Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Cameron Tea
Tea Description:
AliShan is one the famous oolong tea growing areas in Taiwan. Located at altitude of 1500m, the mountain has a rich soil and ideal climactic conditions. The cool climate and moist from daily mists make the plants to grow very slowly and produce tender, flavourful tea leaves and buds.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Having previously reviewed Cameron’s AliShan Jin Xuan Competition Grade Oolong tea (and absolutely loving every sip of it!) I was very happy to try the Premium Grade of the AliShan Jin Xuan from Cameron.
I wondered how different the two grades would be and since it’s been a little while since I had that tea (back in June), I wasn’t sure that my memory would be as quick to recall all the nuances of the tea. Thank goodness I have my notes to fall back on!
I steeped this the same way I steeped the competition grade (and for the most part, this is how I steep most Oolong teas. There are occasional exceptions, but the exceptions are quite rare!) I used my gaiwan and started out with a 15 second rinse and then started steeping. The first infusion was 45 seconds and I added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion. Since this is an AliShan, I used my special AliShan Yi Xing mug which holds four to five infusions. This time, it held five infusions.
So this – my first mug of this tea – is the combination of the first five infusions.
Mmm! This is so lovely!
I’m finding this premium grade to be slightly less creamy than I remember the competition grade tasting and feeling. The mouthfeel is a little lighter here than the competition grade, which was rather creamy and thick. This is still creamy and thick – just not as thick as I seem to recall from the competition grade.
The creaminess doesn’t linger the same way, either. This feels much cleaner and even a little more refreshing than the competition grade. The palate feels cleaner and less coated by the tea when I sip this.
That is not to say that I don’t enjoy that thick, creamy texture – I do! I loved the competition grade! But I’m enjoying this one too and am also enjoying the differences between the two teas.
As the tea cools slightly, I find that the texture and flavor thickens somewhat. It’s still considerably lighter than the competition grade, but if you’re wanting a thicker texture from this tea, just let it cool off for a few minutes longer and you might find that you are getting more texture.
Sweet. Hints of vanilla. Lovely, soft floral notes. A really beautiful tea.
Just as I experienced with the competition grade, I find that the second cup (infusions 6 – 10) is just as lovely as the first cup was. Still sweet and creamy with subtle vanilla tones and floral notes that are emerging a little more in this cup than they were in the first.
As I make my way to mid-cup, some fruit notes develop on my palate. At first, I thought of a fruit that is something between a sweet apple (flavor wise) and a ripe nectarine (texture wise with hints of the flavor). But after I read through my review of the competition grade and I compared the fruit notes to a melon, I would say that comparison would suit these fruit flavors quite well too.
Another truly remarkable tea from Cameron. I’m nearly finished with the set of Cameron teas (I think I have but one more to review!) and I have truly adored each one that I’ve tried. This company is one that all of you tea lovers out there should check out! If you want a top notch tea – this company has got you covered!
Taiwan Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong (2014) from Fong Mong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea
Tea Description:
The hand-plucked leaves of Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong Tea are grown in the famous Ali Mountains (Alishan) in Taiwan. At the elevation of 1000 meters above, the mountainsides are covered with fog or clouds which are ideal for growing Oolong. Withbetter drought tolerance, also higher yield, the price is usually lower than Alishan Oolong.
Jin-Xuan is a special variety of Camellia Sinensis (tea plant) developed through research at the Taiwan Tea Agricultural Research center. This special variety is known for producing an Oolong with a special fragrance and a very light creaminess. Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong brings one of the great locations for growing Oolong tea together with one of the special Oolong varieties.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I reviewed this tea previously but it’s a new year and along with a new year comes a new harvest. And an AliShan Oolong is worth at least two reviews (maybe more when the new harvests arrive, right?)
And Fong Mong Tea has some really spectacular Oolong teas from Taiwan, including this amazing AliShan Jin Xuan! It’s beautifully sweet and creamy, with notes of flower and hints of vegetation. So many fantastic layers of flavor!
As I do with all AliShan Oolong teas, I use my gaiwan and fill my YiXing Mug with the first five infusions (following a 15 second rinse). I use 180°F water to steep each infusion. The first infusion is steeped for 45 seconds, and I add 15 seconds to each subsequent infusion.
The first cup (which is the combination of the first five infusions) is so smooth and creamy. The floral notes and vegetative notes are softened by this sweet, creamy taste that reminds me of fresh cream. It tastes indulgent and luxurious.
