Gaoshan Jinxuan TTES #12 Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong Tea

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Oolong, Oolong Tea, Oolong Tea Leaves
Flavors
Butter, Cream, Umami, Vegetal, Asparagus, Corn Husk, Creamy, Floral, Gardenias, Grass, Lettuce, Peach, Perfume, Sweet, Spicy, Stonefruit
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Low
Certification
Fair Trade, Vegan
Edit tea info Last updated by jLteaco
Average preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 30 sec 5 g 4 oz / 127 ml

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24 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Lately, I’ve been trying to reduce my current stash and visiting more with Brie, so I’ve even been drinking less tea. :-// I received my Fong Mong Tea samples Monday or Tuesday, but didn’t have a...” Read full tasting note
    90
  • “Well I got the job and now the only problem is I didn’t realize by mid-October she meant starting two days next week. Ummm. Because I have been zoned out all day (it’s amazing I actually got myself...” Read full tasting note
  • “Sipdown! Thanks again to Fong Mong Tea for this sample! Although a little old, and not properly stored, it was still a pretty enjoyable oolong. A bit creamy, a bit floral, but nowhere near as much...” Read full tasting note
    89
  • “This is fabulous! A little Alishan … a little milk Oolong … all in one cup! Yum! I do love Alishan, it’s my favorite of the Oolongs for its delicious subtle complexity. That this is also a Jin...” Read full tasting note
    96

From jLteaco (fongmongtea)

Gaoshan Jinxuan, TTES #12, 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. With better drought tolerance, also higher yield, the price is usually lower than Alishan Oolong.

Jin-Xuan is a special variety of Camellia Sinesis (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.

About jLteaco (fongmongtea) View company

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24 Tasting Notes

90
111 tasting notes

Lately, I’ve been trying to reduce my current stash and visiting more with Brie, so I’ve even been drinking less tea. :-// I received my Fong Mong Tea samples Monday or Tuesday, but didn’t have a chance to sample this until last night. A huge Thank You to Fong Mong Tea for these samples! :))

Right away this tea looked greener. The few green oolong teas I’ve had never seem to infuse as well as a good Tie Guan Yin, but I do like them. My initial smell of the dry leaves reminded me of a milk oolong. When I put them in my warmed tea press, the aroma was more buttery than the two milk oolongs I’ve tried. The steeping leaves were sssoooo buttery sweet. The wet leaves were very buttery to me, and when cooling, they had a flowery sweetness I can only describe as gardenias.

The cup is ecru in color, with a definite sweetness and light buttery aromas. There is also a fruity nature in the cup. There is a very smooth, buttery quality that stands out, yet it is gentle and calming. The flowery sweet flavors are more discernable on the back of my palate after swallowing.

My second cup steeped even more buttery. The wet leaves were most buttery and vegetal-like buttered corn or peas, cooling to a vegetal sweetness. Cup is slightly darker, and more aromatically buttery and fruity. My palate was happy, with buttery goodness at the forefront, so sweet and so smooth. :)) Light fruits seemingly emerge-light peaches, not as pronounced as a good Tie Guan Yin though. There is absolutely no astringency at all!! The best cup of the three. :)) [1:15 at 180*]

Although the aromas in the third cup are fading, it was still quite creamy and sweet. The tastes are also waning, with a light creamy sweetness on my palate. This was the most vegetal of the cups, reminding me of peas on the back of my palate. The fully opened leaves are big & beautiful! [5 minutes at 180*]

I really enjoyed this cup of tea-the buttery nature and smooth cup really stands out. On a sad note, I lost my pet bunny Tchai last Saturday. Such a sweet, gentle girl! <3 :-(( Hop on Tchai!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6EeObPCMR8

Cupped: Friday, June 15, 2012.

Reviewed: Saturday, June 16, 2012.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 1 min, 0 sec
Azzrian

Aweeee Rest in Peace Tchai xox

TeaBrat

Sorry about your bunny, I’d love to have one…

ScottTeaMan

Thanks AZZ…….Amy. The female rabbits (the ones I’ve had) never seem to live as long for some reason.

Missy

My condolences to you for the lost of your bunny.

Bonnie

Good girl bunny :(

Bonnie

I liked The Hop! Appropriate sendoff for a righteous bunny!

Lucy

Aww poor Tchai! A cup of tea in her memory is in order I would say.

