Harvest: Spring 2018 Shape: Rolled semi-balls
Oxidation: Full, > 80% Roast: Light / Oven
High Mountain AliShan is hand-plucked in ShiZhuo, a major tea region of AliShan Mountain, at an elevation of 1500 meters (4921 feet). Unlike most black teas, shaped into semi-ball rolls (characteristic of Taiwan's High Mountain oolong)*.
High Mountain AliShan is delicate. Sweet floral notes are followed by a fruity (ripe plum) acidity and a soft honey lingering. Smooth and full-bodied, it is abundant in amino acids and pectin, as expected from a good high mountain tea. There is little astringency.
Made from the small-leaf Sinensis variety tea plant, it has a flavor profile quite different from the strong, brisk, and malty flavor of most black teas (generally made from big-leaf Assamica variety). Check out my blog post "Big vs. Small-Leaf Tea Plant Varieties" to find out more about their differences.
We recommend drinking the tea straight, without any additives. The taste of this black tea is delicate, additives (sugar, honey, lemon, cream, milk, etc.) may overpower or change the tea's flavor unexpectedly.
* Shaping into semi-ball shape is conducive to tea leaves releasing its flavors slowly over various steeping, allowing you to enjoy the subtle layers of taste presented by the tea.