Alishan Black 2024 *New*
Story
This is a high mountain "red oolong" from Alishan. That means it is processed like a Taiwanese black tea, but the leaves are tightly ball rolled in the style of high mountain oolong. Plus it has a complexity of notes that reflects high elevation grown tea. The generally floral and citrus bright notes of Alishan come down an octave or two, becoming something more akin to tropical fruit notes. Because of the flamboyant fragrance and sweet broth, this tea gets a lot of compliments from a wide range of tea drinkers.
Description
Rye, caramel. Dried longan fruit. Rich autumnal fireweed honey. Stonefruit, plum? Prune. Raisin.
Full, rich taste. Sweet in the front and full bodied. Leaves a potent lingering sweetness in the throat. Slight tartness stimulates salivation especially at the back sides of the tongue. Lychee. Peach and a little chocolate.
Slippery and full broth. Generally a soft tea rather than a brisk tea, but its pleasant tannic profile gives it just enough grip to make it feel like it has a backbone.
This crop gives more fruit than the previous batch, caramel is more of a helper note than the main note. There’s a lot going on aromatically with this tea, but broth is still full and rich. An above and beyond example of what red oolong can do!
Facts
- Harvest Location : Alishan, Taiwan
- Harvest Date : Winter, 2024
- Cultivar : Qing Xin