ScottTeaMan

The breeders named her Tchaikovsky, which I kept and shortened to Tchai- which is also sorta tea related, since one of my fav teas is Chai! :))

CHAroma

Awww, I’m so sorry to hear about Tchai. :(

ScottTeaMan

Thanks everyone! :))

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1220 tasting notes

Well I got the job and now the only problem is I didn’t realize by mid-October she meant starting two days next week. Ummm. Because I have been zoned out all day (it’s amazing I actually got myself to the mall) I didn’t even think to say anything about the wedding I have to go to in 2 weeks…and now she’s on vacation. Well. I guess I’ll say something Tuesday? I am finding it incredibly hard to be excited because of how horrible I constantly feel and I’m starting to question if it’s even just ragweed.

So my mom was all like oh get yourself a beer or a nice cup of tea. I was just like oh god not drinking right now. I instead got myself another nap and now I’m going to see how long I can stay awake and drink a nice tea. I’ve been holding onto these samples to have them when I feel like I can devote time to them.

I can’t smell very well though. Of course. I put the entire 6g into my yixing pot and rinsed the leaves first, then steeped for 20 seconds.

I don’t know if that is too short or what, but this is more like a sweet garden of flowers dipped in mineral water and cream. And I really hate that I decided to drink this because I don’t think my tastebuds are going to do it justice.

Okay, gave up on that steep and am trying one for 45 seconds. It has much more color to it. Now we have butter and a mouthful of gardenias for sure. It is so velvety too.

Will Work For Tea

Congrats on the job!

Bonnie

I’m so sorry you feel bad. I think the fact that you can taste the tea and enjoy some of what it is saying is great!

momo

Thankfully I can taste tea. It’s like a real job to walk through the mall. I tried looking up if body aches relate to allergies or just cold/flu and there’s WAY too much conflicting information.

Michelle

Feel better hun!

Yogini Undefined

Congrats on the new job. Hope you’re feeling better soon :)

Mercuryhime

Yay a job. Congrats! Feel better!

Terri HarpLady

Amanda, first congrats on the job!
Second, my allergies have been SO bad for the last couple of weeks (since we actually started getting rain), it has been the worse fall, & it isn’t even officially fall yet! I have acheyness like a flu, a sore throat & swollen glands like mono, my lungs hurt, my eyes feel like the someone dumped chalk powder in them, my ears itch like crazy, & intermittent headaches. I’ve even had a mild fever on and off (usually after I’ve been outside). The only reason I know it’s allergies is that it gets noticeably worse every time I leave the house, even for a few minutes. Hang in there, this will pass, but meanwhile you have my sympathy.

Terri HarpLady

I like that buttery gardenia image, BTW!

canadianadia

Congratulations on the job Amanda!
Sending you “feel better soon” vibes

momo

I’m starting to wonder if NOT taking anything is more helpful, at least until I see an allergy doctor…still 8 more days. Completely missed a test today because I couldn’t even get out of bed (like I got to the point I had to nearly roll out so I could go to the bathroom!) and I feel stupid saying I can’t see a doctor yet about it. He’s a pretty understanding guy though so hopefully he’ll let me redo it once that happens. I have NEVER felt this bad from allergies. I used to get nosebleeds from ragweed as a kid but this is the worst I have ever felt.

I usually can’t pick out too many flower flavors but this one, even without other people saying it, just absolutely shouted gardenias.

Indigobloom

Congrats on the job!! feel better soon xx

Nik

Congrats on the job, Amanda! I’m sorry that you can’t truly rejoice just yet because of how you’re feeling, and I hope that you get to feeling better and celebrating soon.

I have to echo some of Terri’s response. I suffer from seasonal allergies, but have been mostly okay for a few years. This year, though, has been pretty bad. Headaches, chronic fatigue, mild fever (sometimes)…the works. So here’s hoping that as bad as you’re feeling, all the symptoms really are “just” allergy-related and that you’ll find some relief from them soon.

Terri, your symptoms are even more horrible than my own. Hope you feel better soon, too! I am really looking forward to some cooler weather; generally, I fare pretty well, allergy-wise, when the temperature drops below 55°F.

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89
6107 tasting notes

Sipdown! Thanks again to Fong Mong Tea for this sample! Although a little old, and not properly stored, it was still a pretty enjoyable oolong. A bit creamy, a bit floral, but nowhere near as much as a tieguanyin… my kind of green oolong, for sure. I’ll enjoy the next infusions shortly.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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96
4843 tasting notes

This is fabulous! A little Alishan … a little milk Oolong … all in one cup! Yum!

