After trying some Milk Oolong from Ali Shan Mountain, the Emperor asked tea master Lao Cha:
— Tell me, the Wise One, how were you able to achieve such a gentle scent of gardenias and milk? Such a soft, velvety, and buttery taste?
— This wasn’t hard, oh, Enlightened one. All I had to do was plant the Jin Xuan tea bush on Ali Shan Mountain in Taiwan. But only at a height over 1000 meters. Then cultivate it on the mountain’s rocky slopes, together with the cool air and occasional fog. The roots of the tea bush will have no choice but to suck up all the available moisture and nutrients and send them to the leaves. These tea leaves will, in turn, become oolong tea and gift you their delicate flavor and healthy qualities.
"The Golden Leaf Awards" is one of the most influential tea awards distributed in Australia, where our Ali Shan Milk Oolong Tea won the gold medal in 2017. Indeed, Alishan Milk Oolong is a great representative of Taiwanese High Mountain Tea.
This exceptional tea is cultivated in high-altitude gardens (1,000 meters and above), where it follows the natural rhythm of the mountainous weather, characterized by short sunlight and cold nights, absorbing the vital energy and minerals from the spring water of Ali Mountain. The clouds and mist diffuse the ultraviolet light, reducing the astringency in tea leaves and producing a sweet tea with a mild and gentle taste. In harsh weather conditions, tea bushes grow slowly, accumulating nutrients that turn the tea leaves soft and thick, with a high pectin content.
Ali Shan Milk Oolong's signature fragrance is a mix of gardenia and a natural milky aroma. It comes from the Jin Xuan tea cultivar (aka TRES #12). It came about at the Taiwan Tea Research and Extension Station in the early 1980s as one of the island's self-bred cultivars. Its uniquely smooth, sweet flavor, paired with a traditional refreshing aroma and cool, silky texture, quickly made it one of Taiwanese tea drinkers' favorite oolongs. Proper oxidation, roasting, and overall processing are crucial for achieving its unique taste and scent. A Gongfu-style infusion creates a golden-yellow tea soup with a creamy, buttery flavor and mouthfeel. Rich and mellow taste of fresh milk pairs with delicate osmanthus notes and fills the mouth and nose down to the throat. A gentle aftertaste of milk cookies lingers long after the last sip.
In the West, this type of tea is known as "Milk Oolong". Unfortunately, nowadays, some producers artificially flavor their teas to achieve a strong milk scent. However, the aroma of a genuine Milk Oolong is never overly intense; on the contrary, the milky notes are pleasant, light, and faint. If you choose to brew our Ali Shan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong tea Gong Fu style, you will surely notice that the sweet, creamy notes last throughout multiple infusions – a sign of an authentic, high-quality Oolong Milk tea.
Brewing guidelines:
195℉ / 90℃
1g per 70-100ml
3-5min
1g per 20ml
10sec + 5sec for each subsequent infusion