So in the course of a month I think I've tried enough different teas to make up for the two years I spent in Azerbaijan. All of them have been aged oolong, and although I'm no expert like MarshalN I'd like to think I'm learning more and more about this genre of tea. Most of these teas have been at one store where I've developed a pretty rapport with. The shop keeper doesn't do the hard sell or push any particular tea so I feel more comfortable voicing my opinion. I recently bought some 30 year old Dong Ding, which hasn't been re-roasted since the initial roast.
When I first saw the dry leaves I was worried this would be one of those "aged" teas that had been re-roasted so many times and so frequently all I can taste in charcoal. The leaves smelled slightly musty so I decided to try some, and the resulting brew surprised me. The aroma of the tea and gaiwan lid reminded me of a slightly wet-stored aged pu-erh. There is acceptable sourness that goes away after a few infusions.
There is are notes of caramel which I really dig, and there's a pretty sweet finish. The mouth feel and aftertaste isn't as great as some of the other teas I have bought from her, but I can't complain too much for the price I paid. I haven't been offered (or asked for) any aged oolong that have had roasting of any kind, so maybe I should ask if she has any other teas like this one.
The wet leaves are slightly leathery, but still pliable. I apologize for the poor photo quality (especially on that last one), because I only have the camera on my phone available. Looking at prior tea notes I've made, the ones for this one are pretty sparse. I don't think it's because it's bad tea. I think it's because I haven't done this for so long. I know what I'm tasting and I know what I like, I just don't know how to express it. I need a break-in period before I get back to form.
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