Dong Ding Competition Oolong (Three Plum Blossoms 2022)

Dong Ding Competition Oolong is a superb ‘Three Flowers’ grade tea from the 2022 Competition held by the Lugu Dong Ding Tea Production Cooperative. Expertly roasted using handpicked Jin Xuan cultivar leaves, it has a classic complex profile with creamy, toasty and fruity notes.

We supply this tea decanted in our usual 10g and 50g kraft zip seal pouches for convenience and sampling.

You can also purchase this tea in original packaging with competition seals:
– 300g sealed containers (tin containing 300g of tea);
– 600g sealed boxes (containing 2 x 300g tin containers).

The boxes come with original seals from the competition that authenticate this product and the tins are stamped accordingly. These represent overall better value but also make for outstanding and very exclusive gifts.

Brewing guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 90°C for 3-4 mins

(10-50-300-600g)

This product is currently out of stock and unavailable.

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Origin:Lugu Township, Nantou County, Taiwan
Elevation:1000-1,200m
Cultivar:Jin Xuan 'Golden Daylily' (金萱) TRES #12
Harvest time:Spring 2022
Sourcing:From the farmer via Taiwanese Tea Master

Description

Dong Ding Competition Three Flowers Grade Jin Xuan Oolong (凍頂烏龍茶) is a top grade Dong Ding Oolong from the famous Lugu Township (鹿谷鄉) tea growing area of Nantou Province in Taiwan. Made from hand picked leaves of Jin Xuan ‘Golden Daylily’ (金萱) TRES #12 cultivar, this tea has been selected as the most typical representation of a Jin Xuan-based traditional Dong Ding Oolong. Being a traditional style of tea, it has undergone a lengthy and complex baking process to produce a tea that has a fine balance between fresh floral and baked creamy notes. It has been baked 4 times, with each baking lasting over 10 hours. This spring 2022 batch was awarded a ‘Three Plum Blossoms’ (三朵梅花) status at the 2022 Competition.

This is just one of the Taiwanese Competition Grade Oolong teas that we currently have available in our shop.

This tea utilises Jin Xuan, which is the cultivar of choice for many teas, including the very popular Milk Oolong. In contrast, our standard traditional Dong Ding Oolong uses a Qing Xin ‘Green Heart’ (青心) cultivar that results in a more floral taste. By utilising a Jin Xuan cultivar for this Dong Ding Competition Oolong, the farmer and the tea master are able to achieve a balanced flavour with a fine interplay between the creamy, lightly floral notes imparted by the Jin Xuan leaves and a complex, baked character.

We were lucky this year to acquire a small amount of this Dong Ding Competition Oolong with the help of a tea master in Taiwan who baked this particular tea. Every year in Taiwan, local competitions are held to determine the best teas of that season. This particular tea is from spring 2022 crops and was entered into a competition that took place earlier in 2022. The competition is held only once a year by the Lugu Dong Ding Tea Production Cooperatives (凍頂生產合作社). This is a ‘Three Flowers’ grade tea, which means that it was awarded a grade in the competition but it was not one of the very top teas. Three Plum Blossoms Grade is a middle to lower award that is below Special Awards as well as Gold, Fist and Second grades but above the ‘Two Flowers’ and ‘Excellent’ grades.

Taiwan tea competitions work somewhat differently to many others. When a farmer submits a tea for competition, 22 jin of tea is submitted for judging; one jin being equal to just over 600 grams. From that, 1 jin is used specifically for judging and 1 jin is used for sampling. Upon presenting the awards, the remaining 20 jin, or 12 kilograms of tea, of all the awarded teas are sealed with competition seals signifying the competition and the grade achieved. This labelling makes sure that there is no possible counterfeiting or reselling of inferior tea as ‘competition’ tea. The 12 kilograms of each graded tea is then auctioned off. The best grades of tea do resell for astronomical prices. In many cases the best graded teas are bought by very wealthy individuals or large corporates seeking free publicity from paying exorbitant sums of money for the top teas of the year.

This Dong Ding Competition Three Plum Blossoms Jin Xuan Oolong has dark leaves with a comforting roasted aroma. It produces a liquor with a golden copper colour and a creamy, baked and lightly floral aroma. The flavours are complex and multilayered with baked and creamy notes of straw and roasted buckwheat. The tasting starts tart, fruity and progresses onto more roasted, creamy and sweet flavours. The finish is refreshingly floral, lightly tangy and has a slight metallic edge. None of the flavours are particularly overpowering and the roasted notes contribute to rather than dominate the taste. Overall this is a complex, balanced tea that deliver highly satisfying and comforting baked creamy flavours with intriguing notes.

It is best brewed at 90°C for 3-4 minutes according to your taste and should be brewed multiple times, increasing steeping time with each brew if desired. For best results, we recommend good quality filtered water and gong fu brewing method.