Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea
Tea Description:
Developed around 15 years ago, the tea estates on Alishan area produce the newest type of high mountain oolongs. At the elevation of 1000 meters, the mountainsides are covered with fog or clouds which are ideal for growing Oolong. The tea estates are nestled in a beautiful scenic area with a 1000 years old forest nearby.
Due to the unique local climate and selection criteria for the leaves, this tea is a high quality grade Alishan Oolong. The tea liquor has a pale yellow hue matching its faintly fresh aroma. Once tasted, the tea presents itself with a fresh taste followed by a faintly sweet aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There are very few teas out there that make me happier than a lovely Alishan Oolong like this Taiwan Alishan High Mountain Oolong Tea from Fong Mong Tea.
I brewed this tea in my gaiwan. I start with a bamboo scoop of tea in the bowl of the vessel and then I heat the water to 180°F. I add just enough of the hot water to the gaiwan to cover the leaves and I let them steep for 15 seconds to rinse them. Then I strain off the liquid and discard it.
I fill the gaiwan with hot water and let it steep for 45 seconds. I add 15 seconds to each infusion that follows. And because this is an Alishan – I strained the tea into my designated YiXing mug. My first cup was the combination of infusions 1 -5 and my second cup was the combination of infusions 6 – 10.
The first thing I note is that the Alishan High Mountain is a little less creamy than the Alishan Jin Xuan. This tea is more a celebration of floral flavors than the creamy, milky texture and flavor of the Jin Xuan.
This is sweet and delicate with beautiful floral tones – I taste orchid! – and very subtle butter tones. Hints of rice mingle with the buttery notes.
In the background, I pick up notes of fruit. This is a pleasantly sweet cup with some contrasting sharp notes from the floral notes. It’s smooth from start to finish: no bitterness and very little astringency. The mouthfeel is thick and broth-y. The aftertaste is sweet with notes of flower.
My second cup was not quite as thick in texture as the first and I noticed that more of the floral notes as well as some of the fruit notes have emerged while the whispers of vanilla that I experienced in the first cup have diminished. This cup is still very sweet from the fruit notes and I’m picking up on distinct honey-esque notes now.
A beautiful, contemplative tea. Really lovely – put this on your must try list!
Iron Goddess Oolong Tea from Dachi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Dachi Tea
Tea Description:
Commonly referred to as a Tie Guan Yin, the Iron Goddess Oolong has a mature, nutty, smoky aroma that leads you nicely into a very full-bodied tea with the puckering effect of citrus fruit. The sweet linger of this tea reminds you of dried apricots, but the woodsy and earthy taste which comes from the deep roast could well lead the mature palette to pick up more savoury notes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A really lovely Iron Goddess Oolong Tea from Dachi Tea! This is a Taiwanese Tie Guan Yin – so you’ll experience more of the roasty-toasty, nutty flavors with this tea as opposed to the creamy, floral notes of a jade/greener Tie Guan Yin.
To brew this, I measured a bamboo scoop of the tightly wound pellets of tea into the bowl of my gaiwan. I heated my kettle to 180°F and poured just enough water over the leaves to cover them. Then I let this steep for 15 seconds to awaken the leaves. After straining off the liquid and discarding, I filled the gaiwan with hot water and let it steep for 45 seconds for the first infusion. For each subsequent infusion, I added 15 seconds. Each cup is the combination of two infusions, so my first cup is infusions 1 and 2, the second cup is infusions 3 and 4 … and so on!
The flavor is very much what I’d expect from a top-notch roasted Tie Guan Yin. I must say that my experiences with Dachi Tea thus far have all been very positive – this is a company you really should experience!
My first cup is smooth, sweet and toasty. It’s nutty, fruity and creamy … and oh-so-wonderful to sip! It’s not bitter (I rarely encounter an Oolong that is!) and there’s very little astringency to this cup. Just a hint of tangy ‘pucker’ at the end that works with this tea because I’m also picking up on some lovely citrus-y notes toward the tail. This tangy quality plays well to that citrus tone.