But even though it is a creamy and sweet tea, there is complexity to it. Layers of flavor. The creaminess is not overly heavy so that I can explore the floral notes which are reminiscent of orchid. There is a honey-like sweetness just beneath the floral tones. The next layer I notice is a mild vegetal flavor. It’s very soothing and has a silky smooth mouthfeel.
The second cup (the combination of infusions 6 – 10) was even nicer than the first! It is still quite creamy – which was surprising, as I had expected some of those creamy notes to wane considerably with this cup – and the tea is delectably sweet. The vegetal notes are less discernible now, and I taste more floral notes and even a hint or two of sweet fruit. Melon! NICE!
The honey notes are still there. The creamy notes are not quite as strong, but they are sweeter and more like vanilla! So while the creamy notes are not quite as velvety and thick, the vanilla notes more than make up for it!
An absolutely LOVELY AliShan! If you haven’t tried Fong Mong Tea – you really should! You’re missing out!
Taiwan AliShan High Mountain Oolong Tea (Premium Grade) from Cameron Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Cameron Tea
Tea Description:
AliShan is one the famous oolong tea growing areas in Taiwan. Located at altitude of 1500m, the mountain has a rich soil and ideal climactic conditions. The cool climate and moist from daily mists make the plants to grow very slowly and produce tender, flavourful tea leaves and buds.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Not too long ago, I reviewed the Competition Grade of Cameron Tea’s AliShan High Mountain Oolong Tea. According to the website, one notable difference between the two grades is that the Competition Grade has been lightly roasted. And tasting this Premium Grade AliShan, I can say that the roasting definitely does make a difference in flavor.
That doesn’t mean that this one is better nor does it mean that it’s not as good. I really enjoy both! This tea has less of the roasted, nutty flavors that I discovered in the Competition Grade. But I’m tasting more of a creamy note here as well as a floral tone that melds beautifully with the natural vegetal tones of the green Oolong tea.
As I’ve said many times, AliShan is my very favorite type of Oolong. I love the creaminess of the tea and how that almost vanilla-esque note softens the somewhat sharp flowery tones. I love how the two flavors meet on my palate – sweet and sharp – and how they interact with one another. And I love the soft, silky, lush texture of AliShan. I love AliShan so much that I bought a special mug just for AliShan tea!
And this AliShan is simply magnificient.
The dry leaves look very much like what you might expect from a greener Oolong type tea: they’re tightly wound into pellets and they’re a dark, forest green color. They are very aromatic, smelling of flower and vegetable.
I brew these leaves in my gaiwan using 180°F water and short steeps. The first infusion – the “rinse” cycle as I sometimes call it – lasts for just 15 seconds and I strain off the liquid and discard it. This process is often referred to an ‘awakening’ of the tea leaves and it’s something that I think is crucial to ensuring a properly brewed cup of tea.
Then I infused the leaves again, this time for 45 seconds and I strained the liquid into my special Yi Xing “Ali Shan” mug, and I started infusing the leaves again … and again … and again! I added an extra 15 seconds onto each subsequent brew time, and kept on resteeping until my mug was full (this usually takes 5 steeps).
The combination of the first five infusions (following the rinse cycle) is smooth, sweet, and amazingly good. There is sweetness from the floral tones as well as the aforementioned vanilla-like flavors. There is a lightly savory aspect to the flavor from the very faint vegetal tones, although there is definitely more sweet than savory to this cup. It’s like a blanket of sweetness that envelops the palate. Like liquid candy, except that it’s not cloying.
Love this tea!
And I got 2 mugs full of tea from the same leaves. This is a very high quality AliShan, one of the finest I’ve had the opportunity to taste. I highly recommend it to all you Oolong fans out there … and if you love AliShan the way that I do, then you simply must – I said MUST – try this tea!
Well, what are you waiting for? Put it on your must try list now! Once you try it, you’ll be glad you took my advice!
Four Seasons Spring Oolong from Green Terrace Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Green Terrace Teas
Tea Description:
Grown at about 1,200 meters in the rich soil of the Alishan region, this tea is a wonderful introduction to oolong teas from Taiwan. Sweet, rich and aromatic, Four Seasons Spring Oolong (or Si Ji Chun) has a pleasant buttery and honey taste that evokes mild notes of jasmine and lily. This oolong as a mild vegetal character and has almost no bitterness – a great tea for any time of the day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh … LOVELY! It’s been a while since I’ve had a Si Ji Chun, I’ve been focusing on other teas as of late and this is almost like a new tea to me now. But as I am sipping this golden cup of wonderful, I have to think – why have I been away so long, Si Ji Chun?
