Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Taiwan Ali Shan Oolong is a typical kind of Taiwan High Mountain Tea. This tea is from Ali Mountain, which is the birthland of High Mountain Tea.
The tea garden where Taiwan Ali Shan Oolong Tea grows locates at the altitude between 800 meters to 1400 meters. On the high mountain, climate is cold and cloudy. Sunshine time is short, as a result, the astringent substance in the tea leaves is reduced, thus the tea becomes sweeter. In the mean time, temperature in daytime and in night is distinctive, which make the tea tree grows slowly. Therefore, the leaf is soft and thick with high content of pectin substance. This is the unique feature of Ali Shan Oolong Tea as being a type of Taiwan High Mountain Tea. What’s more, the tea trees are irrigated with spring water on Ali Mountain, making the tea carries a sweet flavor of spring water.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yay! Ali Shan! I love Ali Shan tea!
Yeah, I know you’ve heard that before from me.
But I get very excited when I get to an Ali Shan Oolong in my stash of teas. And this Superfine Taiwan Ali Shan Oolong Tea from Teavivre is certainly worth the excitement! It’s so good!
I brewed this the same way I’d typically brew an Oolong tea – in my gaiwan – but with one significant difference. Instead of combining the first two infusions in my first cup, and the next two infusions in the second cup, and so on, I combine the first six infusions into my special “Ali Shan” Yixing mug, and then, infusions seven through ten are combined in my mug for my second cup. Because of this, I’m unable to really delve into the individual infusions as much as I would do with other Oolong teas.
My first cup was creamy and sweet and floral, with hints of vegetation and distant notes of fruit. The floral tones were much more up front and mingled with the creamy notes that were a bit more like milk than butter or heavy cream. I like the way the smooth feeling glides over the palate. The sweet creamy notes linger into the aftertaste. This creaminess is a light creamy texture, thugh, and it never feels overwhelming … I never feel like my tongue is being weighed down by the creaminess of this tea.
The description of this tea from Teavivre suggests notes of gardenia and I’m getting that. It’s a beautifully fragrant tea – a lot of fun to steep! Not just to watch the tightly wound pellets of deep, forest green leaves unfurl in the hot water, but to experience the beautiful aroma.
My second cup was not as creamy as the first, but there was still plenty of flavor in this cup – and this is infusions seven, eight, nine and ten! I would have thought that these leaves would have been exhausted of their flavor, but, they delivered ten very flavorful infusions! Bravo!
The second cup was still floral, and as I said, not quite as creamy. I noticed more of the fruit and vegetative notes in this cup. It is still a pleasantly smooth and creamy experience … and certainly worth the effort to brew these extra infusions!
A truly magnificient Ali Shan! What else can I say but: Teavivre delivers a top notch tea yet again!
Anxi Superfine Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” Oolong Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
When mentioned Anxi County, people will spontaneously think of Anxi Tie Guan Yin, “Iron Goddess”. It is well-known both inland and abroad. This Tie Guan Yin is close to forest green in color, has a pure aroma. Meanwhile the liquid of this Oolong tea is transparent and bright, which truly is a feast to the eyes. In taste, this Tie Guan Yin has sweet flavor, long-last fragrance and comfortable sweet aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Teavivre is one of those companies that continually impress me with the finest quality teas. This Anxi Superfine Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” Oolong Tea from Teavivre is a perfect example of what I mean.
This tea smells amazing. The dry leaf has a floral and vegetative aroma, and once brewed, the liquid becomes less vegetal and more floral. It’s really very fragrant, and it’s a joy to inhale the fragrance deeply before sipping.
I brewed this tea the same way I would normally approach an Oolong. Using my gaiwan, I first did a quick “awakening” of the tea leaves, allowing them to steep in the hot water for 15 seconds, and then draining off the liquid. Then I steeped the first infusion for 45 seconds, and with each infusion that followed, I added an additional 15 seconds. I combine the first and second infusions to make my first cup, and the third and fourth infusions to make the second cup … and so on.
