Tung Ting Jade Oolong Tea by Ten Ren (Review)
Oolong tea, Tea reviews
For Christmas, my friend Li gave me a can of Tung Ting Oolong Tea (also known as Jade Oolong) by Ten Ren. It was my introduction to green oolong teas – oolongs which have received very little oxidation.
Tung Ting Mountain is located in central Taiwan, rising about 760 metres (2500 feet) above sea level. This is a dedicated tea region: out of a population of 20,000, 12,000 are tea farmers. If you ever get a chance to visit the Tung Ting region, drop by the town of Luku at the base of the mountain, and visit the Tea Culture Museum at the Luku Farmers Association. During spring, you can also celebrate the annual tea festival, where the tea farmers from the region compete in a tea-tasting competition.
Related post
Ten Ren’s Tung Ting is rolled into balls and has a lovely aroma: fruity with a subtle floral note. Unlike darker oolongs, which have a smokey flavour and an amber appearance, green oolongs are much lighter in colour and don’t exhibit any smokiness. My wife, who isn’t a fan of darker oolongs, quite enjoyed the Tung Ting oolong. Needless to say, so did I.
Related Post
Buy Tea Online – Firsthand advice on the best websites for buying tea
Of steepings, there were plenty. I had six excellent cups from the same leaves and I probably could have had more. Oolong teas only need to be brewed for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, and I’m sure I allowed it to steep a little too long once or twice.
Given that this was my first experience with green oolong tea, I can’t comment on how Ten Ren’s Tung Ting compares to other Tung Ting’s available, such as Adagio’s Jade Oolong tea. As a type of tea, however, I can strongly recommend it for tea drinkers who love a light, slightly sweet tea with a delicious floral scent. If you’ve never tried oolong, but you enjoy green teas, I think you’ll find tung ting oolong a pleasant change.
Credit: Some of the information for this post was found in The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide
Lainie Petersen wrote on January 16th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Oh yes, a Jade oolong can be exquisite, and I love that one can get so many steeps from the leaves!
Tekoppen wrote on January 18th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Dong Ding (the most modern transcribition) is one of my favourite teas. I like it the most when brewed in gaiwan for 30 seconds. I’m glad you’ve fund Dong Ding! Jade Oolong is not always the same tea but a very good green oolong.
Jo wrote on January 22nd, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Hi,
just for clarification, Tung Ting oolong is not the same as Jade oolong. Both are grown in Nantou County in Taiwan, but authentic Tung Ting oolongs are grown at relatively high high elevations (Tung Ting or Dong Ding refers to “frozen toe” or “frozen summit” which describes the cool temperatures around the summit). Jade oolong is usually a very lightly oxidized oolong (~less than 20%) which is often grown at much lower elevations.
The double-naming (like Tung Ting Jade oolong) seems to have originated by creative product naming of tea retailers, and it makes it even more confusing for tea enthusiasts to get a grip on the different types of tea.
Eric wrote on January 27th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Thanks for the clarification, Jo. I was confused about the difference, because the two seem to be used interchangeably so often. Lesson learned:)