Dong Ding Ming Xiang Oolong Tea

Spring 2009

Our current Dong Ding Ming Xiang is more heavily roasted than last year's tea, giving a darker brew and more robust taste.

Dong Ding Ming Xiang wu long tea (oolong tea) is produced in the Dong Ding mountain area of Nantou county in Taiwan. Dong Ding is one of the most famous wu long tea producing regions in Taiwan. Its history stretches back to the 1860's when a Dong Ding native brought several tea plants from China back to Taiwan. Dong Ding mountain proved to have ideal climate and soil conditions for wu long tea cultivation.

The Dong Ding area was near the epicentre of the 1999 earthquake that devastated Taiwan. In the aftermath of the disaster many of the tea plantations were left unattended. When work resumed on them and the neglected wu long was picked and processed it was found to have a deliciously sweet honey flavour.

Investigation showed that the wu long tea gets its honey flavour from secretions left on it by cicadas. In order to encourage this special flavour, Dong Ding Ming Xiang wu long tea must be grown without the use of pesticides.

Taiwan Ming Xiang wu long has a distinctive sweet taste and aroma. It brews a dark colour wu long tea that has a lingering sweetness that settles on the back of the tongue. Dong Ding Ming Xiang is truly one of the jewels of Taiwan wu long tea and is highly valued by wu long tea connoisseurs.