TeaHQ

Alishan oolong

High-mountain oolong from the Alishan range in Chiayi, one of Taiwan’s most recognised gaoshan areas. Cloud cover and cold nights at altitude slow growth and thicken the leaf, producing the creamy body and long cooling finish the category is bought for.

OolongModerate intensityAccessible to appreciateForgiving to brew阿里山烏龍
Brew at 90–95 °CUse 5–7 g per 100 mlFirst steep 25sGongfu brewing (gaiwan)Full schedule and equipment →

Character

Thick, creamy and floral with a cooling finish that carries on well past the swallow — the clearest example of what elevation does.

Flavour
Floral, Creamy, Sweet
Aroma
Orchid, Fresh
Mouthfeel
Full bodied, Silky, Smooth, Complex
Complexity
Layered
Notes
fresh cream, lily, sugarcane, mountain herbs
Aftertaste
Cooling, sweet and unusually long.

Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.

Provenance and production

Origin
Taiwan
Region
Alishan
Cultivar
Qing Xin
Oxidation
Lightly oxidised
Harvest
Winter
Processing
Withering → Bruising (shaking) → Oxidation → Kill-green (fixation) → Cloth-ball rolling → Drying

Brewing

No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.

If you like this

Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.

Editorially linked

Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.

  • Dong Pian

    From the reliable winter harvest to the irregular late one. Lighter, sweeter and only available in mild years.

  • Si Ji Chun

    The clearest lesson in Taiwanese tea: Si Ji Chun’s aroma is cultivar, Alishan’s thickness is elevation, and the two are constantly confused.

  • Li Shan

    Two Taiwanese high-mountain oolongs. Li Shan is higher, thinner and more floral; Alishan is creamier and easier to find.

  • Shan Lin Xi

    Two Nantou and Chiayi high-mountain areas producing similar creamy floral oolong. Elevation and area names are used loosely in the market.

Similar sensory profile

Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.

  • Bai Ji Guan

    Shares 7 descriptors with Alishan oolong: sweet, floral, creamy, silky, smooth, fresh and orchid.

  • Da Yu Ling

    Shares 7 descriptors with Alishan oolong: floral, creamy, sweet, full bodied, silky, orchid and fresh.

  • High mountain oolong

    Shares 7 descriptors with Alishan oolong: floral, creamy, sweet, full bodied, silky, smooth and orchid.

  • Jin Xuan

    Shares 7 descriptors with Alishan oolong: creamy, floral, sweet, silky, smooth, full bodied and orchid.

Compare this tea with another

Written comparisons

Where TeaHQ has set this tea against another in full, rather than deriving the comparison.

  • Li Shan vs Alishan — Two Taiwanese high-mountain areas whose names are similar enough to confuse and whose elevations are not. The names are similar enough that substitution is routine, and the elevations are not similar at all.
  • Taiwanese high mountain elevations compared — Three gaoshan areas at increasing elevation, and the differences are real, small, and heavily exploited by substitution.

Journeys featuring this tea