Ben Shan
An Anxi cultivar closely related to Tie Guan Yin and the hardest of the substitutes to distinguish from it. It is cheaper, more vigorous and slightly thinner in the cup, and a great deal of inexpensive Tie Guan Yin is in fact Ben Shan.
Character
Very close to Tie Guan Yin in profile and a step down in thickness and length. Worth knowing about mainly because it is what a great deal of cheap Tie Guan Yin actually is.
- Flavour
- Floral, Creamy, Sweet
- Aroma
- Orchid
- Mouthfeel
- Medium, Smooth
- Complexity
- Moderate
- Notes
- orchid, light cream, green stem
- Aftertaste
- Floral and moderately sweet.
Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Region
- Anxi
- Oxidation
- Lightly oxidised
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Withering → Bruising (shaking) → Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying
Brewing
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
5–7 g/100 ml · 90–95 °C · 6 authored infusions
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 90–95 °C · 2 authored infusions
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.
- Tie Guan Yin
Ben Shan is the hardest Anxi substitute to distinguish, being a close relative of the Tie Guan Yin cultivar. It is thinner and shorter in the finish.
- Jin Xuan
Both soft, creamy and floral rolled oolongs at accessible prices.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Qing Xiang Tie Guan Yin
Shares 6 descriptors with Ben Shan: floral, creamy, sweet, medium, smooth and orchid.
- Alishan oolong
Shares 5 descriptors with Ben Shan: floral, creamy, sweet, smooth and orchid.
- Bai Ji Guan
Shares 5 descriptors with Ben Shan: sweet, floral, creamy, smooth and orchid.
- Ben Shan
Shares 5 descriptors with Ben Shan: floral, sweet, medium, smooth and orchid.
- Cream Earl Grey
Shares 5 descriptors with Ben Shan: floral, creamy, sweet, smooth and medium.
- Dong Pian
Shares 5 descriptors with Ben Shan: floral, sweet, creamy, medium and orchid.