Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Taiwan Ali Shan Oolong is a typical kind of Taiwan High Mountain Tea. This tea is from Ali Mountain, which is the birthland of High Mountain Tea.
The tea garden where Taiwan Ali Shan Oolong Tea grows locates at the altitude between 800 meters to 1400 meters. On the high mountain, climate is cold and cloudy. Sunshine time is short, as a result, the astringent substance in the tea leaves is reduced, thus the tea becomes sweeter. In the mean time, temperature in daytime and in night is distinctive, which make the tea tree grows slowly. Therefore, the leaf is soft and thick with high content of pectin substance. This is the unique feature of Ali Shan Oolong Tea as being a type of Taiwan High Mountain Tea. What’s more, the tea trees are irrigated with spring water on Ali Mountain, making the tea carries a sweet flavor of spring water.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yay! Ali Shan! I love Ali Shan tea!
Yeah, I know you’ve heard that before from me.
But I get very excited when I get to an Ali Shan Oolong in my stash of teas. And this Superfine Taiwan Ali Shan Oolong Tea from Teavivre is certainly worth the excitement! It’s so good!
I brewed this the same way I’d typically brew an Oolong tea – in my gaiwan – but with one significant difference. Instead of combining the first two infusions in my first cup, and the next two infusions in the second cup, and so on, I combine the first six infusions into my special “Ali Shan” Yixing mug, and then, infusions seven through ten are combined in my mug for my second cup. Because of this, I’m unable to really delve into the individual infusions as much as I would do with other Oolong teas.
My first cup was creamy and sweet and floral, with hints of vegetation and distant notes of fruit. The floral tones were much more up front and mingled with the creamy notes that were a bit more like milk than butter or heavy cream. I like the way the smooth feeling glides over the palate. The sweet creamy notes linger into the aftertaste. This creaminess is a light creamy texture, thugh, and it never feels overwhelming … I never feel like my tongue is being weighed down by the creaminess of this tea.
The description of this tea from Teavivre suggests notes of gardenia and I’m getting that. It’s a beautifully fragrant tea – a lot of fun to steep! Not just to watch the tightly wound pellets of deep, forest green leaves unfurl in the hot water, but to experience the beautiful aroma.
My second cup was not as creamy as the first, but there was still plenty of flavor in this cup – and this is infusions seven, eight, nine and ten! I would have thought that these leaves would have been exhausted of their flavor, but, they delivered ten very flavorful infusions! Bravo!
The second cup was still floral, and as I said, not quite as creamy. I noticed more of the fruit and vegetative notes in this cup. It is still a pleasantly smooth and creamy experience … and certainly worth the effort to brew these extra infusions!
A truly magnificient Ali Shan! What else can I say but: Teavivre delivers a top notch tea yet again!
Superfine Taiwan Moderately-Roasted 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 Moderately-Roasted Dong Ding Oolong Tea is made of the tea leaves from Qing Xin Oolong tea tree. By roasting the tea, this Dong Ding Oolong has thick and soft leaf, smooth and brisk tea liquid. Meanwhile the strong floral fragrance makes it taste rich. This is the reason that High Mountain tea is more excellent than low altitude tea. What’s more, this brings more opportunities for tea lovers to try different flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
While I love nearly every Oolong tea that I encounter, I definitely have my favorites. Dong Ding Oolong teas are not what I typically consider “my favorite” but, I definitely enjoy them. And I really like this Superfine Taiwan Moderately-Roasted Dong Ding Oolong Tea from Teavivre.
The aroma of the dry leaf captured my interest immediately with it’s warm, roasted tones, a scent that translates into the brewed tea as well. This smells delicious and toasty, with floral notes dancing in the background.
I brewed this in my gaiwan, using short steeps and I got eight infusions of Dong Ding deliciousness! My first cup delivered a flavor that was sweet and nutty and the texture, soft and smooth. This first cup (which was a combination of the first 2 infusions) was lighter than the cups that followed, not just in flavor but also in mouthfeel.
The second cup was similar to the first, however, I noticed other flavors starting to emerge. A floral note began to reveal itself, and I liked the way this mingled with the sweet, nutty tones. Hints of fruit were distant. The texture here was a little thicker, reminiscent of a light broth.
The third cup – my personal favorite – is where the notes of flower really began to present themselves to the palate. Before, they merely hinted at their presence, but, it was this cup, the combination of infusions 5 and 6, that the toasted nut notes began to wane and the floral notes really peaked. The texture is silky, and the aftertaste is sweet. This cup also brought out some vegetative tones.
The fourth cup (and my final cup for this tea journey), was a bit lighter in flavor than the second and third cups, but still quite enjoyable. I found that the toasty notes were still present, but they were softer than they were in the first three cups. The taste was still nutty, sweet, and floral, but all flavors seemed to merge together into a seamless flavor, rather than being distinct and separate.
Another excellent tea from Teavivre!
Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
The fresh Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well Long Jing Tea provided by Teavivre is picked before Tomb-Sweeping Day, an important solar term in Chinese agriculture. Ming Qian (Pre-ming) tea is seldom damaged by insects. Its buds and leaves are delicate and tender. With a mellow taste, it is emerald green in color and quite beautiful in appearance. Since the weather is relatively cold before Tomb-Sweeping Day, the number of fresh buds is limited and they grow slow. Therefore, a few leaves can meet the picking standard. Compared with those picked after Tomb-Sweeping Day, Ming Qian (Pre-ming) tea is of top grade.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: Teavivre is one of my favorite tea companies. The reason is quite simple. They offer some of the very best teas available, and it is obvious to me that this is a company that cares about the teas that they sell. This is evident in their careful packaging that protects the tea quality and integrity of the tea. This is evident in their responsive customer service. More than that … this is evident in the FLAVOR of the tea itself.
