM Tea Tung Ting brewed up a buttery gold color. The roasted aroma from the dry leaves was present in the cup as a toasted cereal note. Juicy notes of apricot followed up on the back end. Overall it was very smooth without much astringency, even with extended brewing times. The fruity aspect came to the forefront as the tea cooled, making me believe that this would make an excellent iced tea.

MEM Tea has a recipe for a cocktail made with tea-infused simple syrup that uses this tea. I will definitely have to give that a try! This tea is very affordable for a Dong Ding oolong. It would be a great choice if you are looking for something to drink on a regular basis without breaking the bank.

Have you ever tried MEM Tea Tung Ting? Let me know about it in the comments below!

Tung Ting sample provided for review by MEM Tea.