Handmade Dong Ding 2026

This year's Handmade Dong Ding presents a bold and concentrated expression of Su Wenzhao's craftsmanship. Of the two Dong Ding teas from the master we tested this year, we selected the stronger one: a tea with deeper sweetness, fuller roasted character, and a more pronounced structure.

It opens with a warm brown-sugar sweetness, followed by notes of ripe stone fruit. The body is medium yet steady, with a slightly drying finish that adds grip and extends the aftertaste. Compared with last year's harvest, this version is deeper, warmer, and more assertive, leaning less toward delicacy and quiet balance, and more toward the traditional strength of Dong Ding. It is a tea for those who prefer a full, expressive Dong Ding.

This Dong Ding features medium-high oxidation and medium roasting. For a modern, competition-style expression, we suggest trying our Shanlinxi Dong Ding 2026, which is characterised by lighter oxidation and deeper roasting. Tasted side by side, the two teas reveal how the Dong Ding style has evolved over recent years.

Written by Mauzi

About the farmer and sourcing

This tea is a rare example of traditional production methods, and was not at all easy to find. The farmer Su Wenzhao is one of very few, if not the only tea master left in Dong Ding village, who is still producing Dong Ding completely by hand. Drawing on a lifetime of experience, he fires each batch of tea in the wok and rolls the leaves by hand, while the vast majority of other producers has long shifted to using machines for both steps. Su Wenzhao is as protective of his family as he is of producing Dong Ding in the traditional way, so it was not easy to convince him of taking a photo. Below the YouTube video we recorded while sourcing this tea.