In the 1990s a group of elderly Taiwanese set off for finding a piece of undeveloped land. Their search ended in a bamboo forest in Cangshan, Yunnan, China. They settled down at around 2.300 m on nutrient-rich humus soil - great conditions for their wild tea farm. Their philosophy and therefore way of cultivating tea hasn’t changed since: A minimal human footprint is still key to a sustainable output of highest quality.
Nowadays the common way of roasting loose leaf tea is via electricity (convection and conduction). The tea transforms in a quick, clean and easy to control way. However, heat can only be applied on the surface which makes for a harsher result. In contrast to this Tea Master Lai is committed to traditional charcoal roasting. In this elaborate process infrared energy reaches the core of the cells and reshapes the character of the tea into a vivid and energetic direction. Technicalities aside: Have you ever enjoyed the penetrating warmth of a campfire on a crisp night? Compare this to a conventional wall mounted heater. Both sources emit warmth but they feel very different. The same principle applies to tea.
This Dong Ding Oolong has a warm base containing lots of earthy and woody notes. It brings a fine sweetness with ever changing notes of ripe fruits.