I do love Alishan, it’s my favorite of the Oolongs for its delicious subtle complexity. That this is also a Jin Xuan really was enticing to me. This is probably not my first Alishan that is also a Jin Xuan but it’s the first time I’ve noticed it and put it together.

A delicious, delightful Oolong. So very nice.

LiberTEAS

subsequent infusions offer a deeper flavor, not quite so delicate … this next cup (the third and fourth infusions combined) is a stronger flavor, with distinct floral notes that taste of orchid and honeysuckle. Delicious honey-esque undertones. Sweet, flavorful, and smooth.

Relmaster

I am interested in trying an Ali Shan ( I like floral oolongs and ti guan yins) ;) What companies would you recommend me buying it from??

LiberTEAS

Well, this one was really good, but my most memorable Alishan tea moments came from Canton Tea, T-Oolong Tea, and Norbu Tea (Fall harvest!) I’d start with these three companies.

Relmaster

Cool… thank you very much Liber TEAS ;)

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89
676 tasting notes

Thank you FONG MONG TEA for this lovely sample tea!

This is the last of the generous samples to review from FONG MONG TEA. I must comment on the high quality of the tea and supurb experience with the shipping, and packaging. I know that I am not alone in thanking this company for introducing so many of us to their fine tea’s.

This morning I selected this tea to fit the dappled sunshine coming through my window. Sparkling morning light reminds me of reflective light bouncing off water or peeking through the trees. I often pick a tea to fit the weather like setting a scene.

I brewed the tea in a ceramic vessel, used half the sample packet for a 6 minute steep.

The liquor was sunny yellow gold and clear.

My first sip was the flavor of juicy white asparagas…vegital but not too ‘green’ tasting. There was a sweet candied violet background flavor under the asparagas…unique.
My mouth began to tingle a little and I recognized the splay of tannin on my tongue just at the end of the tasting.
As the tea cooled, there was no additional tannin and little change in texture (a little creamier).
I sweetened the tea which flipped the floral flavor to dominant and the vegital to secondary in taste order. An interesting way to customize the experience to suit individual taste preference. Vegital…straight and for Floral…add sweetening.

Second steeping:
This steeping holds up well. The flavor profile remains unchanged.

An additional note…on how addicted I am to tea. :^(
While writing away, I had a small pot of HONEY on the STOVE on low with some LAPSANG SOUCHONG in the pot to infuse it for use as a drizzle on chicken or fruit/cheese. WELL I FORGOT ABOUT IT! I ended up with a nice smelling house and HONEY/LS TAFFY! GARRRR!
(No I refuse to chalk it up to old age or disability! It’s tea addiction! I get so engrossed in these tea tastings and reviews that the end of ages could come on Dec. 12th and I’d still be on Steepster!)

Oh great, now my mouse is sticky!

Daisy Chubb

mmm can you harden it and break it into crystals to sprinkle over something?

Azzrian

Yeah unless it is burnt something like Daisy suggested would be nice :)

Bonnie

I put it on a sil pad spread out like taffy. I’d like to granulate it as much as I can.

K S

Bonnie your notes are so much fun to read that I feel a bit guilty enjoying your tribulations. You work magic with words. I feel like I’m sitting in the room with you… whose gonna clean that up… Umm, I have to go.

Bonnie

KS you’re just glad it didn’t happen to you! I made crystal sugar out of it but I don’t like it that much. Cooked too long! Need to try again. Lots of tea’s infuse beautifully!

K S

If I did it, there would probably be 911 calls made.

Jim Marks

That sounds like the tastiest accident in history.

Ninavampi

I completely agree with Jim Marks!

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76
2201 tasting notes

Argh, Steepster ate my quite long tasting note! Maaaan. Sipdown, 181. Thanks to Fong Mong for the sample, and sorry it took me so long to get around to reviewing it. I decided to brew this one gong fu today, using the 6g vaccum sealed sample in my teapot.

I did a rinse first and then a 20 second steep. I normally would have a shorter first steep for gongfu, but even at 6g these leaves didn’t look like a lot in my tea pot so I decided to steep them a bit longer. It turned out well; the first steep smells floral and a bit buttery, and it tastes like buttery sugar snap peas. It definitely has a hint of vegetal sweetness.

