A blast from the past! This is a very well stored Dong Ding Oolong from 1985 when Careless Whisper & Like A Virgin were top of the charts! What a treat to drink such a venerable aged tea! The dried leaves are dark & oxidised and have an aroma of roasted grain & dried seaweed. After first infusion, the gaiwan lid wafts with sweet notes of honey, toffee apples, salted fluffy white butter popcorn, mixed with heavier aromas of sandalwood, camphor, leather, musty herbal medicines. The tea liquor is a dark amber with the aroma of dried orange peel. The tea floats on the tongue - light bodied but viscous, with a smooth clean mouthfeel. There is very little sourness often found in teas of this age. The sweet flavor of roasted rice fills the mouth, throat & sinuses. An after taste of charcoal roast turns to sweet caramel. A very pleasant journey, full of warmth & character. This is a fantastic tea for relaxation & contemplation.

This Dong Ding Oolong Set allows you to compare Heavy Roasted (50g) versus Light Roasted (50g) styles. The heavy roasted Dongding oolong gives an aroma of dried prunes, old orange peel, roasted sweet potato skin, with a very sweet high note. The flavor is of charcoal, roasted pine, baked nuts. The mouthfeel is dry and thick, not oily like yancha. In comparison, the roasted Dongding is very different, much more grassy & vegetal, but still thick & creamy, with a sweet strawberry milk-like fragrance.

A spectacular tea with an unusual name to match - 蜒咬贵妃茶 Insect-Bitten Imperial Concubine! This highly oxidised, dark roasted, Taiwanese oolong has a heady aroma of honey orchid, tree resin & dark blackberries. We recommend fast infusions as it produces a dark amber liquor with thick mouthfeel very quickly. This tea has surprising endurance, it keeps giving rewarding, dense volumes of honey, citrus oil, old wood, and charcoal flavors - tease them out by playing with steep times. Push it hard and you get bitter tannic dancong-like flavors, with dried prune and sour grapefruit aftertaste. The aroma from the gaiwan lid shifts to baked apple pie, moist cake, toasted raisin bread with melted butter. What a stunner - a clear favourite from our 2016 Taiwan sourcing trip.