Ali Shan High Mountain Oolong

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Oolong Tea
Flavors
Butter, Floral, Hay, Honey, Musty, Nutty, Peach, Popcorn, Roasted, Seaweed, Sour, Sweet, Umami, Vegetal, Creamy
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Low
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by green-terrace-teas
Average preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec 6 g 5 oz / 143 ml

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11 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Ugh, this tea was blander than bland. Hot steeped, it tasted like hot water. When cold brewed, it tasted like cold water. Completely and utterly devoid of any flavor…like an empty canvas where...” Read full tasting note
    26
  • “Backlog: Ali Shan! My beloved! My favorite Oolong! And I loved this Ali Shan from Green Terrace Teas. Exceptional quality. Sublime flavor. Early infusions were sweet and lusciously smooth. ...” Read full tasting note
    94
  • “I love a good oolong. This is a good oolong. I’m not supposed to be at home today. I’m supposed to be freezing my tushy off at tailgate right now. Instead, last night while getting dinner ready,...” Read full tasting note
    83
  • “The dry leaf is rolled in small green balls and smells faintly floral and buttery. First steep, 30 seconds, 90C. The steeped leaf is quite floral smelling. Still quite tightly rolled. The liquor is...” Read full tasting note
    93

From Green Terrace Teas

Ali Shan is one of Taiwan’s most famous tea growing areas due to its high elevation and rich soil. The cool and moist climate allows the tea leaves to grow more slowly, developing a higher level of complexity and flavor. Our premium grade Ali Shan High Mountain Tea, or “gao shan cha” in Chinese, is grown at elevations of 1,300 meters (4,265 ft) and above. It has a sweet buttery taste with a creamy body and mild floral undertones. The tea becomes more vegetal after a few steepings, bringing a pleasant variation of tastes among each infusion. Overall, this is an exquisite and savory oolong that can be enjoyed at any time of day.

Chinese Name: 阿里山高山烏龍茶

Origin/ Harvest: Alishan, Chiayi County, Taiwan 台灣嘉義縣阿里山鄉 / Spring 2014

About Green Terrace Teas View company

Company description not available.

11 Tasting Notes

26
676 tasting notes

Ugh, this tea was blander than bland. Hot steeped, it tasted like hot water. When cold brewed, it tasted like cold water. Completely and utterly devoid of any flavor…like an empty canvas where flavor should be.

I’ve had a lot of bad teas in my lifetime but at least they had some discernible taste, be it sour, bitter, ashy, musty, whatever. But this is the first tea ever that had zero flavor or aroma of any kind, good or bad. The very epitome of bland tea.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 45 sec 7 g 5 OZ / 160 ML
Leafhopper

It doesn’t seem like you’re having much luck with this company. Are all these oolongs old?

LuckyMe

@Leafhopper, yeah I’m 0 for 3 so far and already thinking about where to order from next. I suspect these teas are old and/or low quality. A couple of them were definitely stale. It’s weird because they were all vacuum sealed with oxygen absorbers so in theory, should remain fresh for years.

Definitely disappointing as this company has generally positive reviews.

Leafhopper

I looked at their website and their prices seem unusually low ($16 for 50 g of Li Shan?). This would have been great if the teas had been any good.

Since you’re in the States and the shipping isn’t outrageous, I’d recommend Floating Leaves for some good high mountain oolongs. (Sorry if you’ve already bought and reviewed teas from them.) Their shipping to Canada is US$20 with no breaks for large orders, so sadly, I don’t order from them often, but in my opinion they provide some of the best high mountain teas out there.

LuckyMe

I was actually going to order from Floating Leaves last time but they were mostly sold out.

I ordered from them a couple of years ago and agree, Floating Leaves is quality stuff!

Leafhopper

Yes, Floating Leaves does tend to sell out of things quickly—for good reason!

I enjoy reading your reviews of less well-known Taiwanese tea vendors. I’d love to find an international company selling quality high mountain oolongs for bargain prices, though I doubt such a thing exists. TTC does come close!

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94
4843 tasting notes

Backlog:

Ali Shan! My beloved! My favorite Oolong!