As I neared the bottom of my cup, I also started picking up on the apricot notes as the description above suggests – and I like the way the sweet apricot flavors contrast with some of the earthier, woodsier notes of the tea and how those earthy, woodsy notes complement the the roasted nutty flavors. It’s a beautiful medley of tastes in one teacup.
The second cup was not quite as creamy as the first cup – but still just as flavorful. That is to say that the texture was thinner now, not as creamy feeling on the palate, but I’m still getting delicious nutty notes that remind me of freshly roasted chestnuts and that really pleasant citrus note toward the tail. The flavors I experienced in the first cup are still there for the second and they’re better defined now.
With my last cup (cup 3) I found the flavors starting to mellow and become more unified. I could still taste the toasted nutty flavors and the sweet apricot notes, the notes of wood and earth and citrus, but they seemed to have less distinction between them, like they were melding into a seamless flavor.
Another really fascinating cup of tea from Dachi Tea – I’ve loved every cup that I’ve tasted from them! This is a must try company!
Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong Tea from Tea Ave.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea Ave.
Tea Description:
Known to some as milk oolong, around here we think of Alishan Jin Xuan as our dreamy, creamy oolong. An elegant tea with a refined, subtle taste, Alishan Jin Xuan’s fruity and floral aromas complement its smooth, milky mouth feel.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I received the amazing package that I received from Tea Ave., I was most excited about trying this Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong Tea. I mean … hello? Alishan? My FAVORITE! Of all the many different Oolong teas out there, Alishan is my favorite … especially a Jin Xuan (aka milk Oolong).
And given how much I adored the other two Oolong teas that I’ve tried from Tea Ave, I knew that I was in for an amazing treat with this Alishan Jin Xuan. So, I got out my special Alishan YiXing mug and started brewing! 
LOVELY!
I’ve had many different Alishan Oolong teas over the years, and many of them were Jin Xuan. Some were ‘flavored’ Jin Xuan where the milky notes were enhanced with added flavors. Others were not. I’m happy to say that this is one that is not. Don’t get me wrong, I quite enjoy a flavored Jin Xuan, but there is something just so amazingly, naturally beautiful about a pure Jin Xuan!
The creamy notes are generally more subtle in a pure Jin Xuan, but they are so soft and wonderful. I love how the creamy notes don’t inundate the palate with the flavor so that other characteristics of the tea can be explored and enjoyed. Notes of flower mingle with the notes of cream. The floral notes are not sharp. They are mild and meld beautifully with the creamy flavors. Sweet hints of fruit reveal themselves and develop as I continue to sip.
I was surprised to find that later infusions were still just as creamy as the earliest infusions. Sweet, luscious and thick on the palate. The floral notes softened in later infusions as the fruit notes emerged stronger. It’s difficult to really pinpoint the fruit flavors that I’m experiencing because the sweet notes of the fruit aren’t really present. The sweetness of this tea is more from the creamy notes – almost vanilla-esque!
But the fruit notes taste more like the fruit but not so much of the sugar sweetness of the fruit. It’s like an apricot or a peach that has had it’s sugars extracted from it, quite interesting.
A truly AMAZING Alishan Jin Xuan – this is a tea I’d recommend to all tea drinkers. Not just Oolong enthusiasts! I think that this is a tea that all tea lovers can appreciate and enjoy.
AliShan Charcoal Fire Heavy Roast Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: T-Oolong Tea
Tea Description:
This quality Alishan Charcoal Fire Heavy Roast Oolong is handpicked, handcrafted and produced from Alishan oolong tea. Use only the charcoal made of either Taiwan Longan wood or Taiwan Acacia wood to roast the tea (NOT by electric roasters), and follow old traditional method. This tea has an intense charcoal aroma and taste mixing with flavors of Alishan oolong. The aftertaste is enjoyable and long lasting. It tastes sweet, rich and complex, and stands up very well to multiple infusions.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had an occasional charcoal roasted Oolong, but I can’t recall having very many AliShan charcoal roasted Oolong teas! I know I’ve had at least one, but, I can’t recall many others. So, I’m very happy to have this opportunity to try this AliShan Charcoal Fire Heavy Roast Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea!
