Alishan High Mountain Oolong
阿里山高山茶 (Ālǐshān Gāoshān Chá)
Cloud-grown oolong from Taiwan's Alishan: soft florals, a creamy body and a long, lightly sweet finish.
Alishan high mountain oolong is a lightly oxidized, ball-rolled tea from gardens in Chiayi County, Taiwan, grown above 1,000 meters under afternoon cloud.
Sensory profile
You should taste
How it unfolds
Where it sits
That is 35 mg in one serving (6 oz cup (180 ml)), a concentration of 19.4 mg per 100 ml. The scale above ranks whole servings, and servings differ in size, so a larger drink can sit further right while being weaker cup for cup.
Editorial estimate, not a laboratory measurement
Related gear
| Brewing method | Gaiwan or Mug |
|---|---|
| Brew ratio | 1:20 |
| Leaf & water per infusion | 5g → 100g |
| Grind size | Ball-Rolled |
| Water temperature | 194°F / 90°C |
| Target brew time | 30 seconds for the first infusion, plus 5 seconds each round |
| Serving used for caffeine | 6 oz cup (180 ml) — see the mug or teapot version below |
What you need
- 5 g loose-leaf oolong
- 100 g filtered water at 90°C
Required gear
Step-by-step protocol
- 0:00Warm the gaiwan or pot with hot water and discard it. Add 5 g of leaf and smell the warmed leaf before brewing.
- 0:20Rinse: cover with water at 90°C and pour off immediately. This wakes the leaf; do not drink it.
- 0:40First infusion — pour off after 30 seconds, decanting completely.
- 1:35Second infusion, 35 seconds.
- 2:35Third infusion, 40 seconds. From here add about 5 seconds each round.
- 3:40Keep going until the liquor pales — good leaf gives four to six infusions.
Brewing it in a mug or teapot
The gongfu method above packs a lot of leaf into a small vessel. This version is for a 180 ml cup — the serving the caffeine figure describes.
- Leaf
- 2.5 g
- Water
- 180 ml
- Temperature
- 185°F / 85°C
- Steep
- about 2 minutes
- 0:00Warm the mug or teapot with hot water and pour it away, so the brewing water does not lose heat to cold ceramic.
- 0:15Add 2.5 g of leaf.
- 0:30Pour 180 g of water at 85°C over the leaf, cover, and start the timer.
- 2:30Lift the leaf out or pour the tea off the leaf completely. Leaf left in the cup keeps extracting and turns the last mouthful bitter.
Light oolong turns bitter if it is steeped too long or too hot. The same leaf gives a second and third cup, each about 30 seconds longer.
What it may be good for
The caffeine count
We list about 35 mg for a 6 oz (180 ml) cup made with about 2.5 g of leaf, as in the mug recipe. In a gongfu session the cups are smaller and the leaf is reused, and the figure moves with how much leaf you use, the water temperature and how long you steep.
Spring or late autumn?
Alishan is harvested twice a year. Spring lots are usually described as the more aromatic and late-autumn lots as fuller in body, so buy one of each if you want to taste the difference.
What to watch out for
- Caffeine affects everyone differently. If you are pregnant or nursing, sensitive to caffeine, or have been told to limit it, check with your doctor about how much tea is right for you.
Alishan high mountain oolong is a lightly oxidized, ball-rolled tea from gardens in Chiayi County, Taiwan, grown above 1,000 meters under afternoon cloud. The cup is floral and creamy, with a clean, sweet finish, and the same leaf can be steeped several times. Brewed gongfu style at 90°C.
Origin & Story
Most afternoons the clouds come up the slopes of Alishan and stay until dawn. The tea bushes sit in that cloud, cool and damp, and growers say it is why the leaf grows slowly and turns out sweet, with little bitterness.
Alishan is a mountain district of Chiayi County, in southwest Taiwan, and its tea is grown in four townships: Meishan, Zhuqi, Fanlu and Alishan itself. The gardens run from roughly 1,000 to 1,600 meters, which puts them in gaoshan territory, the high mountain tea that Taiwan defines as grown above 1,000 meters.
High mountain tea is young here. Trial plantings at Meishan began around 1980 under the guidance of the provincial agricultural improvement station, a promotion campaign followed the next year and the first tea competition was held in 1983. Roads into some of the higher districts, such as Shizhuo, were only built from 1983 on. The research station trained growers in field management and in making the tea.
Three cultivars dominate: Qingxin oolong, made in the greatest volume, then Jin Xuan and Cuiyu. The leaf is picked by hand, withered, tossed in bamboo trays to bruise the edges, oxidized lightly, pressed in cloth and rolled into balls, then fired to stop the oxidation. A batch of high mountain tea takes a day and a half or more to make.
In the cup it is floral and creamy, with a sweet finish and little bitterness, and the tight balls open slowly over several infusions. Most gardens give two harvests, one in spring and one in late autumn.
Use 5 g of leaf in a 100 ml gaiwan with water at 90°C, pour off the first infusion at about 30 seconds and add five seconds each round; for a 180 ml mug, 2.5 g at 85°C for two minutes.
Reading the Flavor Profile
| Axis | Score |
|---|---|
| Sweetness | 78/100 |
| Acidity | 22/100 |
| Bitterness | 18/100 |
| Body | 72/100 |
| Aroma | 88/100 |
These values are comparative editorial positions within our own catalog, calibrated so entries can be ranked against each other. They are not laboratory measurements.
How much caffeine is in Alishan High Mountain Oolong?
One serving, 6 oz cup (180 ml), contains approximately 35 mg of caffeine.
What temperature should I use for Alishan High Mountain Oolong?
Target 90°C (194°F).
How long should Alishan High Mountain Oolong be extracted?
Timing: 30 seconds for the first infusion, plus 5 seconds each round. Method: Gaiwan or Mug. Ratio: 5g per 100ml water (gaiwan). Grind or leaf format: Ball-Rolled.
Why does my Alishan High Mountain Oolong taste bitter?
In gongfu, bitterness comes from pours that run too long or from too little leaf for the vessel. Keep the early infusions short, pour the tea off the leaf completely every time, and fill the gaiwan or pot generously; an under-filled vessel tastes thin and tannic rather than gentle.
Where does Alishan tea come from?
Alishan is a mountain district in Chiayi County, in southwest Taiwan. Its tea gardens are in four townships, Meishan, Zhuqi, Fanlu and Alishan, at roughly 1,000 to 1,600 meters. The tea is an oolong: lightly oxidized and rolled into balls.
Is Alishan oolong the same as Jin Xuan?
No. Alishan is a place and Jin Xuan is a cultivar. Alishan oolong is made from several cultivars, mostly Qingxin, and a tea labeled Alishan Jin Xuan is the milky one. A plain Alishan oolong is usually the floral, creamy style of the mountain.
Who should avoid Alishan High Mountain Oolong?
Caffeine affects everyone differently. If you are pregnant or nursing, sensitive to caffeine, or have been told to limit it, check with your doctor about how much tea is right for you. This information is educational and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, managing a cardiac or gastrointestinal condition, or taking prescription medication, discuss caffeine and botanical intake with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes.
What people say
Plain Porcelain Gaiwan, 110 ml
In this recipe: Gaiwan or small clay pot, 100–150 ml
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