Lishan Oolong

A free sample from Tea Ave by way of Georgia at Notes on Tea. The dry leaf is a lovely dark green with some stems rolled in, with a sweet floral aroma.

I used 5g (half the sample) in my 100ml gaiwan. One rinse, then 30 sec. at 190 degrees. The first steep was light in body and flavor, reminding me of flowers along with baked goods, but there was a strong aftertaste of sweet grass, like those weeds we used to suck and chew on as kids!

I increased the water temp. to boiling and time to 1 min., then 15 sec. longer for each steep after that. Longer steeping brought out butter, more grass flavor and a cinnamon aroma lingering in the cup. Normally I don’t like grassy teas, but this grass is bursting with freshness and very agreeable! And the mouthfeel remains surprisingly light in spite of all the creamy, buttery sensations. The flavors were stronger after cooling a bit.

This tea lasted about 6 good steeps before tapering off. I don’t have much experience with Taiwanese high mountain oolongs, but I found it interesting and delicious! Excited to try my other samples!

A HUGE thank you to Tea Ave for the super generous sample package. Whoa did I not expect all of these goodies, including another entire set to hand over to someone else. Really unbelievably generous. (I decided my extra set would be sent over to TheLastDodo since she was extremely generous with her tea sale! I guess I must have been thinking that the generosity of TheLastDodo matched the generosity of Tea Ave. :D ) I’m not sure why Tea Ave wouldn’t just sent a sample of each of their teas to everyone, instead of the sets, as the original point was to get their teas out into the world. They would have actually saved money sending a sample of each tea to everyone instead of the sets! I don’t know, that’s just my thinking anyway. On to the first sample!

The dark green bundles have a fragrance like milk oolong: sweet, milky, with a hint of floral. The flavor is surprisingly light… also a lot like a milk oolong, milky, creamy, a little vegetal and floral. The flavor expands as the liquid cools. The second steep is nuttier, a little more vegetal, somewhat savory rather than sweet, while not getting to that really salty or brothy state. The third steep is tasty as well, getting fruitier, maybe pineapple —just an all around great oolong… the leaves could keep going for wonderful flavored steeps. The steeped dark green leaves fill up that infuser basket!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons // 12 ounce mug // rinse // 7 minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // 5 minutes after boiling // 2 minute
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min

Tea provided by Tea Ave for review

Trying the second of three samples provided by Tea Ave today. Using half the sample to try their suggested steeping method (see my steep time notes at the bottom), and saving the other half for experimenting.

Comparing the aroma cup and first steep, there is a a buttery, floral scent with a bit of cinnamon. The tea liquor tastes very delicate and has subtle flavours. I tasted the expected light oolong base, floral, buttery and vegetal characteristics. There was also a delightful zesty peach flavour there as well.

Steeping through the other five cups, the intensity of the tea remained consistent. It peaked on the fourth and fifth cups, but it didn’t taste too bland or light on the cups leading up to it or on the last cup. The zesty peach flavour was present in all the steepings, and it lingered on in the aftertaste with the delicate oolong tea base. One thing I noticed is that each steeping was very smooth, so there was no bitterness, off putting aroma, or over-roasted flavour.

Overall I enjoyed Li Shan oolong tea. It met my expectations; it is a sold resteeper, a good representative of it’s type, and didn’t bring any off putting aromas to the table.
I’d recommend this tea to those that prefer delicate, subtle oolongs. It is a very satisfying tea when I slow down and give my attention and focus to each steeping, taking in the delicate flavours. For someone that prefers bold teas, this just wouldn’t meet your expectations.

Steeped as suggested on package: 1m, 1m20s, 1m40s, 2m, 2m30s, 3m