This is lovely!
To brew, I reached for my gaiwan. I measured a bamboo scoop of tea and put it into the gaiwan. I heated the water to 180°F and after performing a quick rinse (15 seconds), I started the first infusion, steeping it for 45 seconds. I added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusions. Since this is a charcoal roasted AliShan, I opted not to use my designated AliShan Oolong Yixing mug and instead put the tea in one of my favorite tea cups. This tea cup holds two infusions perfectly, so I combined the first two infusions to make one cup. Then the third and fourth infusion combined made the second cup and so on.
With my first cup, the roasty-toasty flavors brought as smile to my face. It’s deliciously nutty and sweet. While an unroasted AliShan may taste floral and even a little ‘milky’ – this instead tastes nutty, creamy and sweet. I taste notes of the charcoal. It’s remarkably smooth with very little astringency and no bitterness.
My second cup was even more ‘roasty-toasty’ and I could pick up on more of the charcoal notes. Still deliciously nutty and sweet! The creaminess has subsided somewhat. This cup is less thick than the first, and there is a slight dryness to it. Still really nice.
The third cup was a little more mellow than the second cup. I’m starting to pick up on some light floral notes – like toasted orchid! It’s an interesting contrast of flavors. I think that this is the most interesting of the three cups. The cup is softer in texture. The charcoal notes are more pronounced. This cup isn’t as nutty as the first and second cups were but there are still some nutty tones. This is still roasty-toasty and really pleasant to sip.
I really enjoyed this tea.
AliShan Milky Oolong Tea from Teasenz
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Tea Description:
Intense creamy taste with floral undertone. A one-of-a-kind tea from Taiwan with a fantastically creamy flavor resulting from its unique roasting process. Our Ali Shan Milky Oolong offers you great depth of flavor that lasts into even the fifth brew.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! AliShan! Seriously … is there anything better?
Yeah, I’m sure there are. And I have other favorite teas that I like at least as well as an AliShan Oolong. But when I’m indulging in an AliShan, it’s as if I’m drinking pure liquid gold and everything is right with the world. AliShan is definitely my favorite Oolong tea.
And this AliShan Milky Oolong from Teasenz is absolutely divine.
It’s so sweet and creamy. And take note: this isn’t going to taste as creamy as some Milk Oolong teas you may have tried. That’s because these creamy notes have been derived naturally, not by adding flavoring to the tea. I have tried both types of Milk Oolong and I’ve enjoyed both natural Milk Oolong teas and Milk Oolong teas that have been flavored to get their creaminess. So, I’m not here to try to tell you which you should like better or why you should prefer one over another. It’s all subjective because no two palates are the same. I’m just offering an explanation to you as to why this isn’t going to be quite as milky-creamy as a Milk Oolong that has been enhanced with flavoring.
That said, this is amazing. I love the soft creamy notes of this tea. It’s warm and comforting – like warm milk. Sweet and floral. There is a hint of nutty flavor in the distance that melds beautifully with the warm milk notes.
To brew this tea, I grabbed my gaiwan and my YiXing mug that is designated for AliShan Oolong tea! My mug fit five infusions in it, so my first cup was infusions 1 – 5 (after discarding the rinse!) I heat the water to 180°F and infused the rinse for 15 seconds, discarded the liquid, and then started brewing! The first infusion was 45 seconds and I added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion.
And this mug is filled with tea that is a little bit like perfection. And since this is an Oolong, I decided to go for a second mug (infusions 6 – 10). That’s one great thing about Oolong teas – they keep going and going!
My second mug tasted even creamier than the first. The floral notes began to emerge a little bit. It was smooth and sweet. Very little vegetal taste, mostly this cup was all about the milky/creamy flowery taste! I think I liked the second mug even better than the first so get all that flavor out of these leaves and keep on infusing!
A really wonderful tea! Teasenz is a great company, I highly recommend them!