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Highlights:
Description
-Fall Harvest 2009
-Gowing Area: Alishan Scenic Area, Chiayi County, Taiwan
-Varietal: Qing Xin (Green Heart) Oolong
-Oxidation: 20%
-Roasting: Light
-Vacuum Sealed with desiccant in 50 gram portions
-Ships in resealable stand up pouch
-10% off orders of 2 or more x 50g bags (100g or more), 15% off orders of 5 or more x 50g bags (250g or more). Discounted price reflected in price displayed in shopping cart.This is an excellent example of High Mountain Oolong Tea from the Alishan (Mount Ali) Scenic Area in Taiwan. Oolong tea is almost an obsession among the population in Taiwan, and tea grown in the higher elevation plantations on Alishan enjoys immense popularity throughout the region. Local demand in Taiwan (and increasingly in Mainland China) is always higher than the available supply of true High Mountain Oolong tea, so I am very excited and lucky to have formed a partnership (and friendship) with a fantastic tea grower from the Alishan region to bring authentic 100% High Mountain Oolong tea to our customers.
This particular tea was grown at an altitude of 1,200+/- Meters (3,900+/- feet) above sea level. This batch is from the Fall harvest season of 2009.
The way this tea was roasted created a balance between flavor and aroma in the finished product. Tea masters will roast in different ways to produce many different results, and I worked with our producer to choose this particular roast based on the theory that the balance between flavor and aroma would be best suited to the tastes of our customers in the West. Tea roasting is an art, and it is an art that our friends in Taiwan have really perfected in my opinion.It has a unique “High Mountain Aroma” that can best be described as “orchidy” or floral, but it is an aroma (and resulting flavor) that is very hard to describe and truly unique to teas from this area. The mouthfeel of the infused tea liquor is nice and smooth without being too thick, and the flavor is light, crisp, and refreshingly sweet and floral as a result of the low oxidation and relatively light roasting. The Hui Gan, or sweet aftertaste that comes after the initial bittersweet flavor fades, is lovely and long lasting. The most notable difference between Spring and Fall teas from the Ali Shan region is that the fall teas are not as infusable. On average, I can get 3 solid Gong-Fu steepings out of this tea, as opposed to the 5+ steepings that can be expected from a spring tea.
I recommend steeping this tea gongfu style to truly enjoy the layers of flavor that reveal themselves as the leaves unfurl over a series short steepings. I would start with about 5 grams in a small 100-150 cc Yixing type teapot or Gaiwan, and steep the leaves with 190-195 degree Farenheit water (under a boil). I have also enjoyed this tea many times steeped in the Western manner with good results.
Each order is a vacuum sealed 50 gram package with a desiccant pack shipped in a resealable high barrier stand up pouch for short term storage and to protect the tea once it has been removed from its vacuum packaging. Obviously, do not consume the desiccant pack, but keep it with the tea once the vacuum bag has been opened to absorb any moisture from the environment that might accumulate in the tea leaves. This tea is not suitable for storage over a period of months once the vacuum seal has been opened. Please consume within 30 days after opening for best flavor & aroma.
-10% off orders of 2 or more x 50g bags (100g or more), 15% off orders of 5 or more x 50g bags (250g or more). Discounted price reflected in price displayed in shopping cart.
Norbu sure does know how to do an Ali Shan, let me tell you! Brace yourselves…
I like this Ali Shan better than Adagio’s!
:)
You can’t get any more pure of a coloring than this! Oh-so-slight yellowish clear liquid.
A Slight floral/sweet grass scent interrupted by a lovely sweetness both in scent and taste! It’s so refreshing I would do backflips if I could!
Awesome!
Oolong time!
This is absolutely my favorite Oolong. So good! Sublime!
The aroma is arresting – floral notes with the slightest vegetative tone. The flavor is buttery, rich, smooth – a delightful, satiny, thick mouthfeel. Just… YUM!
I wrote a review for this tea back in September for the Tea Review Blog:
http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=6489
Many more infusions to follow!
First time logging, not first time drinking. This is a lovely, mellow, forgiving tea that steeps and steeps. I have infused a few grams of tightly furled balls and filled up my 1 quart thermos today, and there is still more to get from these leaves. Sweet, floral, haylike, beautiful.
Can’t give grams or ounces or exact temps today, because I’m brewing in the office with a kamjove and the other tools are elsewhere. But it is giving wonderful results even without that specificity. A good general starting point for me is about 1 gram per ounce, so 2 grams for a small 2 ounce gaiwan, and the wetted leaves will fill the cup.
This company makes me smile. I work in customer service, and let me tell you, I don’t believe in it. I could be the sweetest thing on the planet and people still get pissed off. But the people at Norbu… I like them. I got this tea in about one business day. And it was on sale, meaning I wasn’t supposed to get a resealable pouch, but they included it anyway. And they gave me two samples.
It made my day when I got this package, folks. Made my day. It was just nice to get my little box full of my tea plus two I wasn’t expecting. I’ve never ordered tea online before. I stick to what I can smell, inspect, touch. The only thing I tend to get off the internet is books because you can read the descriptions just the same as in a store. But this has turned me into an internet shopper. I am completely happy with my order and the whole process of getting it. (:
So on to the tea. When I opened the vacuum-sealed packet, it smelled so wonderful. I was very afraid of anything looking green after a mishap with some sencha, but this smelled lovely. Sweet, lightly floral, maybe a touch of fruit? I’m so bad at weeding out smells. Anyway, it was wonderful. I put a heaping teaspoon of the adorable little green balls into my giant teaball and prepared.
I used not quite boiling water. I don’t know what temperature. I just boiled it and then added a handful of ice cubes. My first steep was for about two minutes. The first sip scared me a little. I got a hint of that sencha taste (I’ll explain my problems with that when I get to reviewing that tea…) but I chugged on, thinking surely this won’t be the same! It smells so lovely! It must be better than this. And sure enough, it was. It’s perfumey, almost. A floral perfume, but in a good way. There’s also that slight almost fruitiness that I think I taste but I’m not quite sure? And a slight, slight base of the general ‘tea’ taste.
Second steep is the same temperature water for four minutes. It’s slightly less perfumey. In fact, the floral taste has evened out very nicely with whatever that other flavor is. What is it? Is it fruity? I honestly can’t tell!
I can tell I’m easily going to get a third, maybe fourth steep out of this one. Maybe I’ll find that fruit. Next time I think I’m upping it to two teaspoons to see what it does. Mmmm. This is turning me on to oolong big time.
hi , i tried once this tea , it was a great taste with aroma , how can i find it with a good price?
