Nonpareil Taiwan Li Shan Oolong Tea from Teavivre

Keep reading for information on how to receive a $5.00 gift card from Teavivre!

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Teavivre

Tea Description:

Speaking on Taiwan tea, Li Shan Oolong Tea is the top level Taiwan Gao Leng oolong tea. The special phrase Gao Leng, 高冷(gāo lěng) in Chinese, means high and cold, refers to the environment at high altitudes and in low temperature. Li Shan tea trees are grown in this high and cold environment, making the tea leaf soft, thick with high content of pectin substances. This unique feature cannot be found on the teas grown in low altitude areas. Just as an old Chinese saying that human beings are shaped by the land around them. So are the tea trees.

By this token, growing of the tea trees, picking the fresh tea leaves, as well as processing of the tea all reply on the environment condition. The climate in Lishan Mountain makes Gao Leng Tea in a limited output. It is a remarkable tea.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I know I’m going to be a happy sipper for the next couple of hours when the first sound that I emit after taking my first sip of this tea is “Mmmmm” and the first words uttered are “Oh my goodness, this is lovely!”

To brew this simply divine Oolong, I used my gaiwan.  I first gave the leaves a 15 second rinse and then I steeped the first infusion for 45 seconds, strained the tea into my YiXing Mug, and then steeped the second infusion for 60 seconds and I then strained the tea into my mug … and so on.  My first mugful of tea is comprised of the first 5 infusions following the initial rinse.

And it is creamy and smooth.  No bitterness.  No astringency.  No sharpness whatsoever.  Only smooth, creamy, decadent flavor that is reminiscent of sweet, warm cream with hints of orchid and whispers of peach, melon and apple.  It has the sweetness of the apple, perhaps just a touch of the tart of the apple but I wouldn’t describe the apple-y flavor that I’m tasting as “crisp” the way I often do articulate an apple-y flavor.  It’s more of the sweet and a hint of the tart without the crispness.

That’s because this tea is all about soft!  It tastes soft, it feels soft to the palate and imparts such a lovely softness of flavors and textures.  Don’t mistake that for “subtle” or overly delicate flavors, because I wouldn’t say that this tea is a subtle or delicate tasting tea.  Certainly not.  But it’s presentation is soft.  It isn’t an aggressive tea that assaults the taste buds.  It doesn’t have to.  Instead, it romances the taste buds with wonderful flavor.

For my second mugful of this beautiful tea, I started the sixth infusion with a 2 minute infusion, and added another 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion, acquiring five more infusions for the second mug.

This cup has all the flavors of the first cup, however, they’ve become more unified now.  The fruit notes become very melded, like a nectar that’s been composed of a medley of fruits.  The honey notes are still present, as is the creaminess.  The creaminess is a little lighter now, allowing for more of the fruit notes to come though.  The combination of the sweet fruit notes and the honey flavors is delightful.

A truly rewarding Li Shan Oolong!  I highly recommend this tea to all Oolong lovers and anyone looking for an extraordinary cup of tea!

GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY!

Yep, we’re at it again!  Teavivre has offered us several $5. gift cards to give away to our readers!  Yay!

Here’s the fine print on the gift cards:

• It can be used to purchase any teas or teawares on the Teavivre website. 
• By using this particular gift card, the customer can also get an extra sampler pack which includes 2 kinds of our premium grade flower teas.
• The card can also be used to pay the shipping fee.
• One gift card per order, please.
• It can be applied on international. 
• No minimum purchase required.

By now you’re wondering, COOL!  What do I have to do to enter?  Am I right?

Well, we like to make things easy around here, so, you can earn your first entry by simply commenting on this review/contest announcement post.  Just post a comment and be sure to include a way to contact you if you’ve won.  If you’re already registered with TeaTra.de – cool!  I can contact you via PM on TeaTra.de  If you prefer a Steepster PM, that’s fine too, just tell me who you are on Steepster.  If you prefer a private email contact, then you need to register when you comment and be sure to include your email with the registration and tell us that’s how you want us to contact you.

Well, that’s the first entry, but, how about bonus entries?  You can earn them too!  Here are a few easy ways to earn more entries:

• Like Teavivre on Facebook.
• Follow Teavivre on Twitter.
• Post the contest information on Facebook *Be sure to give us a link!*
• Tweet about this contest!  *Be sure to give us the link of the tweet!*

See that?  That’s five easy ways to get a cool five bucks off your next purchase from Teavivre!  How awesome is that?

This contest will run through December 17.  On December 18th, I will be contacting the winners of the gift cards with their gift card codes!  You can use the gift card immediately and it will be good through November 2015!