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“I’m an absolute sucker for this treasure. I loved the 2012 batch and finished it wayyyyy faster than I should, so when this came out I purchased it right away. The dry leaves are a pretty dark...” Read full tasting note
Called “Dong Pian” in Chinese, Winter Sprout is by far our most unusual tea acquisition from Taiwan. Formosa winter teas are typically picked from mid-to-late November. If the winter is mild enough, the tea plant will sometimes grow a new sprout before slipping into cold weather dormancy.
Our Winter Sprout comes from this secondary growth, picked in mid-January 2013, 45 days after the main winter harvest. It comes from a 1500 meter tea garden on San Lin Xi in Nantou, Taiwan. Because the tea was picked during the plant’s dormant period, the leaves lack the vegetal compounds characteristic of Formosa oolongs, but they possess much higher sugar content.
As sugar maple sap is tapped in the winter months then boiled down for maple syrup, the craftsmanship of this tea accentuates the leaves’ innate sweetness. Once picked, the leaves undergo thirty hours of oxidation before they are slowly baked at 85 degrees centigrade for eight hours a day over the course of two days. From harvest to completion, this tea took nearly six days to craft. The end result is a Formosa oolong that is sublimely sweet and creamy, reminiscent of golden sugar cane, caramel, and cotton candy – yes, that pink fluffy stuff you used to like as a kid.
Company description not available.
Dong Pian (Winter Sprout), 2014
Red Blossom Tea CompanyDong Pian (Winter Sprout), 2012
Red Blossom Tea Company2024 Shan Lin Xi “Winter Sprout” Dong Pian High Mountain Oolong
TheTeaMingjian Dong Pian Winter Sun
teehaus.cölnSiji Dong Pian (four seasons winter tea)
Chayo TeaDong Pian (Winter Petal), Zhushan 2015
Happy Earth TeaI’m an absolute sucker for this treasure. I loved the 2012 batch and finished it wayyyyy faster than I should, so when this came out I purchased it right away.
The dry leaves are a pretty dark green, the leaves are well retained, and give off a faint caramel sweet scent. When brewed, the leaves expand quite a bit, filling almost to the top of my David’s Perfect Mug (I know, I know, this is gaiwan worthy but I’m just too tired) infuser even though I only used a teaspoonful of leaves.
The tea is light green in color, with a light, sweet aroma. When drinking, you get a little vegetal feel, but just a little (which I blame on the fact that I may have overbrewed it). The rest is just a subtle, mellow sweetness. It wasn’t as sweet as I remember it, (possibly because I overbrewed it ,sob) but it’s still awesome.
I love this tea. I would marry it if I could.
