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.
Honey Scented Black Tea from Oollo Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Oollo Tea
Tea Description:
This is a luxurious black tea! Dark leaves and an amazing honey aroma. The body of this tea is round and feels smooth on the tongue. It has a very pure flavour profile. Delicious honey and natural caramel notes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This Honey Scented Black Tea from Oollo Tea is a very interesting tea. Here’s something that Amoda Tea has to say about it:
To keep with the oolong education. This is a curious black tea made from an oolong tea plant varietal that grows in Taiwan.
And when I opened the pouch and examined the leaves, I have to say that they have the big “bulky” look of a dark Oolong.
The flavor is much more like an Oolong tea than a black tea as well. This reminds me of a Honey Oriental Beauty type of Oolong. It doesn’t have that deep, “dark” flavor of a black tea, it has a the lighter, silkier flavor of an Oolong.
But that’s not a bad thing. I love Honey Oolongs, and this tea tastes mighty fine! It’s remarkably smooth with a light astringency. I’m loving the honey notes. The profile of this tea on Amoda’s website focuses on the “clean” and “pure” taste of this tea, and I find myself in agreement with the assessment. Even though it has a beautifully sweet flavor, it’s a very crisp and clean sweetness, and the finish is very lightly sweet.
And one of the best things about this tea is that because it’s so “Oolong-esque” … it’s good for several infusions. I highly recommend taking this tea through it’s paces – it’s definitely worth the effort. An excellent tea from Oollo tea – via Amoda Tea – I’m glad this one was part of the tea tasting box this month.
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!
Rice Fragrance Santikhiri Green Tea from Tea Mania
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Mania
Tea Description:
Rice tea is a specialty of Northern Thailand. The tea is similar in taste to Genmaicha but is produced fundamentally different. Genmaicha is made by steamed green tea which is enriched with roasted rice. Originally, this was done to stretch the expensive green tea. Nowadays, this days Genmaicha is a popular specialty in itself.
In contrary, for our rice tea we use is green tea from Doi Mae Salong which is enriched with a wild-growing Thai herb that resembles the taste of jasmine rice. The green tea itself is Chinese-style roasted and then rolled into beads like Oolong. The tea can be infused several times and keeps the typical rice aroma till the end.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This Rice Fragrance Santikhiri Green Tea from Tea Mania is a really unique tasting tea! Yes, it is quite similar to Genmaicha, although I can taste differences between the two.
Perhaps the biggest difference to me is that this tea has a softer flavor. Genmaicha tends to have a more “roasty-toasty” kind of flavor, owing to the popped rice, perhaps? Sure, I still taste hints of a toasty note here, but, this tastes more like a sweet rice. It kind of reminds me of the cereal that I make of left-over rice.
After I’ve made a batch of rice, there is usually a little bit left over, and rather than allow that to go to waste, I save it and then reheat it. First I “rehydrate” Craisins with a little bit of water, and zap it in the microwave for a couple of minutes until it’s hot and the Craisins have absorbed most of the water. Then I add the left-over rice and reheat the rice. The remaining water that hasn’t been absorbed by the dried cranberries helps hydrate the rice. Then I add a little bit of milk and cinnamon. It’s quite yummy, reminiscent of rice pudding but easier to make!
That’s what this tea tastes like, except that I don’t taste any Craisin or cinnamon flavor! But I taste the sweet rice notes and it’s quite delicious.
I taste subtle vegetative notes from the green tea – which has been wound into little pellets resembling a green Oolong. In fact, had I not known that this was a green tea, the appearance of the dry leaf would lead me to identify this as an Oolong tea. The vegetative notes are quite delicate here, and if you are one who tends to shy away from green teas because you don’t care for that “green” flavor, I do believe you would find this tea to be agreeable.
I also taste distant jasmine notes which further enhance the rice flavor. Such a sweet and unique tea. It really is AMAZING. I’d recommend this to all tea lovers, if for no other reason than because it is truly exceptional. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a tea quite like it, and I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to try this!
Superfine Taiwan Qing Xiang Dong Ding Oolong Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
In Taiwan Oolong Tea, Dong Ding Oolong Tea is an excellent kind highly praised by the world. Dong Ding is originally planted on Dongding Mountain, which is a branch of Phoenix Mountain, in Lugu Village, Nantou County, Taiwan. The tea is planted in the area at the altitude of 1000 meters. So this is also a High Mountain tea, which is known as its obvious floral fragrance. This Dong Ding Qing Xiang Oolong Tea is made of the tea leaves from Qing Xin Oolong tea tree. This tea has thick and soft leaf, refreshing tea liquid, with strong osmanthus scent. Meanwhile it has strong sweet aftertaste, which makes High Mountain tea more excellent than low altitude tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Superfine Taiwan Qing Xiang Dong Ding Oolong Tea from Teavivre is absolutely lovely! It’s so sweet and lush, with a creamy mouthfeel and an intriguing flavor that has exotic floral notes as well as hints of fruit. I’m enjoying the complexity and the soft texture.
I brewed this Oolong in my gaiwan. First I did a quick “rinse” or awakening of the tea leaves, by steeping them in hot water for 15 seconds and then straining off and discarding the liquid. Then I steeped the first infusion for 1 minute (I meant to infuse it for 45 seconds, but I got distracted and missed the 45 second mark, so it steeped for a full 60 seconds), and the second infusion for 1 minute 15 seconds. I poured both of these infusions into the same cup. Subsequent infusions were prepared the same way.
The first cup was lighter in texture than those that followed, but, it still possessed a pleasantly creamy mouthfeel. It is so silky and smooth. I taste notes of peach, hints of vegetation (just a slight “grassiness” in the background), and a overtone of floral notes. There is a faint astringency that is most noticeable at the very end of the sip. I start to notice a slightly dry sensation.
The second cup was my favorite, and this seems to be typical of my Oolong experiences. It seems that I always love the second cup best. It felt soft and smooth to the palate, and it had a flavor that was both floral and fruity. The vegetative notes have emerged slightly and they added an interesting contrast to the sweet fruit and floral tones.
In subsequent infusions, the flavors became more of a harmonious taste. The flavor remained sweet, and I started to notice an almost “honey-esque” note in the third and forth cups.
I enjoyed my afternoon spent with this Dong Ding from Teavivre. An excellent choice for the Oolong enthusiast!