The first cup is light and crisp. My experience with Tie Guan Yin is to expect a buttery quality, but usually the first cup is lighter in texture and flavor than the subsequent cups. The flavor is sweet and floral, with delicate notes of honey. It’s a nice way to start off with this lovely tea!
Usually, my second cup is my favorite, and that is true with this tea experience as well. The flavor and texture is creamier, but it isn’t a heavy, buttery taste. More like a light touch of butter – imagine steamed, mild tasting green veggies that have been lightly buttered. That is much of what I taste right now … together with a lovely floral tone that is somewhere between honeysuckle and orchid, leaning more toward the orchid than the honeysuckle. Notes of honey-esque sweetness please the taste buds.
The third cup becomes a more unified flavor, where there is less sharpness between the contrasting flavors. The creaminess is more subdued, and the floral tones are lighter, but the cup is still very rewarding. It’s definitely worth the effort to keep on steeping with this tea!
Overall, I found this tea to be a bit more mellow than some of the sharper Tie Guan Yin teas that I’ve tasted. It’s a more refined taste, and I really enjoyed it. As I type this, I see that this tea is currently out of stock … I hope that Teavivre restocks it soon, because it is definitely one you should put on the “gotta try it” list!
Organic Superfine Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess) Oolong Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Tie Guan Yin tea is a type of Oolong tea, and is – deservedly – one of the most revered and sought after type tea in China. Sometimes also written as Ti Kuan Yin or Iron Goddess Oolong Tea. With a delightfully fresh floral taste. It is well-known both inland and abroad. You will certainly be surprised with the distinct orchid fragrance of this Organic Superfine Tie Guan Yin. Meanwhile the liquid of this Oolong tea is transparent and bright, which truly is a feast to the eyes. In taste, this Organic Tie Guan Yin has sweet flavor, long-last fragrance and comfortable sweet aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Superfine Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea from Teavivre (also known as Iron Goddess), is lovely – really lovely indeed. Sweet, crisp in flavor, with delightful floral overtones.
The dry leaves look very much like other Tie Guan Yin teas I’ve encountered – the leaves have been tightly wound into pellets. These pellets seem smaller than a typical Tie Guan Yin, and the color is a very vivid, dark forest green. Beautiful! The aroma is vegetative, reminding me of springtime when the air is filled with the scent of new, green growth and notes of flower.
Ordinarily, I combine the first two infusions for my first cup, but today, I wanted to try the first infusion on its own. So, after a quick fifteen second rinse, I infused the leaves for 45 seconds and enjoyed the tea. My first infusion was quite light in flavor. Sweet, with delicate floral tones and a hint of creaminess to the taste and texture.
The second cup – the combination of the second and third infusions – is much creamier, sweeter and has a heady floral essence that says “orchid!” I can taste a vanilla-esque note to this. There isn’t a strong vegetative taste to this cup, but I do notice some vegetation off in the background. Beautifully sweet, this cup!
The third cup – which is the combination of the fourth and fifth infusions – is a bit lighter in texture than the second, but not quite as crisp as the first. There is a certain brightness to this cup, I can almost taste a hint of citrus to this. Not quite a “fruit-like” flavor, but the acidic nature of the citrus is what I notice, and this offers a nice contrast to the sweet, floral tones. Still quite sweet, the flavors are beginning to meld here, becoming more unified and less distinct.
This is really a lovely Tie Guan Yin … if you’ve only room on your tea shelf for one Tie Guan Yin, this should definitely be one that you consider for that coveted spot! This one is top-notch!
Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
This Organic Dragon Well Long Jing tea origins in organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain, has passed the organic certification of European, USA and Japan, is a significant base of planting organic dragon well and green tea. This dragon well long jing tea persists a high level in picking and producing while meeting the standard of organic certification. The tea should be picked as one bud and two leaves or three leaves in order to reach the standard. Tea workers also have excellent skills, which help keep the natural features of fresh tea leaves. Combined with the advantages of organic tea and high grade tea, this dragon well long jing tea is suitable for tea lovers of organic tea as well as dragon well green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh how I love Teavivre! Why? Because they never fail to impress me with their high quality teas. This Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea is absolutely stunning!
