Our Alishan Jinxuan is a favorite of western consumers. It is classified as a green oolong & has a soft, sweet, creamy bouquet with a light hint of osmanthus flower & anise seed. It has a velvety texture with a cleansing sensation & an equally soft, sweet body with a floral, milky accent. With its slightly sweet aftertaste those wanting something a little bit sweet will be delighted by this tea’s natural creamy flavor profile.
Ingredients: Artisan oolong tea
Origin: Alishan, Taiwan
Our Alishan Jinxuan is a favorite of western consumers. It is classified as a green oolong and has a soft, sweet, creamy bouquet with a light hint of osmanthus flower and anise seed. It has a velvety texture with a cleansing sensation and an equally soft, sweet body with a floral and yes, milky accent. With its slightly sweet aftertaste those wanting something a little bit sweet will be delighted by this tea’s natural creamy flavor profile.
Alishan Jinxuan is a light Oolong cultivar. Developed in the early 1980s by Prof Wu Zhenduo*, it has a sweet floral aroma and natural milky flavor. When it first became available to the tea market this "milky flavor" sparked waves of imitation products all of which involved adding flavoring. Jinxuan may be one of the more popular cultivars in Taiwan, but it takes mastery to harvest and process it properly for that natural and slight “milky” accent and all the other finer tea qualities to shine through. Our Alishan Jinxuan is just that: Non-blended first flush superbly produced to the same balance as Prof Wu Zhenduo had originally intended it to be with the same cleansing, soft taste profile that made it famous in the beginning. Nothing added, purely as we have always like our tea to be.
*Prof Wu Zhenduo (1918 ~ 2000) is known in the Taiwan tea trade as the “Father of Taiwan Tea”. He is well known in the rebuilding of TRES — Tea Research and Extension Station — an important support in driving Taiwan’s tea market. He personally developed this Jinxuan cultivar.
Since this is a very soft tea, it is almost impossible to make a bad cup of it. The consideration is whether to maximise its taste potential. Usually longer infusion time gives a more complete taste profile. Some people go as far as 10 minutes. Our advice is to use a much higher leaf to water ratio, together with slightly more than usual steeping time, whether you are going gongfu or big pot style.
Water Temperature: 200--205 degrees F. (Some people like to use boiling water to render the aroma, but be careful not to scald the tea.)
Water Quality: Best with Spring Water
Amount of Leaf (per 6 fl oz water): 1- 2 rounded tsp. (3-5 grams)
Steep Time: 1st Infusion: 40 seconds
2nd Infusion: 45 seconds
3rd Infusion: 50 seconds
Add 10 seconds for each subsequent infusion
Number of Infusions: Up to 5 depending upon brewing method
Oolong tea is best brewed gongfu style using an earthenware pot or a gaiwan using a high leaf to water ratio. We recommend using 3-5 grams (approximately 1-2 rounded tsp.) per 6 ounces of water. Bring the water to just below the boiling point. Put the tea into a prewarmed pot or gaiwan and pour the water directly over the tea leaves. Steep for approximately 40 seconds. If using a pot with a mesh infuser, remove the leaves and set aside for the second infusion. (Most oolong teas are blanched very briefly and that water is poured off. There are a number of reasons for this, one of which is to rinse off any inpurities. As you will see for yourselves, this tea is very clean and has minimal breakage.) You can use a pot without an infuser, decanting the tea into a serving pitcher or directly into the cups, but do not leave the leaves in the water. We normally encourage our customers to use teapots with large mesh infusers to allow the leaves to fully expand in the water, however the leaves of our Alishan Jinxuan are so large they will end up getting squished together in an infuser such as this. This tea can be infused several times.
