Tillerman Tea’s Laoshi Dong Ding is one of my favorite oolongs, and my favorite tea from Tillerman so far. Today, I got three Tillerman Tea Chen Huan Tang Laoshi oolongs…so… Laoshi tea battle?
All teas I did gongfu style with boiling water and a 1 gram leaf to 15ml vessel ratio.
2020 Winter Dong Ding Laoshi Oolong
The leaves of this 2020 Winter Dong Ding has a softy nutty roasted scent. After a rinse, the tea smells fruity and roasted.
The 2020 Winter Dong Ding starts off light and sweet butter, with a lot of salivation going on, along with a clinging thick texture. By the third infusion, it settles into an incredible smoothness and balanced in taste. Some sips have a ritz cracker taste with a sweet roasted finish, others have a high fruit finish with some floral.
After five infusions the Laoshi Winter Dong Ding got dark and tangy, with a long buttery cracker note, before cracking into a crisp tulip floral aftertaste that seems to glue to my teeth. I got seven infusions total.
2020 Winter Dong Ding Laoshi seems more elegant and softer than the previous Dong Ding I had. It is a wonderfully lightly roasted oolong that is gentle and complex. I prefer the Spring Dong Ding more as the flavor is stronger, but the Winter is more aromatic.
2020 Winter Alishan Laoshi Oolong
In contrast to the other oolongs today, this 2020 Winter Alishan has a roast coconut scent, but steeped up it floral in scent.
2020 Winter Alishan Laoshi Oolong is round and sweet, also with a lot of salivation. It has a soft toasted note with an immediately strong floral note of baby’s breath.
The overall tea is gentle, with a flavor of saltine cracker and butter, but then the floral slams in the aftertaste and sits there for a while. Eventually, the floral aftertaste takes over, especially when consumed quickly. I got six good infusions before the tea got stewy vegetable bitter.
If you love your Alishans or high flowery oolongs, this Tillerman Tea’s 2020 Winter Alishan does not disappoint with the powerful floral, but with a wonderful gentle broth.
2020 Hehuanshan Laoshi Oolong
Upfront, the leaves of the 2020 Hehuanshan have a strong, roasted nutty aroma. I couldn’t peg down the scent of these wet leaves – it is a bit acidic, maybe passionfruit or Wrigley chewing gum.
I sipped this and went “Whoa”. 2020 Hehuanshan Laoshi Oolong is light, but milky, sweet, and buttery, with a toasty mineral finish. Once opened up, this tea is toasted nutty bread, with a layer of creamy stone fruit and river rocks with the aftertaste of plum skins. The final infusions were smooth and mineral rocks with a touch of fruity tang. I got six infusions in total.
I swear, every time I drink a Hehuanshan oolong they are better than the last. This mountain needs more hype. The winter tea nature made Tillerman Tea’s 2020 Winter Hehuanshan a bit watery and light, but it is an elegant tea with a lot of layers of flavor.
(teas provided for review)
