“It’s such an experience drinking a tea that’s so old. The aroma of the wet leaves was like a delicious piece of fresh toast. The first infusion was somewhat flowery and fruity, but a little...” Read full tasting note
“Gongfu style today. Slightly fishy, earthy, and something in the back of the throat that I can’t figure out. I’m not sure whether I like it or not… I just can’t say.” Read full tasting note
“There is nothing more amusing that a hype written about perfumes and teas which make you drool with anticipation and then rush to buy pounds or gallons in case they get sold out FOREVER. 1980 year...” Read full tasting note
“Maybe it’s just today but this tea makes me sleepy. It is interesting to consider how long ago this tea was picked and processed, America had Pac-man Fever and John Lennon was shot in New York and...” Read full tasting note
Until the mid-1980s, Taiwan oolong teas were rolled by hand in small canvas bundles. Hand rolling produced tea clusters that were looser than what is created using modern machine rolling methods. These looser clusters required firing at higher temperatures for optimal preservation, which in turn produced a richer, more robust tea.
Our Aged Tung Ting is a true rarity surviving from this earlier era of tea making in Taiwan. We acquired this tea from a grower who had had the tea in his family’s possession for nearly three decades. During that time, it was lightly roasted every two to three years to remove moisture from the tea. Before the tea was shipped to San Francisco, we had it charcoal roasted using longan fruit wood, a finishing techinque also very traditional to formosa tea making.
Over time, the tea’s color has darkened and its flavor mellowed to a pleasing combination of candied plum and cocoa with rich, roasted aromatics .
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