For my second steep I actually decided to go ahead and go 1 minute because the first steep was fairly light as it was. I also just used the water in my teapot that had cooled to 190degF. This steep is more vegetal but it still has a floral quality and a sweet note here and there. This one isn’t particularly creamy but it does have a very smooth texture. Definitely an enjoyable tea for this afternoon.

Sil

i WILL catch up to you! i WILL! lol

Dinosara

Haha you are certainly giving it your all!

Sil

283 ish… yay! sad part is, we totally just placed another della terra order and a butiki order, and even though i kept my ordering to a minimum, it’s still new teas. Oh and there are 2-3 swaps that still haven’t shown up at my house hahaha

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85
2816 tasting notes

Thank you to Fong Mong Tea for this sample!

I did a quick rinse of my leaves in warm water, I am so accustomed to doing this now after hanging out in Chinese tea shops where they rinse everything and today I’m infuser mugging it since I’m not at home, but decided to use the entire 6g sample so I could have more of a gong fu experience.

Steep #1: around 45 seconds?? This is already very nice. I’m getting an aroma of buttered popcorn and the tea is quite creamy with some light floral notes. I know some milk oolongs are artifically flavored but I think this is natural.

Steep #2: also around 45 seconds. There are some more floral notes coming up now, I want to say gardenia? Still very buttery, a bit nutty, definitely seems creamy and a bit vegetal. Does remind me a bit of buttered peas or corn.

Steep #3: Slightly more vegetal and less flowery but still a very pleasant cuppa.

I have to admit that Jin Xuans are not my favorite type of oolong, I must have requested this without realizing what it was. Still, it was very enjoyable and a tasty tea. I think I will really appreciate the High Mountain oolong and the Dong Ding.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 45 sec

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70
100 tasting notes

The tightly coiled pellets give off a creamy, sweet milky oolong scent. There were sticks/extra dried stems present, seen previously in their Fruity Sijichun. I don’t care personally, but thought it was worth a mention.

The tea is light apple in color with a faintly sweet, smooth vegetal taste. It has a heavy mouthfeel for an Oolong. At 5 minutes it smells overcooked, but doesn’t taste it. Bonnie is SPOT ON with her White Asparagus note, that’s EXACTLY what this reminds me of. Subsequent steepings became sweeter and more floral. This seemed like excellent quality, but I’m not sure Alishan’s are for me.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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94
172 tasting notes

My samples arrived today from Fong Mong Tea, many thanks to them. After I dealt with the mailman who seems to be a bit suspicious of a seventeen year old repeatedly receiving packages from China and Taiwan, I immediately sliced open the package in the most haphazard and self-endangering way I possibly could. I thought to myself “What’ll it be, a roasty highly-oxidized oolong or a floral and sweet green oolong?”; I concluded that today was a green oolong kind of day.

It was a warm and sunny day, I had just finished my last day of finals and I was now out of school…which in my mind warranted something reminiscent of summer, and to me a green oolong is the best representation of summer in a cup. For one, it’s deep green like the trees and other plant life now thriving in the absence of winter’s oppressive cold. And, of course, the sweet floral goodness that only a green oolong can provide.

This oolong was pretty much what I was expecting as far as its characteristics were concerned. Floral, check. Sweet, check. But it exceeded my expectations as far as just how WELL it actually pulled those things off. As I held the mug up to my face, I was transported to green fields in some vague yet familiar countryside filled with rolling hills and vividly colored flowers. I do love when a tea can fill my head with pleasant imagery. The sweetness was natural and balanced. And my favorite part about this tea, man it was MILKY. It felt very thick as a swished it around in my mouth and I just love that in a tea. You could cut it with a knife.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this oolong experience and I want to say thanks again to Fong Mong for the samples.

gmathis

Happy summer to you!

Scatterbrain

And to you!

CHAroma

Hahaha! I love the bit with the suspicious mailman. Really funny. Your entire tasting note brought a smile to my face. So descriptive! Every Fong Mong Tea note I read makes me want to add that tea to my shopping list.

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89
6768 tasting notes

Oolong after Oolong after Oolong…YES…it appears I had a LOT of Oolong to drink in my NEW-TO-ME Pile! I have made quite the dent in it this week tho! YAY!

This really didn’t have a scent to it before or after infusion.

The tea-on-the-tongue, however, was very creamy, velvety, smooth. Light on the sweetness and light on the buttery notes! This is an extremely relaxing Alishan – and I do love a good Alishan. AhhhhhH!

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