The aroma of the dry leaf is FRESH … like a fresh spring morning! It smells a little vegetal, and I realize it’s those vegetal notes that give it the fresh smell, but rather than smelling specifically of vegetable or steamed veggies or even of grass, this just smells like the new, fresh smells that great the olfactory nerves as spring reawakens the earth.
Sweet, sweet, sweet! This is so delightfully creamy, with notes that are reminiscent of butter and honey – evoking thoughts of honey butter! The sweet, yummy spread my gramma used to make when she’d bake fresh biscuits for dinner. Mmm! But there’s more to this cup than just a sweet resemblance of honey butter, I taste sweet floral notes and a hint of vegetative flavor.
It’s a remarkably smooth cup with very little astringency. I do notice just a hint of astringency at the tail, but, it’s very subtle. The above description suggests notes of jasmine and lily, and while I do taste a ‘floral’ taste to the cup, I don’t know that it’s jasmine and lily that I taste. Then again, this is only the first cup (infusions 1 and 2 after a 15 second rinse), perhaps those flowers will reveal more of themselves in the later infusions.
The second cup is not quite as creamy as the first was. There are still notes of butter, and it’s still a delightfully sweet cup of tea. The floral notes are beginning to emerge more in this cup, and I definitely do notice a jasmine-esque tone. It’s not nearly as obvious a jasmine note as I’d experience with a jasmine scented tea, but, there are notes here that I recognize as jasmine.
I’m also noticing a touch of citrus to this second cup as well, as if someone maybe put a drop of lime in my cup. It’s bright and adds a nice dimension to the cup.
I can still taste notes of creaminess in the third cup, but there is a gradual loss of the creaminess with each subsequent infusion. The sweetness is still there. The floral notes seem to have merged together with the other flavors of this cup, creating a taste that’s a little floral and a little vegetal, and a little creamy too. The aforementioned citrus tone is there as well, and it’s quite a delicious combination of flavors.
A really lovely Oolong. For those out there who – like me – have been drinking other Oolong teas and haven’t had a really good Four Seasons in a while, now is the time to reinvigorate your palate!
Taiwan AliShan High Mountain Oolong Tea (Competition Grade) from Cameron Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Cameron Tea
Tea Description:
AliShan is one the famous oolong tea growing areas in Taiwan. Located at altitude of 1500m, the mountain has a rich soil and ideal climactic conditions. The cool climate and moist from daily mists make the plants to grow very slowly and produce tender, flavourful tea leaves and buds.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yay! AliShan! I love AliShan Oolong! I love LOVE love it!
And this competition grade Taiwan AliShan High Mountain Oolong Tea from Cameron Tea is LOVELY! It is definitely worthy of all the love I bestow onto AliShan Oolong teas.
The dry leaves have a sweet, floral scent with hints of fruit. The aroma of the brewed liquid smells very much like the dry leaf, with a little more floral notes and fewer fruity notes.
I brew the leaves in my gaiwan, but since this is an AliShan and it’s a rather special tea to me, rather than using my usual Oolong tea cup that holds two infusions of an Oolong, I combined the first five infusions of this tea into my Yi Xing Mug that is specially designated for AliShan Oolong teas.
The first five infusions mingling together in my tea mug produce a sweet, creamy, luscious flavor. The overall flavor and texture of the cup is delicate. Notes of flower, hints of fruit and vegetation, and a light honeyed sweetness wash over the palate. I would describe the honey notes as a “thinned” honey, it isn’t a thick or heavy sweetness, it’s more like a watered down honey-esque tone that melds with the floral notes in a really delightful way, softening the flowery sharpness.
There is also a distinct, roasted nutty tone to this tea. This is a distant flavor, something that sort of plays off in the background while these other flavors serve as the primary flavors tasted.
The sip starts out with a fresh, crisp floral note that is immediately followed by a hint of sweet, buttery vegetative taste. Fruit notes weave their way in and out of the sip while the thinned honey flavors sort of provide an undercurrent of sweetness. Mid-sip, I start to notice the hint of roasted, nutty tones. The finish is sweet and crisp with a faint but lingering aftertaste of sweet flower.
A really lovely Alishan Oolong! Admittedly, I haven’t yet found an Alishan that I’m not fond of, but, I have to say that this Competition Grade from Cameron Tea is certainly an excellent example of this, my favorite Oolong. I highly recommend it.