As this Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea from Teavivre brewed, I could smell the strong, fresh vegetative aroma. The scent filled the kitchen, smelling of steamed vegetables … it smelled delicious!
The flavor matches the fragrance with its strong, vegetative overtone. It is pleasantly sweet but with a nice contrasting savory tone that is almost like salt. I taste nutty notes, reminiscent of a freshly roasted chestnut: creamy and sweet, with hints of butter.
The texture is smooth and silky, and there is very little astringency to this. It is not bitter (although I wouldn’t recommend steeping it in water too hot or for too long a time. I recommend a temperature of 175ºF and a brew time of 1 – 1 1/2 minutes for the first infusion, and increasing the brew time by 30 seconds for each subsequent infusion.)
I like that this tea holds up well through multiple infusions too. This is definitely a tea that you want to spend some time with … take your time and savor it! It will submit several very flavorful infusions that will make it well worth your efforts!
Anxi Superfine Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” Oolong Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
When mentioned Anxi County, people will spontaneously think of Anxi Tie Guan Yin, “Iron Goddess”. It is well-known both inland and abroad. This Tie Guan Yin is close to forest green in color, has a pure aroma. Meanwhile the liquid of this Oolong tea is transparent and bright, which truly is a feast to the eyes. In taste, this Tie Guan Yin has sweet flavor, long-last fragrance and comfortable sweet aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Teavivre is one of those companies that continually impress me with the finest quality teas. This Anxi Superfine Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” Oolong Tea from Teavivre is a perfect example of what I mean.
This tea smells amazing. The dry leaf has a floral and vegetative aroma, and once brewed, the liquid becomes less vegetal and more floral. It’s really very fragrant, and it’s a joy to inhale the fragrance deeply before sipping.
I brewed this tea the same way I would normally approach an Oolong. Using my gaiwan, I first did a quick “awakening” of the tea leaves, allowing them to steep in the hot water for 15 seconds, and then draining off the liquid. Then I steeped the first infusion for 45 seconds, and with each infusion that followed, I added an additional 15 seconds. I combine the first and second infusions to make my first cup, and the third and fourth infusions to make the second cup … and so on.
The first cup is light and crisp. My experience with Tie Guan Yin is to expect a buttery quality, but usually the first cup is lighter in texture and flavor than the subsequent cups. The flavor is sweet and floral, with delicate notes of honey. It’s a nice way to start off with this lovely tea!
Usually, my second cup is my favorite, and that is true with this tea experience as well. The flavor and texture is creamier, but it isn’t a heavy, buttery taste. More like a light touch of butter – imagine steamed, mild tasting green veggies that have been lightly buttered. That is much of what I taste right now … together with a lovely floral tone that is somewhere between honeysuckle and orchid, leaning more toward the orchid than the honeysuckle. Notes of honey-esque sweetness please the taste buds.
The third cup becomes a more unified flavor, where there is less sharpness between the contrasting flavors. The creaminess is more subdued, and the floral tones are lighter, but the cup is still very rewarding. It’s definitely worth the effort to keep on steeping with this tea!
Overall, I found this tea to be a bit more mellow than some of the sharper Tie Guan Yin teas that I’ve tasted. It’s a more refined taste, and I really enjoyed it. As I type this, I see that this tea is currently out of stock … I hope that Teavivre restocks it soon, because it is definitely one you should put on the “gotta try it” list!
Nonpareil Te Gong Huang Shan Mao Feng Green Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
The historic Huang Shan Mao Feng is well-known as one of the ten famous Chinese tea. This Ming QianHuang Shan Mao Feng was picked on March 23, 2013, is a kind of pre-ming green tea. Pre-ming tea has strict requirement of the picking time and its making standard, thus the bird-tongue appearance could been perfect formed, as well as the brisk flavor. Both of which are favored by tea lovers.
Our Nonpareil Huang Shan Mao Feng Green tea is Te Gong grade. Te Gong refers to two Chinese words: 特(tè) and 贡(gòng). 特 is short for 特级, which means the tea’s grade is nonpareil; while 贡 is short for 贡品, meaning that the tea was used to be paid as tribute to the emperor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had the opportunity to try many different Mao Feng Green Teas, but this Nonpareil Te Gong Huang Shan from Teavivre is one of the very best that I’ve ever encountered. It has an outstanding flavor.
These gorgeous green leaves produce a clear, soft green liquid that tastes earthy and sweet at first, and then as I continue to sip, I notice different flavors develop. The taste and texture is soft and creamy, with the cream notes falling somewhere between milk and butter with slight vanilla-like tones.
By the time I’m at mid-cup, I begin to notice a crisp apple-y taste that is sweet with hints of tang. The tangy note develops further into something that is more savory than tangy toward the bottom of the cup. It’s a nice, well-rounded tea.
I really enjoyed this Mao Feng from Teavivre . Be sure to take this tea through its paces because it can deliver several flavorful infusions! A true delight to drink.