I'm not sure. I've heard about a lot of different institutes that convey this title and various other degrees of "expertness." There are several in Taiwan and China, and a few that I know of in North America.
I remember reading about the exam requirements for a particular certification in Taiwan. A core requirement for passing is a blind taste test of different teas, which consists of them lining up a bunch of teas for you to determine which is an oolong, red, green.... I thought to myself "Seriously?!?! Passing this exam would qualify one to be a tea expert?!?" A run-of-the-mill, once a month tea drinker could probably pass that.
I heard about another certification program that was more difficult, requiring lengthy classes and study. A part of the final exam required identification of oxidation and roasting levels of oolong based upon one's senses. A tea acquaintance, who is certified as an expert in Gong Fu tea preparation by the Taiwan Tea Arts Association (台灣茶連會), graduated from this program. She said it wasn't hard with practice, but then again, her family has grown oolong for 4 generations.
I met a tea master in North America once. We sat down for tea and I told him that I had brought some of my own. I had packaged one of my better Dong Dings in a ziploc bag for convenience (having meant to drink it at the park earlier in the day) and I pulled that out for him to try (I realize my packaging would be akin to putting a nice bottle of decanted Bordeaux into a thermos). He put my tea in a giant pot that had been seasoned for high-roast tea and proceeded to brew for several minutes. I anxiously watched the pot, waiting for him to pour out the infusion - but I dared not interrupt the master at work. The infusion came out dark and rich, but not well-brewed like an infusion from a well-done Chaozhou Gong Fu style brew. It had smoky and woodsy notes with the characteristic tartness of some kind of cliff tea. He declared my tea to be bland and too lightly oxidized - but not bad - and proceeded to tell me that he had better Tieguanyin for me to buy. Oh wait, I forgot to tell him that we were drinking a Taiwanese Dong Ding from 1 season ago. That tea also won a 2nd place award that season. [Side note: I don't necessarily think that award teas are "better" or more suitable for my tastes. The producer of this DD was disappointed because with that tea base, he could have oxidized it more to produce a fuller body and more complete finish - but he played to the tastes of the judges to win.]
I respect people that are willing to share and learn from others. The bottom line for tea lovers, though, should be enjoying a cup of tea, preferably one that tastes good (if not naturally, then with a lot of milk/sugar/lemons added) and be happy. We need not be tea masters to know what we like; even tea masters change their taste preferences over time.
It's not wrong to love your Dong (Ding).
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