Ma Liu Mi

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Apricot, Clear, Creamy, Dry Grass, Fruity, Mineral, Roasted, Silky, Smooth, Spring Water, Stonefruit, Tart, Thick, Toasty, Floral
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 30 sec 10 oz / 287 ml

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2 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Adagio CommuniTEA – April 4th, 2023 I was wondering if they were going to include any Masters teas in the communiTEA, and lo and behold, here we are! I wasn’t sure if I’d had this type of oolong...” Read full tasting note
    78
  • “This tea had the same fruity smell as the anxi wulong low fire, but way less flavor overall. It looks like this has gotten really good reviews, so it might just be me but I didn’t taste much but a...” Read full tasting note
    60

From Masters Teas

Hou Zi Cai or Ma Liu Mi (Cantonese) is a greener, lightly roasted Monkey Picked variety of oolong from Anxi county, famous for producing Tie Guan Yin. This lovely spring harvest offers a very light cup that is gorgeously intricate in profile with a lingering, pronounced floral note.

About the leaves:
Grown between 500 and 1200 meters above sea level, our 2019 Ma Liu Mi is a lighter roast oolong harvested in May from 10-year-old trees. Its picking standard is one bud and 2 or 3 leaves, which can grow up to 8 cm in length. The leaves are then fired by hand and roasted once.

Origin: Fujian, China
Farmer: Wang Xiang Feng
Elevation: 850m
Infusions: 3

Fresh From Origin
Anxi County is often synonymous with Tie Guan Yin, “Iron Goddess” tea. It is known infamously throughout the world as one of China’s top 10 teas. Ma Liu Mi or ‘Monkey King’ Oolong belongs to the zhengchao style of Tie Guan Yin, with a satisfying brisk and smooth flavor.

As the legend goes, the cliffs where this tea is cultivated are too steep for people to pick the tea leaves, so monkeys were needed to climb the cliffs and pick the tea for the farmers. Alternatively, it is said that farmers must tie a rope around their waist during harvests, allowing them to scale the cliffs and trees much like monkeys.

About Masters Teas View company

Company description not available.

2 Tasting Notes

78
3986 tasting notes

Adagio CommuniTEA – April 4th, 2023

I was wondering if they were going to include any Masters teas in the communiTEA, and lo and behold, here we are! I wasn’t sure if I’d had this type of oolong before, but I think I have as it seems to be the Cantonese name for “monkey picked”.

This is a very mellow oolong. The description mentions florals, but I’m happy that I don’t get a lot of floral notes here. It’s overall very smooth and thick, with a nice creamy texture to it. It has a sparkling mineral note that reminds me of drinking from a stream, and some gentle grassiness. There’s a touch of a toasty note, just enough to make it a bit cozy without overwhelming the flavor. A dried apricot fruitiness comes out in the finish, and lingers pleasantly on the tongue.

Definitely not a very complex tea to my tastebuds, but still very enjoyable. Though I think lovers of greener oolongs might be missing the floral notes here. Personally, I’m happy to be missing them. ;)

Flavors: Apricot, Clear, Creamy, Dry Grass, Fruity, Mineral, Roasted, Silky, Smooth, Spring Water, Stonefruit, Tart, Thick, Toasty

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML

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60
58 tasting notes

This tea had the same fruity smell as the anxi wulong low fire, but way less flavor overall. It looks like this has gotten really good reviews, so it might just be me but I didn’t taste much but a mild fruityness. There’s a floral aroma too but everything is just way too toned down for me. Will try again later with more leaves.

Flavors: Floral, Fruity

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 3 OZ / 100 ML

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