Ali Shan

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Oolong Tea
Flavors
Butter, Bitter, Floral, Grass, Honeysuckle, Vegetal, Cut Grass, Mint, Green, Citrus, Honeydew, Lime, Rainforest, Tart, Wet Rocks
Sold in
Loose Leaf, Sachet
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Michael
Average preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 10 g 5 oz / 143 ml

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59 Tasting Notes View all

From Adagio Teas

Ali Shan is an alpine green oolong tea from Taiwan. While relatively new, Ali Shan is one of Taiwan’s most famous tea growing areas, producing beautiful high mountain oolong teas from its misty peaks. Warm sugar and deeply layered floral aromas, with a melting, creamy mouthfeel. Mellow and light-bodied, this hand-crafted Ali Shan oolong is excellent for multiple infusions on a quiet afternoon.

Ingredients: Oolong tea

Steeping Instructions: Steep at 195° for 2-3 minutes.

About Adagio Teas View company

Adagio Teas has become one of the most popular destinations for tea online. Its products are available online at www.adagio.com and in many gourmet and health food stores.

59 Tasting Notes

83
42 tasting notes

Another light oolong to continue my oolong odyssey! Smells pretty mild, slightly of grass but honestly does not hit me in the nose like some teas do. Very light aromas nothing pungent by any means. Some slight notes of pleasant vegetables maybe… Very smooth tasting with a crisp finish after swallowing and just a slight subtle hint of bitter at the back of my tongue. The kind of bitter that is good if you understand my meaning.

Color is pale yellow, I think I am going to steep the next one more and try a little more than the suggested amount of tea to see if it makes things bolder. Having also gotten a sample of Adagio’s Ti Kuan Yin and having drank that earlier today, I think I prefer that to this. However that doesn’t mean this is bad by any means at all.

Further tasting and testing will be needed to see where it will finally fall. Right now it goes on my “buy as a substitute if they are out of Ti Kuan Yin oolong tea list” laughs

Yes I do like this, but I probably should try more tea on this with my next fresh “steeping session” for this tea. Probably later this week…. I also need to log a Ti Kuan Yin session when I get a chance… Until then happy steeping folks!

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 2 min, 15 sec
Muiriddin

Second steeping was better, however I did use less water. I did start noticing much more subtle flavors, more tea or less water may make this bloom to its full potential.

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74
431 tasting notes

I picked up a sample of this one with my last order and although it was satisfactory there really wasn’t anything that stood out for me. It is vegetal and slighty sweet. The tea itself is beautiful and even a little heavy in weight. I am however glad I had the chance to try it.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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89
46 tasting notes

Ali Shan is one of my favorite oolongs, and this one from Adagio doesn’t disappoint. Vegetal, minty, light, buttery, complex, a bit grassy, and a little sweet, the flavors of this tea just keep you guessing. Each infusion brings something a little different out from the leaf. One of the most beautiful things about this tea is comparing the dry leaf to the infused leaf. Because of how tightly it is packed it really goes through quite the transformation as it unfurls. In my cup today there is even a stem with two leaves intact. It just goes to show how much care the growers are putting into this tea.

I have a couple different brewing methods I suggest you try.

For more vegetal, grassy taste: 205º-212º for 5 minutes
For sweet, buttery taste: 185º-190º for 3-5 minutes

As Adagio notes, this tea is good for many infusions. I’ve been able to steep this tea 8-10 times before noticing a decline in complex flavor.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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56
76 tasting notes

I just realized I have quite a bit of this tea (by “quite a bit” I mean probably enough for at least 5 more sessions). And I’ve had it for a little over two years now, still in its little sample tin (remember those? Oh I have so, so many of those cute little Adagio sample tins). So naturally it’s a little stale and lost a bit of flavor, but it’s still very comforting right now.

I remember when I was first really, really getting into tea and wanting to show it off to everyone I knew, this was one of my favorites to demonstrate because the leaves are so tightly packed and then unfurl throughout the steepings into nice clusters of big leaves and stems, sometimes four or five whole leaves attached to one stem. It’s pretty impressive and gets a nice reaction from the onlookers. I love taking the leaves out of the gaiwan once they’re spent, and spreading them out on the tray. One of those teas that’s just a lot of fun to play with. I remember in particular a few people asking, after the demonstration, if they could take one of the leaf clusters home. No idea what they planned on doing with them, but it was a good sign they enjoyed the whole experience.

Ah, it’s been a long time since I’ve done a tea brewing demonstration for other people. Good times.

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80
196 tasting notes

In the canister this had a sublime smell which pretty much carried through 3 infusions, though growing fainter. Infusion 1 was very floral, with a veggie edge, smooth and thick and full. #2 was more vegetal and buttery, more towards squash than green stuff, al though the floral came out more as it cooled. #3 was pretty strightforward floral.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 1 min, 30 sec

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81
141 tasting notes

You definitely get your money’s worth out of this tea as it holds up to multiple infusions.

In the tin, the tea has a strong melon (honeydew and cantaloupe) fragrance. The leaves are tightly rolled and are gravel-like in appearance and they have a very bright green color.

After the first infusion, the tea had not completely unfurled. In taste and smell, the fruit characteristics of the tea hold up. There was, however, a very slight astringency, almost like vinegar, in the first few sips. This diminished over time. The tea leaves a lingering sweetness like a light, floral honey.

On the second pass, the tea had completely unfurled. This resulted in leavings of mainly partial leaves and approximately 25-30% stem material. It’s possible that this was the cause of the very subtle initial bitter spike.

As the number of infusions increased, the fruit profile began to wane. You do reach a point where that bitterness returns and the cups are no longer enjoyable. This was somewhere between the fifth and sixth for me.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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84
110 tasting notes

Oh, my. I was craving this and didn’t even know it. Pale, greeny-gold liquid, a sweet, fresh and vegetal taste, a richly sensual aroma like asparagus cooking in butter, and so very thirst-quenching.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 45 sec

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83
27 tasting notes

It’s about a 823 out of 1000 I suppose. I wish I had a little bit hotter water to brew it. Seems like whatever temp the insta-boil device on the alhambra thing is just slightly under what it needs to be (probly 190) for this tea. I’ll try it again for a full review another day.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 30 sec
Jillian

I heard somewhere that you shouldn’t always use boiling water for oolongs, especially the ‘greener’ ones.

chemakil

That is usually true and I tend to use around 190-200 for oolongs, but this tea is telling me to use a little bit hotter. I did try it with just under boiling water today and my theory was correct. It only needs about a 25 second steep for a smoother flavor with less tannins.

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88
20 tasting notes

I enjoy watching the leaves unfurl as much as I do drinking this oolong.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 15 sec
TeaEqualsBliss

Welcome back to steepster! Haven’t seen you in a while!

Chrisipedia

I know I forgot about it for a bit. I like the new changes.

TeaEqualsBliss

LOTS to see and do now!!!! Hope to see you around more often!

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99
6768 tasting notes

I’m finishing up my sample tin and I’m sad to see it go. I’m going to try and steep this as many times as it allows

LENA

Dude, I hated it! Do you want to swap a sample for a sample? My tin is only minus 2 or 3 cups. Just let me know. I have a post on Adagio’s Tea Chat about wanting to swap it, but I can take it down if you want to swap.

takgoti

Hah, I often am able to realize how much I like a tea by how many times I try to steep it before the end of its life. If I end up drinking hot water, it’s a really good indication.

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