Superfine Taiwan Qing Xiang Dong Ding Oolong Tea

Dry leaf aroma: buttery, squash, ver lighty light pepper note, seaweed, floral, sweet
Brewed tea aroma: Floral, honey, spinach

Thick mouthfeel, slight salty on finish, floral throughout, buttery top note, quick sharp sweetness, bean-like flavour, hint of spinach at the end of the sip

Additional notes: I’m just now breaking into this one that I bought (after trying a sample – so there is another tasting note for this one!) Teavivre teas are so well packaged! I know packaged like this, the freshness will last for a while. I wanted to use less than the 2 1/2 teaspoons I used last time, so I went with 1 1/2 teaspoons. The leaves unravel very quickly after a minute steep! The aroma and flavor is divine – somehow the flavor is creamy, a little spicy and peachy all at once. It’s a very unique oolong – and it’s rare that I find this peachy flavor with oolongs. Last steep session I was tasting mostly pineapple in the first cup, but that is missing here (probably because I used so many leaves last time). The second steep is exactly the same. The third steep is the same as well, but there is a little more bite to it. After the first two steeps being so sweet and creamy, the bite isn’t really a problem though. I’m surprised this one doesn’t change with flavor more over the course of steeping it, but with such a tasty flavor, I’m glad it doesn’t change too much. It’s nice to know that I can’t really ruin oolong… it tastes great no matter which way I steep it!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for 11 ounce mug // rinse // 5 minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 1 1/2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 2 minutes
Harvest: May 10, 2014

According to Teavivre this tea was picked in August 1, 2013 so the tea has been sleeping for a long time. So first I breathed on the dry tea to wake it up and was promptly greeted with a milky, interesting smell.
With the tea now awoken I steeped half the 7g free sample pack I received in hot water. Upon sipping my cup I loved the sweet taste, like honey, and how creamy it was. It was perhaps less creamy than the Superfine Taiwan Ali Shan that I also sampled prior, the Qing Xiang Dong Ding I thought had a very subtle “harshness” to it, that i associate more with green tea. Overall, the taste is very kind and forgiving.
After two hot steepings like this I put the wet leaves in a sport shaker with cold water and put it in the fridge. At this point I took the time to appreciate how pretty and large the green leaves had become.
After a few hours cold steeping, I got a luscious ice tea out of the already-used leaves. I’m impressed by how much flavor there is within this oolong tea! The round, sweet and mild taste really lends itself to making ice tea in my opinion, and there is a mild hazelnut taste as an added bonus. Because the leaves are so large, it was really convenient for me to sip on the tea straight out of my shaker without the need to strain the tea. I also got a second similarly heavenly cold brew out of the leaves.
Overall I’m really pleased with this tea, it is now my favorite oolong tea so far. Thank you Teavivre for the free sample!

I drank this oolong a few weeks ago and forgot to review it. But thanks to the three pack sample I received from the generous Angel at Teavivre, I am able to drink some again tonight.

You know when you eat a nice dish and there’s that taste you like but can’t quite put your finger on? Well for me, it’s often the same ingredient, I always go, «oh, yes, that’s what it is» once I find out.

Well again, here’s that “secret” ingredient, but this time it is so obvious to me that I can identify it quickly: nutmeg!

Yes, big nutmeg and strong floral notes. It’s got that buttery feel as well and with the spiciness, it makes it an almost savoury oolong. There’s a fresh astringency cutting through the thickness of this tea. I like that.

The leaves are perfect, large and unbroken with many stems still attached to them.

This will be my last tea of the night, as I’m only at my second steep and it will go on forever, I can tell.

Angel, thank you for giving me the opportunity to try this wonderful tea, much appreciated!

This was another green oolong that TheTeaFairy so generously sent me.
Are my tastes changing? Can she choose green oolong more to my tastes than I can? Dunno but this is the second one in two days that I’ve liked. Again, a hint of floral but not in your face. Nice, light green oolong. I still don’t think that these are my favorite type of tea, but they may be growing on me, especially with the weather starting to warm a little.
I need to keep looking at these as the opportunity arises……

This is a free sample that was sent by Teavivre for review. Thank you!

I was a bad girl. I took this packet out with the intention of having it later with a student. The more I looked at it, the more I wanted it NOW! I told myself I would just make one steep and save the rest. You see where this going, right?

So…for the first steep I ignored the package directions. I gave the leaves a ten second rinse, then steeped for about two minutes with cooler water than they recommend, around 204F. I was having this with some cantaloupe after a light lunch of ciabatta bread, toasted, and smeared with goat cheese, then topped with seasoned, diced tomatoes and pesto. My first thought was how much I was tasting a melon flavor in the tea apart from the cantaloupe I was eating. I think it was more honeydew than cantaloupe, though.

I love Dong Ding teas and usually purchase moderately roasted ones, but this one was good enough to keep on the shelf.

I made two steeps at a low temperature and then for the third steep increased to boiling and two minutes. Now it has a little astringent kick at the end of the sip. There is a light nutty aroma as I lift the cup but mostly….flowers! I am really enjoying this. I thought it would probably go about three steeps, but I am thinking I will get a fourth and possibly fifth out of this. Poor student. Ah, well, perhaps I will offer him a different tea…

Not a huge fan. Compared to the Li Shan Oolong I’ve been drinking, this just doesn’t hold up in my opinion. I used a whole 7 gram sample in my 5oz Finum. Found it ultimately unremarkable. Pale color. Pale on flavor. Maybe I’m missing something here? I won’t be coming back to this one. Making this note so I’m more dialed into what I don’t like, rather than what I do.

Steep times started at about 1 min, thereafter increasing the time by roughly 1/2 − 1, 1 1/2, 2 1/4, 3 3/8, etc).

Light Oolong that is golden yellow in color and has a nice floral aroma. This tea has a pleasant floral taste with a little bit of honeydew flavor. I found this Oolong to be quite enjoyable.