And I loved this Ali Shan from Green Terrace Teas. Exceptional quality. Sublime flavor.

Early infusions were sweet and lusciously smooth. Liquid silk mixed with thinned honey. Mmm! I picked up on notes of orchid and honeysuckle.

Later infusions were just as sweet and creamy. Still very silky. The floral notes are less sharp. I tend to prefer the later infusions because of that, the floral notes are less intense and I am able to enjoy those sweet and creamy notes all the more.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/10/05/ali-shan-high-mountain-oolong-tea-from-green-terrace-teas/

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83
518 tasting notes

I love a good oolong. This is a good oolong.

I’m not supposed to be at home today. I’m supposed to be freezing my tushy off at tailgate right now. Instead, last night while getting dinner ready, something tweaked in my back and I’ve been in pain since. Last night, I had to lay down to have any relief. Today, I’m sitting with a heating pad and it’s helping quite a bit, but I’m still hurting. Blah. I do all kinds of stuff that could hurt my back, lifting heavy weights and whatnot. I hurt my back chopping peppers for dinner.

So I’m curled up on the couch with my heating pad, getting some relief. It took a while until I was ready to get up and get some tea. I’m now drinking a nice mug of this one. Western style, because I don’t want to have to move any more than I have to right now.

Smooth, floral, maybe a little bit buttery. Tasty.

Cameron B.

Aww, I hope you feel better soon. Something similar happened to my boyfriend – he tore his calf muscle randomly just walking to his car. The body is weird sometimes…

boychik

back pain sucks! feel better soon and stop lifting heavy weights ( i know you love to)

Cheri

The heavy weight wasn’t my problem this time. Maybe I should stop cooking.

yyz

Hope it dissipates quickly, back pain is awful!

Cheri

I’m doing a lot better now. Still achy, but not in pain.

Ost

Oy. That sucks! Hope you get back to normal soon! Back pain sucks!

boychik

I hate cooking. my kids are picky eaters and im not in a mood to cook different kind of meal.

Cheri

Back is feeling much better today. yay!!!

I love cooking, but I rarely seem to have the time or energy to do it.

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93
894 tasting notes

The dry leaf is rolled in small green balls and smells faintly floral and buttery.

First steep, 30 seconds, 90C. The steeped leaf is quite floral smelling. Still quite tightly rolled. The liquor is pale gold and has a sweet, buttery note. Taste is sweet, like hay and corn, with just a hint of floral at first, which builds through the finish. Very light in flavour and body.

Seconds. 25s, 88C. The steeped leaf is starting to unfurl, and has a more savoury fragrance. Seaweed and cooked greens. The liquor smells floral but there’s also a slightly… musty? note, that reminds me of Chinese grocery stores that sell lots of dried goods and medicinals. On the palate the sweet corn and hay persists, still floral on the finish, but with a subtle sour note.

Third, 30s, 90C. The steeped leaf has that umami, cooked greens smell, and a roasted note. The liquor still has that faint musty smell. Sweet, floral, hay, corn. The finish has a vegetal tang. As it cools the floral notes intensify.

Fourth, 35s, 90C. Oh wow. Oh wow! This steep is a touch nutty and much more floral than the rest and here on the finish are some really intense, mouth-filling honey and nectarine notes. Like just finished eating a fresh nectarine kind of distinct and intense. Nice! Just a hint of astringency on this steep, too, and a bit of a drying sensation.

Fifth, 40s, 90C. By this steep I was starting to get over caffeinated and I ate a muffin which made it a bit harder to pick out the nuances, but there was still honey and nectarine.

I’m probably going to save the leaves and steep them more tomorrow, because there’s life in them yet, and I’m curious to see how the flavour develops from here.

I really enjoyed this tea. I would definitely pick up some more.

Flavors: Butter, Floral, Hay, Honey, Musty, Nutty, Peach, Popcorn, Roasted, Seaweed, Sour, Sweet, Umami, Vegetal

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 tsp 3 OZ / 88 ML
Lion

I would love to try this. I have loved every tea I’ve tried from Green Terrace. I’m really enamored with their Gui Fei. Great review!

