A-Li-Son

It is not everyday you encounter high mountain oolong at your local grocery store, so with that being said I took a tin of this tea home with me.

First I rinsed the rolled leaves twice to start the unfurling process, and then I brewed the leaves western style for about five minutes. The result was a golden colored brew with a pleasant vegetal aroma. This tea gave off a healthy balance of floral and grassy notes, but a big surprise came when I tasted pronounced mineral notes on the back end of sip, the likes of which I have not experienced with other Taiwanese oolongs. I am pleased with this addition to my tea pantry, and will likely be enjoying this tea many times over the coming weeks.

What a steal! Where I live (Ohio), it sometimes difficult to find nice Tea in an actual store but every now and then you get lucky. I picked this up at a local International Market not expecting much out of it as the price was very cheap (100 grams for $7.99). I’ve not had much luck with similar purchases in the past in this price range. Typically, the quality of the tea is poor or the packaging and shelf life has ruined what might have once been something nice. This was definitely a hit with me. It was vacuum sealed in a bag within a quality tin giving it a really fresh burst of aroma when I opened it up. It is a High Mountain rolled Oolong from Taiwan. The dry leaves have a very ripe fruity aroma as opposed to the strong floral essense I’ve experienced with some other similar Oolongs. The taste, to me, was that of cooked apples, honey and a slight bit of fermented skunkiness. The tea is a beautiful golden color. The taste is not as bold as some Taiwanese Oolongs I have tried but it is still very pleasing and I tend to prefer subtle flavors more anyway. It is easy to brew from a perspective of astringency control. I found 1 teaspoon around 190F for 4.5 minutes was my favorite. I’m really satisfied with this tea for the price I paid. Definitely a bargain.