Oolong · Pinglin District, Taiwan
Organic "Slow Growth" Da Man Zhong Oolong Tea
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Tasting notes
About these tasting notes
These are the tasting notes we and others pick up most often. Palates vary, so you may catch some, all, or different ones — flavor is personal and subjective. Nothing is added: there are no added flavorings in this tea. Any notes you find developed naturally in the tea plant through rediscovered artisanal processing techniques.
About these tasting notes
These are the tasting notes we and others pick up most often. Palates vary, so you may catch some, all, or different ones — flavor is personal and subjective. Nothing is added: there are no added flavorings in this tea. Any notes you find developed naturally in the tea plant through rediscovered artisanal processing techniques.
Effects
About these effects
These are the effects people most often report from this tea. Bodies differ, so treat them as a common guide rather than a promise — most people notice at least one, but what you feel is personal.
About these effects
These are the effects people most often report from this tea. Bodies differ, so treat them as a common guide rather than a promise — most people notice at least one, but what you feel is personal.
Da Man Zhong Cultivar - "the slow and steady leaf"
Da Man Zhong (慢種 or 曼種; Mànzhǒng) cultivar is a rare, specialty, heirloom tea plant varietal. It is most commonly processed into unroasted, lightly oxidized Baozhong (Pouchong) oolong or aged into white tea. This batch was oxidized lightly and then lightly charcoal roasted, providing an incredible aroma and taste. Few oolongs will taste as refreshing and light as this incredibly unique tea offering.
Notes from Staff: Lovely option for a day off, or a morning/afternoon of freedom. Steep it up to 8 times for a changing flavor. Initial tastes are chocolatey and buttery notes in the first steeps, and more floral, fruity, peachy, and stone fruit flavors around the 4th or 5th steep. Its a rare privilege to offer this beloved tea cultivar at Old Mountain Tea.
Why charcoal roasting costs more
Most tea today is roasted using an electric method, because it is faster, cheaper, and requires less skill, thus making it more consistent. This tea was roasted the traditional way: by an artisan's hand, over charcoal embers, using low heat over the course of many days under careful supervision. It takes far more knowledge, fuel, and time than electric roasting, but it rewards the tea with deeper flavor and the ability to age gracefully for decades.
Old Mountain Tea Guarantee
Our teas are guaranteed free from harmful chemicals. We source directly from small, clean family farms that take real pride in their work — no middlemen, no anonymous blends. Many of these teas are bug-bitten, and leafhoppers only feed on gardens grown without pesticides, so the leaf itself is living proof the garden is clean. Every tea is grown to organic standards and traceable to the farm that made it.
Origin & Terroir
- Cultivar
About this cultivar
Da Man Zhong (大慢種, 曼種) is a rare old Taiwanese local cultivar, many associate it with the Qing Xin lineage. Man Zhong is prized for its slow growth, limited yields, and intensely aromatic character. Since this is a Heritage Cultivar, it comes before the time of the Taiwan TTES "Tai Cha" tea cultivar documentation program, and thus has no lineage of parentage for this specific cultivar. It is especially valued for traditional teas such as Fanzhuang Oolongs, or Oriental Beauty, where it can produce rich floral, honeyed, and ripe-fruit aromas.
- Da Man Zhong(慢種) (literally, "slow variety" or "slow-sprouting").
- Status
- Extremely Rare Cultivar
- Processing method
- Strip-rolled Baozhong Oolong
- Charcoal roast level
Why charcoal roasting costs more
Roasted by hand over low charcoal embers across multiple sessions and days, far slower than electric roasting. It deepens flavor and lets the tea age well, which is why charcoal-roasted teas cost more.
- Region
- Pinglin District, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Harvest
- Summer 2026(Organic)
- Elevation
- 275 meters
- Climate
- Humid, Moderate, Tropical
- Oxidation level
What oxidation level means
Oxidation is what turns green tea into oolong or black tea — as leaves are bruised and rested, enzymes react with oxygen and deepen their color and flavor. Green tea sees almost none; oolong ranges widely; black tea is oxidized fully.
- Picking style
Why picking style matters
Hand-plucking means workers select each bud and leaf by touch, one at a time — far slower and more expensive than machine harvesting, but gentler on the leaf. As labor costs rise, fewer gardens still pick this way, making hand-plucked tea increasingly rare.
- Hand Plucked
- Bug-bitten level
- 0%
How to brew it
Leaf · 5 g
Water · purified soft water, freshly boiled
First infusion · 20 seconds
Each infusion after · add 15 sec
Up to 12 infusions
Leaf · 5 g
Water · purified soft water, freshly boiled
First infusion · 2 minutes
Second infusion · 5 minutes
Third infusion · 10 minutes