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94
268 tasting notes

I’m finally able to dig into my Green Terrace teas, which arrived while I was away (I have awesome neighbors to keep my tea safe for me). I’m very happy I started with this one. Ok, fine, I started with this one as one of three brewed at once because I have become an oolong fiend. I haven’t started selling my possessions to buy oolong yet, but I’m headed that way ;-).
This is my kind of oolong! The tightly rolled green leaves are beautiful and yield a delicate yellow brew. The sip is mainly a wonderful creamy mouthfeel with a somewhat more subtle cream taste until almost the end when it is swept away by a fresh clean finish infused with balmy, graceful florals; which in turn sweeps me right off my oolong-loving feet. The florals are fresh above all else, calling to mind a cool breeze sweeping over a meadow of wildflowers through which a sparkling stream meanders. I’m twitterpated over this oolong!

Flavors: Creamy, Floral, Sweet

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Cameron B.

Ewwwwwww floral… :P

Tealizzy

Twitterpated! :)

mj

More floral oolongs for me then, Cameron ;-)

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694 tasting notes

Thank you, Green Terrace Teas, for a sample!

This is a very light floral green oolong that is slightly sweet. This tea is a nice evening tea, but not one that I see myself drinking often. This was a little on the light side for me.

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294 tasting notes

Lewis and Clarke TTB

Decided to try this, even though I’m not usually into floral notes in a tea.

I did a 10 second rinse, and then 5,10,15,20,35,50 3g ~4oz water.

The first two steeping are sort of weak. A touch of floral and a touch of butter.

Third and forth steepings are also on the weak side. I’m also noticing a slight astringency.

Fifth through seventh steeping are a little stroger but still really light. A but more buttery floral. But also more astringency. Borderline unpleasant.

I’m really surprised by the lack of flavor I’m getting here. Strange.

madametj

Sounds like a temperature issue

Cheri

I got flavor from mine, a nice flavor. I did mine at I wanna say 195 maybe, with 30 seconds as my first infusion??

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1719 tasting notes

Started off today with yesterday’s abundant leaf. Approx 3 g and it filled the water in my crystal teapot. You could not see through the pot. When I poured I noticed the tea is neon yellow. Looks cool. Tastes nicely sweet and mellow floral. If I were to become a regular oolong sipper it would be one like this. I don’t really care for the dark roasted oolongs, except occasionally. The green ones that are overly geranium/latex also only appeal rarely. This one is just lovely with sweet creamy notes and mild floral. Me like.

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84
371 tasting notes

Thank you, Green Terrace Teas, for a sample!

Gongfu method. Two 5 second rinses. Steeping intervals 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, 60.

The dry leaf is wonderful: beautifully rolled, lovely shade of green and brown. Its aroma has a summer air feel in that it’s both floral (lavender, peony, day lilies ) and grassy. The wet leaf aroma is intensely more vegetal, and also creamy and buttery. I could also smell squash.

At the first infusion the leaves have barely unrolled. The liquor has a very pale yellow color. It’s overall feel is medium-bodied and clear, and has sweet corn and floral notes. Second infusion aroma of the wet leaf smells of plum and rhubarb. The liquor itself is full-bodied and flavorful, even more buttery and creamy, and only a little floral. By the third infusion, the leaves have really begun to unfurl. The color of the liquor has turned to neon yellow (against a white porcelain cup). Again, creamy and floral. No more buttery note. I could taste spring, as if I were sitting on my front steps one sunny afternoon and breathing in the early blooming flowers.

The 4th, 5th, and 6th infusions – in which the leaves are totally open – are similar – clear in texture, floral, with a fruity aftertaste. The seventh infusion is still floral, but smooth. I narrowed down the aftertaste to peach. Lastly is eighth infusion, in which the leaves now begin yield a weaker floral note.

This tea sighed “Aaaaah spring!” throughout the session. It’s my first Ali Shan oolong and am delighted at that!

Preparation
4 g 3 OZ / 88 ML

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