Alishan Milk Oolong

Alishan Milk Oolong is a high mountain oolong grown at an altitude of 1,200m in Alishan. It is crafted from the Jin Xuan cultivar, known for a natural subtle milky aroma, mouthfeel and taste. The soft creamy profile has floral and sweet notes with a clean and fresh aftertaste.

Brewing guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 90°C for 3-5 mins

£3.80£13.00

(10-50g)

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Origin:Chiayi County, Taiwan
Elevation:Alishan, 1,200-1,250m
Cultivar:Jin Xuan 'Golden Daylily' (金萱) TRES #12
Harvest time:May 2023
Sourcing:From the farmer via Taiwanese Tea Master

Description

Our Alishan Milk Oolong (阿里山金萱烏龍茶) is a wonderful and different sort of tea produced from the leaves of the Jin Xuan cultivar, developed in Taiwan in the 1980’s. It is similar to our Award Winning Organic Milk Oolong as it is made from the same cultivar. Yet the growing location gives a different sort of character to this Alishan version. While also exhibiting a milky aroma, mouthfeel and taste that Jin Xuan cultivar is famous for, this flavour is also balanced off by stronger floral and vanilla notes that high mountain oolongs are renowned for. This particular batch from Mr Chen was handpicked and processed in May 2023.

We carry three Milk Oolong teas at Curious Tea from different terroirs of Taiwan. The Award-Winning Organic Milk Oolong is the most popular but the high mountain Gao Shan Jin Xuan Oolong and Alishan Milk Oolong are both beautiful examples of teas from the high mountain terroirs of Taiwan.

Jin Xuan cultivar is also known as the Golden Daylily (Jin Xuan – 金萱) or TRES #12, the number given to it by the Taiwan Research and Extension Station. Jin Xuan cultivar is very popular with farmers since the plants are more hardy and produce a higher yield. From a tea lover’s point of view, Jin Xuan is an attractive aromatic drink with a lovely sweet character. It is particularly popular for the smooth creamy and milky aroma, texture and taste.

As Milk Oolong has become extremely popular, please be aware of imitations. There are plenty of milk oolongs (whether from Jin Xuan cultivar or others) that are flavoured either with milk or vanilla in order to imitate or enhance the natural taste that the leaves of Jin Xuan develop. Any genuine Milk Oolong is always produced from the Jin Xuan cultivar and should not be flavoured or enhanced with additional flavours in any way.

Our Alishan Milk Oolong is sourced with the help of a Taiwanese Tea Master from the Alishan Scenic Area of Taiwan and it is a real and authentic high mountain Milk Oolong. It solely utilises the Jin Xuan cultivar that is grown at an altitude of 1,200-1,250m. The high mountain nature of this tea is immediately evident – the flavours are just that little bit more cleaner and crisper than the lower altitude counterparts. The liquor that is produced is very light and quite brisk. It has a subtle natural milky aroma, mouthfeel and taste. It is very fresh tasting, with sweet notes of wild flowers and vanilla.

It is best brewed at 90°C for 3-5 minutes according to your taste and can be brewed multiple times, increasing steeping time with each next brew if desired.

This Alishan Milk Oolong tea was featured in our January 2021 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.