Dong Ding vs Gui Fei

Dong Ding

Dong Ding is a classic Taiwanese ball-rolled oolong from Lugu township. It balances gentle oxidation with a medium roast, giving a cup that is both creamy and toasty: sweet baked-grain notes, orchid florals, and a smooth, thick body. Quality examples finish with a clean honeyed sweetness that grows over repeated infusions.

Gui Fei

Gui Fei, 'concubine oolong', is a Taiwanese tea made from leaves bitten by leafhopper insects before harvest. The plant's natural defense response creates a distinctive honeyed, muscatel-like sweetness with ripe fruit and floral notes — the same chemistry behind Oriental Beauty, but usually greener and more modern in style. The cup is smooth, sweet, and aromatic with very little bitterness.

Dong Ding

Water temperature

90–95°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

1–2 min

Re-steep

4–6 times

Gui Fei

Water temperature

85–95°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

0.5–1 min

Re-steep

4–6 times

Dong Ding

Medium caffeine — roughly 30–50 mg per brewed serving

A moderate, steady lift without an intense spike.

Gui Fei

Medium caffeine — roughly 25–45 mg per brewed serving

A moderate, steady lift without an intense spike.

Dong Ding

Taiwan · Nantou

Dong Ding ('frozen summit') refers to the mountain area around Lugu in Nantou county.

Gui Fei

Taiwan · Central Taiwan

Gui Fei emerged in central Taiwan in the early 2000s as a leafhopper-bitten alternative to Oriental Beauty, often from Jin Xuan or Qing Xin cultivars.