Tea: Tung Ting Oolong
A Jade Oolong from Hsin Tung Yang
This tea has been retired/discontinued.
Brand: | Hsin Tung Yang |
Style: | Jade Oolong |
Region: | Taiwan / Formosa |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Loose? | Loose |
# Ratings: | 1 View All |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1453 teas reviewed
✓ 9 of Jade Oolong
✓ 143 of Oolong Tea
✓ 2 of Hsin Tung Yang
✓ 75 from Taiwan / Formosa
Review of Tung Ting Oolong
April 13th, 2010
Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
6 of 10 | 4 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 63 of 100 |
Good | Good | Reasonable |
I bought this in a 60g canister for $4 in Philadelphia's chinatown, and I wasn't expecting much because it seemed cheap for this style. This is barely recognizable as a Tung Ting / Dong Ding oolong: the leaves are broken, although in fairly large pieces, and although it's on the lighter side for an oolong, it seems too dark for this style. I suspect this may be mislabeled; either that or it's just a low grade of Tung Ting that I've never encountered before.
Overall though, if I set aside my expectations, this tea is quite enjoyable. The liquor is a clear amber color, and the aroma is pleasant: herbaceous and toasty. Smooth flavor like a Tung Ting, but with more astringency and less sweetness. Very full-bodied.
I was able to use this tea for two briefer infusions, although I had better results brewing for a single, long (5-8 min.) infusion, which is how I usually settled on brewing it.
This tea was really not bad, especially once I gave up my expectations of what I thought it would taste like and instead appreciated it for what it was--a rich, flavorful tea of considerable depth. At the same time, although it's cheap for Tung Ting, I think there are much better oolongs available out there at this price (or considerably lower), so I don't think I'd buy this again. But it was worth trying.