It tastes so deliciously sweet, smooth, and there isn’t even the slightest hint of bitterness. It is sweet from start to finish. It is vaguely reminiscent of tender, freshly roasted chestnuts. The buttery smooth, sweet flavor of chestnut! YUM! There are also notes of savory vegetation in there too … not really grassy, or even like steamed veggies … but just that subtle touch of “green” to it. This is the way a Dragon Well should taste!
I love the freshness of this Dragon Well and this is typical of all the teas that Teavivre offers – their teas are just so very fresh and delicious. (Except for their pu-erhs which are aged and delicious.) I also love that this particular selection is an organic offering. Without having compared a conventionally grown Dragon Well versus an organically grown Dragon Well, I can’t say that there is a difference in taste between the two. But, I know that I feel better knowing that this tea is organic.
This tea is delicious served hot, but, it’s also quite nice when chilled – which is how I’m drinking it now. I had brewed a teapot of the tea this afternoon, and drank one cup of it hot, and then refrigerated the rest of it, and am able to enjoy a frosty glass of tasty iced tea. While I do prefer MOST teas served hot versus iced … since the warm weather is upon us now, it’s nice to be able to enjoy this one iced. It’s very refreshing!
Organic Superfine Moderately Roasted Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” Oolong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
This Organic Superfine Moderately Roasted Tie Guan Yin has a little of coffee’s flavor, which is suitable for who loves teas with coffee taste. You will sense a familiar fragrance of coffee for first sip, and after swallowing the liquid, a sweet aftertaste will quickly upwelling to your throat. As it is 85% fermented, this Tie Guan Yin will not become bitter even for a long time infusion. Dry tea leaves are brown and curly, has a smell of charcoal fire. The liquid is in golden yellow color, which truly feasts to the eyes.
Organic Roasted Oolong with Coffee Aroma
Organically produced near Zhangzhou(漳州) in Fujian, China.
Harvest Time: September, 2012
Hand made into small, rolled up leaves
Roasted, 85% fermented
Golden Yellow color, bright and clean liquid
Sweet and soft taste with coffee fragrance for first sip, long-last flavor, sweet aftertaste around throat
Low caffeine (less than 10% of a cup of coffee)
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of Organic Superfine Moderately Roasted Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” Oolong Tea is milky and creamy, which is surprising since I was really anticipating a deeper roasted aroma. Regardless, I love a milky tea so if it tasted milky I would be fine with that. I decided to go ahead and let it steep for a couple more minutes since Iron Goddess does not get bitter with longer steeps. This seems to be the way to go because after two more minutes after an initial 2 minutes it became stronger, bolder, with a coffee like aroma and that roasted aroma I was expecting. I will later hate to try it with a shorter steep though as I am sure that milky aroma had something to it!
Finally, the first sip was delicious! I did initially get a little creaminess but the smokiness and roasted flavor took over. The tea is a bit sweeter than I had expected having it compared in the description to a coffee like flavor but I rather like it. It is robust, not as robust as some black teas but robust for an oolong.
While I really can see how this would be a great tea to serve to a coffee drinker I don’t want the tea drinkers out there who do not care for coffee to be afraid to give it a try. The quality of this tea is astounding, as are all of Teavivre’s teas and realistically nothing taste like coffee but coffee itself. This is clearly an excellent Iron Goddess, deep, roasty, and toasty, and the creamy texture of this tea on the mouth is really special.
Also this is a tea that keeps on giving. Even with my long five minute steep the first time around I can continue to keep on steepin! Following steeps have some interesting notes highlighted that bring about the thoughts of a green tea, such as green bean for example, but more like veggies that are fire roasted! So good! I love having this Iron Goddess with some milk chocolate, it really taste like s’mores between the creamy note in the tea and the smokiness with the toasty note, and of course the chocolate!
This tea has some serious NOM factor!
