Help us welcome in this year’s Dong Ding, a traditional Formosa Oolong. Dong Ding is a popular style produced around the township of Lugu in Nantou County of Taiwan and is processed much like a rolled high mountain oolong but is often exposed to roasting after rolling and drying. In this case the producer roasted the early May harvested leaves between 30-40%, adding a slightly nuttier, meatier profile while still retaining the vegetal nature of its broth as well as its bouquet on the nose and after-breath.

This Qing Xin cultivar Dong Ding Oolong was grown on the actual Dong Ding Shan, at an altitude of around 600 meters adjacent to Lugu. Dong Ding 凍頂 translates to Frozen Summit and the tea plants around the area can be traced back to the original bastion of the Oolong style, Wuyishan in Fujian.  Steeped in a rigorous culture of tea competition, teas made around Lugu benefit from experienced hands that have fine-tuned these teas for generations.  We hope you will enjoy this tea with us.

This Dong Ding is another offering made possible by our friend Mr. Shen 沈僥宜 of Stop By Teahouse, the venerated tearoom stylist and purveyor of Taiwanese tea culture.  Check out our interview with Mr. Shen here.