Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Green Terrace Teas
Product Description:
Our founder’s favorite tea – this is a rare and unique cultivar available only in Taiwan. Grown at elevations of over 2,000 meters, our spring harvest is both exquisite and complex in character. Non-astringent and mildly sweet, this black tea has floral and fruity undertones with notes of plum and honey. Its aroma of sweet, ripe fruit is strong and noticeable instantly after the leaves come in contact with hot water. If you’ve never had a quality black tea before, this variety is a must try. Best brewed with multiple, short infusions.
Tasters Review:
YUM! I would agree that this tea is rare and unique and that first and foremost is why I give this two thumbs up! From first sniff of the tea liquid – post-infusion, of course – I could smell something sweet – much like honey or mead – and a berry of some sort – fruit – almost like currants or wild berries…maybe even elderberries! The color of the tea in the cup is that of a weaker or more see-thru lighter brown. Just because it’s lighter in color does NOT mean it lacks in flavor! The flavor of this Li Shan Black Tea is truly scrumptious! Floral and Fruity – YES – but zoning in more on the plum, berry, and honey flavors. It’s sweet and floral but makes your mouth water. This is tremendously good hot or cold! It’s good for multiple infusions starting off with the shorter infusions and moving up the scale to longer infusions. This is a MUST TRY indeed!
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!
Nonpareil Taiwan Li Shan Oolong Tea 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:
A gorgeous Li Shan Oolong, this Nonpareil Taiwan Li Shan Oolong Tea from Teavivre! The aroma of the dry leaf is floral with notes of vegetation, and it maintains this fragrance once the tea is brewed.
I brewed this in my gaiwan, combining the first five infusions in my Li Shan Yixing mug (following a 15 second rinse).
The floral notes translate to the flavor nicely. It tastes floral but it isn’t an overly sharp floral tone. Orchid? There is a sweetness to the cup as well, and when I taste those sweet notes, honeysuckle immediately comes to mind but I do think I’m tasting more orchid here than honeysuckle.
As I continue to sip, I find that the flowery notes seem to become more complex. This is not as creamy as I would expect from a Li Shan. It has a thinned creamy taste and texture, it isn’t a heavy creaminess, more like a background note of something soft and silky.
However, as the tea cools slightly, I find that it becomes a little thicker and creamier, so if you’re one who really loves that creamy taste and texture of a green Oolong, it is worth the wait to allow this to cool for a few minutes. Your wait will be rewarded with a smooth and creamy tea!
This has some nutty tones to it, although it doesn’t have the roasty-toasty type of flavor to go along with it. Just a sweet, nutty character that sort of weaves it’s way in and out of the sip. In place of where I might normally taste the roasty-toasty flavors of a roasted Oolong, I taste more of a ‘cake-like’ sort of flavor that when combined with the floral tones of this tea, becomes a very interesting flavor, indeed. Imagine an orchid infused cream cake!
Another very enjoyable Oolong from Teavivre. If you’re looking for a top-notch Oolong, Teavivre is the place to go!
Taiwan Li Shan High Mountain Oolong From Life in Teacup
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Tea Description:
Production Year – 2012
Production Season – Spring
Production Region – Taiwan, Taizhong County, Li Shan Range, Gu Mai Tea Farm, 1800-2200m
Style – Modern green style
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – Li Shan/Ali Shan Oolong teas are among my favorite teas … in my top three! (#1 is Yellow Tea, and the Li Shan/Ali Shan Oolong teas would be #2 … and probably my favorite Earl Grey would be #3.) And THIS Taiwan High Mountain Oolong from Life in Teacup is one of the VERY best that I’ve ever tried of this type of Oolong.
I mean … Oh Wow! This is so delightful! Sweet, creamy, lush! Beautiful layers of flavor. The high notes are that of sweet cream … so smooth that it feels creamy as well as tastes it. Melding with that note of cream is the faintest hint of vanilla. Just beneath the creamy tones is a hint of exotic flower that develops as I continue to sip. Sweet honey-esque notes as well as a slight vegetative tone lie just under the floral tones. There are quiet notes of earth in the distance.
I love how smooth this tea is … no sharpness! There is a slight astringency that develops as I continue to sip, but it is so slight that unless I’m really focused on the nuances of the sip (which is something I need to do to write a review!) … the astringency can go unnoticed. There is nothing bitter whatsoever about this tea … it is so pleasurable to sip from start to finish.
Do yourself a favor and brew this tea in a gaiwan (or Yixing teapot) to get the most out of the leaves. I managed TEN very flavorful infusions … making this tea not only a wonderful treat for the palate, but also a very economical one!
If you like Ali Shan/Li Shan High Mountain Oolong Teas – this one is one you MUST try!
Li Shan Oolong from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
This is one of Taiwan’s highest mountain teas. The tea plants must battle cold (sometimes even snow) and frequent mists. This makes a haunting brew with echoes of honey and cream.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had the opportunity to try several different Harney Teas, but this is the first time I’ve tried their Li Shan Oolong! And it is delightful!
It is extremely fragrant. The dry leaf offers some very vegetative notes, reminding me of a cross between freshly cut grass and mild green vegetables, with hints of flower in the background. But it is the aroma of the brewed tea that has me captivated. The smell wafting from my teacup at the moment is so beautiful: sweet … almost honey-esque, with flowery notes (the floral notes that were almost hidden in the raw leaf have emerged with the brewing process). I also smell fruit notes, reminding me almost of the smell of cooked peaches (you know that smell that fills the kitchen while baking a peach cobbler? Yeah, that’s what I smell… without the “cobbler”)
The flavor is INTENSE! Much more so than I would have expected from a Li Shan. It offers a strong sweetness that is somewhat honey-esque, but, more like the sweetness of an orchid … drenched in honey, if you can imagine that. The floral tones have a slight sharpness to them, which seems to cut through some of the honey notes which would otherwise linger on the palate and possibly overwhelm it with sweet tones. With the sharpness I find that I’m able to better explore the other flavors of this complex tea.
Generally with greener Oolongs such as this one, I don’t notice as much fruit-like flavors (for me, I notice more fruit tones with more oxidation … the darker the Oolong, the more enhanced the fruit notes become), but with this Li Shan the fruit notes are well pronounced, even in the early infusions. The first two infusions were also pleasantly creamy, offering a honey, cream, and fruit flavor that was positively felicitous on the tongue. By about the fourth infusion, the creaminess wanes, but, the floral notes begin to emerge a bit more and the tea becomes much like a lovely stroll through the garden!
Truly a worthwhile experience, this Li Shan Oolong. If you like Oolong tea, this is one worth trying!