Mr. Lin's Charcoal Dong Ding

This is a deeply warming, grounding tea. Like the hearth of a cabin in the woods. Our friend Mr. Lin allowed it a generous long session over the coals and ashes to really deeply soak up the heat waves. Intensely aromatic, filling the room with a lingering scent of nutty roasted tea leaves. Broth is big and mouth filling, and ultimately concentrates as a long lasting, satisfying throat feel (hou yun), occupying the throat area with a comforting warmth. Like any good Dong Ding tea, the lingering sweetness and 'Yun' are its feature presentation, and every aspect of the processing and roast work to support these boons of the land beautifully.

Mr. Lin's version is significantly toastier than our usual Dong Ding, really earning the 'charcoal' in its name. It is not however a product of hot and fast firing, like many of the dark roasted teas on the market. It doesn't roar at you with loud firey notes, rather it crackles and purrs in a quiet, inviting way. The heat is deep in the bones of the tea. We predict a great potential for both short and long term aging. Because it is freshly roasted, it is a little 'hot' tasting and will continue to integrate/improve dramatically over the next couple months.

This is a tea that I look forward to coming back to again and again throughout the dark, rainy Seattle winter.

Facts

• Harvest Location : Dong Ding Mountain, Lugu Township, Nantou County, Taiwan
• Roast Date : 2026 July
• Cultivar : Qing Xin Wulong