Tea Review: Ali Shan High Mountain Oolong by Teaxplorer July 16 2014

Drew Bednasek, the Teaxplorer, began his love for tea in his early twenties.  Now residing in the UK, Drew keeps an extensive blog where he can discuss his love of tea and show off is photos with tea enthusiasts worldwide.  He has extensive knowledge of tea and is active on Twitter (as the @teaxplorer) with a large following.  Read his full review of our Ali Shan High Mountain Oolong here.

Drew writes:

"Dry leaf:

- The dry leaf is tightly rolled, dark green leaves

- It has a pronounced floral (orchid-like) aroma with a hint of sweetness

Infused tea:

- The infused tea cups out a light green liquor that has a strong floral aroma

- The liquor has an intense flavour. It is sweet, floral and creamy, with a slight hint of astringency, and has a lingering aftertaste that grows in your mouth

Tips/conclusions:

- Prepare this tea gong fu style. I suggest putting three to four grams of tea in your gaiwan and using 90 to 95C water. You will get four to seven great infusions

- While I love Green Terrace Teas’ Shan Lin XI, and I knew it would be difficult to top, this Ali Shan just did it for me. Both are excellent teas, but the Ali Shan has that little something extra which makes me rate it a bit higher. Its flavours are explosive and well balanced with the astringency. It is a tea that I admire for all its complexities

Score:

5/5"