Tag: Golden Leaf Tea

Ali Mountain Oolong by Golden Tea Leaf
Oolong Tea / Straight
$13.50 for 50g

Golden Tea Leaf has provided me with Ali Mountain Oolong for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

Ali Mountain Oolong came to me from Golden Tea Leaf in sample packaging. For those curious, ‘shan’ is Chinese word for mountain (hence – Alishan or Ali Shan is Ali Mountain). This oolong tea was the first place winner at the 2015 North American Tea Championship, so I’m quite excited about trying it!  The sample packet is not resealable, I would say it contained enough oolong for perhaps three steeping sessions.

Ali Mountain Oolong came to me from Golden Tea Leaf in sample packaging. For those curious, ‘shan’ is Chinese word for mountain (hence – Alishan or Ali Shan is Ali Mountain). This oolong tea was the first place winner at the 2015 North American Tea Championship, so I’m quite excited about trying it!  The sample packet is not resealable, I would say it contained enough oolong for perhaps three steeping sessions.

Preparation

There were no steeping instructions noted on the sample packet, but Golden Tea Leaf does have an instructional page on their website. They recommend steeping in 95°C (203°F) water for 2 minutes (initial steep), followed by 2-5 minutes for each subsequent steep. My initial steep of Ali Mountain Oolong was at 90°C (195°F) for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Ali Mountain Oolong steeps to a very pale yellow for the initial steep. I found that the aroma of this oolong was quite floral. The flavour of the tea itself is sweet, floral, with a bit of a sweet nutty finish at the end of each sip. I found that the tea was smooth, with no bitterness to note. The oolong has a great mouthfeel to it, that’s almost creamy in texture. I eagerly finished off the first infusion of this tea to try it again (and again, and again).

A Second Cup?

I added an extra 30 seconds per subsequent steep as I resteeped the same leaves. In total, I did seven resteeps of Ali Mountain Oolong (a total of eight steeps with the same leaves). I found that the tea got darker and darker, more of a golden yellow – which hit its peak in colour by steep four of the same leaves. The flavour got stronger as the colour became darker. After the fourth steep, I found that the flavour (and colour) began to get weaker, but it was still quite flavourful and enjoyable, even by the eighth steep.

I poured off some of the tea into a mason jar, which got tucked into my fridge after it cooled to room temperature. I’m happy to also say that this oolong does quite well as an iced tea.

My Overall Impression

I loved Golden Tea Leaf’s Ali Mountain Oolong. This oolong was a delight to try and to steep repeatedly. The price is quite reasonable for the quality of tea that you get with this Ali Mountain Oolong – the flavour is delicious and the tea leaves can be resteeped over and over again until you completely exhaust the leaves out of flavour. You get a lot of value out of these leaves with the multiple steeps that you can have, which means it is ideal to have over the course of a day.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional by Golden Tea Leaf
Oolong Tea / Straight
$21.99 for 100g

Golden Tea Leaf has provided me with Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I got a small sample packet of Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional roast from Golden Tea Leaf. There isn’t really anything remarkable about the packaging. I love a good oolong, so I was really looking forward to trying this one from Golden Tea Leaf! The dry leaf is mostly a dark brown with some golden parts to the leaf. There’s an overall nutty aroma with mild vegetal notes. Generally, I find that it reminds me of chestnuts.

The leaves are rolled tightly. Like with most of my rolled teas, I don’t use a full spoonful because I know that the leaves will expand a lot when I’m steeping the tea.

Preparation

Golden Tea Leaf recommends steeping Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional at 95°C (203°F) for 2 minutes (initial steep), 2-5 minutes (for all subsequent steeps). My initial steep was for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Dung Ting Oolong steeps to a beautiful golden yellow in a short period of time. There’s a nutty aroma to this tea, with a slight sweetness in the background. When I sip this tea, I note sweet plum flavours as well as some earthy mushroom flavours. I really like the differing flavors, it adds a level of complexity to this tea that’s a pleasure to drink.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Dung Ting Oolong a total of four times, adding an extra 30 second per subsequent steep. I found that the oolong became a darker golden yellow with each steep. The plum flavours become stronger while the earthy flavours start to subside by the second resteep. There’s a mild astringency at the end of each sip that I didn’t find in the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Golden Tea Leaf’s Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional. I found this oolong to be quite enjoyable in it’s initial steep. The plum flavour is delicious, and I really enjoyed the earthiness of the mushroom flavours. For me, the initial steep was more enjoyable than the other steeps of the same leaves because of that astringency I noted with the subsequent steeps.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.