Yesterday I drank another tea I received in a swap with a teafriend: Lugu Farmers’ Association “Silver Medal Dong Ding.” Not sure where it comes from, though considering my Steepster search turned up a similarly named “Third Place Dong Ding” from Eco-Cha, maybe it was from there. The aroma from the dry leaf was light, but I picked up a little bit of roast, and of the distinctly Dong Ding nuttiness. After a rinse, that nutty aroma was more prominent, as was the sweet roastiness.
The flavor of the tea started out thick, sweet, creamy, and smooth. There was a small indication of a fruity finish, but that wasn’t very strong in the first couple steeps. The texture was thick, and I felt the tea in the back of my throat after I swallowed it. As I continued to steep this out, the fruitiness got more prominent. It was hard to identify, but reminded me most of peaches. The front was sweet and nutty, with that fruity flavor exploding softly in my mouth just after I swallowed. Very interesting way for the tea to develop on the palate. The tea had respectable longevity for a rolled oolong – I think I got about a dozen good steeps out of it.
I also tried it with 200F water, which brought out some more delicate floral flavors, but also failed to elicit the nice fruity finish I enjoyed a good deal in my first session. I’d say it was definitely better with boiled water according to my tastes.
Flavors: Fruity, Nutty, Roasted, Sweet, Thick
