Compare two teas
Side by side across seven dimensions. There is no verdict and no winner — the purpose is to understand the difference, not to be told which to buy.
Why these two get confused
Released together by Taiwan’s tea research station as a deliberate pair. Jin Xuan is creamy, Cui Yu sharply floral, and both are sold simply as Taiwanese oolong.
Point by point
| Dimension | Jin Xuan | Cui Yu |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Oolong · lightly oxidised | Oolong · lightly oxidised |
| Production | In order: Withering → Bruising (shaking) → Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying. bud and three plus and spring harvest. | In order: Withering → Bruising (shaking) → Oxidation → Kill-green (fixation) → Cloth-ball rolling → Drying. spring harvest. |
| Origin | Taiwan — Alishan | Taiwan — Nantou |
| Flavour | creamy, floral and sweet. silky, smooth and full bodied in the mouth. Aroma: cream, butter, gardenia, sweet corn. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity. | floral, grassy and sweet. medium and silky in the mouth. Aroma: gardenia, fresh herb, green melon. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity. |
| Brewing | Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 5–7 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 25s of 5 authored. Cold brew tea: 1–2 g/100 ml at 4–10 °C, first steep 21600s. Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 180s of 2 authored. | Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 5–7 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 25s of 6 authored. Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 180s of 2 authored. |
| Cultural context | A strong, obvious dairy or condensed-milk aroma in the dry leaf indicates added flavouring rather than cultivar character. Unflavoured Jin Xuan is subtly creamy and can be mistaken for an ordinary high-mountain oolong; flavoured versions are unmistakable and are not the same product. | Not recorded for this tea. |
| Who may prefer it | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew. | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew. |
Nothing above is a recommendation. The last row describes the drinker each tea suits, using each tea’s own authored fields and the same sentence structure for both, so neither can be framed as the safe choice.