Jin Xuan Milk Oolong
金萱茶 (Jīn Xuān Chá)
A cream-soft oolong from the Jin Xuan cultivar, with a milky note that comes from the leaf, not from milk.
Jin Xuan milk oolong is a lightly oxidized, ball-rolled Taiwanese oolong made from Taiwan Tea No. 12, a cultivar known for its soft, creamy, floral cup.
Sensory profile
You should taste
How it unfolds
Where it sits
That is 35 mg in one serving (6 oz cup (180ml)), 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 (180ml) — 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
A number worth knowing
We list about 35 mg for a 6 oz (180 ml) cup, the mug version of this tea made with about 2.5 g of leaf. A gongfu session pours small cups from more leaf, so the figure moves with how much leaf you use, the water temperature and how long you steep.
Smell the dry leaf
Natural Jin Xuan smells grassy and lightly floral with a hint of cream. A smell of condensed milk or vanilla pudding, even when the leaf is cold, points to added flavoring.
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.
Jin Xuan milk oolong is a lightly oxidized, ball-rolled Taiwanese oolong made from Taiwan Tea No. 12, a cultivar known for its soft, creamy, floral cup. There is no dairy in it: the milky note is either a trait of the leaf or, in cheaper lots, an added flavoring. Brewed at 90°C.
Origin & Story
Lift the lid of a pot of good Jin Xuan and the first thing you notice is a smell like warm cream, with white flowers behind it. The obvious question follows at once: is there milk in this? There is not. Milk oolong is the trade name for Jin Xuan, a Taiwanese tea cultivar whose leaf carries a soft, buttery note, and in Taiwan the quality is called naixiang, milk fragrance.
Jin Xuan came out of Taiwan's tea research station. It was bred from a cross of Tainung No. 8 and Yingzhi Hongxin, and farmers first knew it by its experiment number, 2027, as the twenty-seven one. It was released in 1981 as Taiwan Tea No. 12. Its breeder, Wu Zhenduo, is said to have named it Jin Xuan for his grandmother and the sister cultivar Cuiyu for his mother. By the early 2000s it was among the most widely planted cultivars in Taiwan.
Where the milkiness comes from is the thing to know when you buy. Genuine Jin Xuan has a natural creamy fullness that survives many infusions. Some sellers instead spray the finished tea with flavoring, often lactone compounds that smell of condensed milk, and the giveaways are an aroma of vanilla pudding or condensed milk even from the cold dry leaf and a flavor that washes out by the third steep. Real Jin Xuan smells grassy and lightly floral, with only a hint of cream.
Alishan is the classic home of milk oolong. Of the three cultivars grown on the mountain, Qingxin, Jin Xuan and Cuiyu, Qingxin is made in the greatest volume, but Jin Xuan is the one people ask for by its milky name. The leaf is picked by hand above 1,000 meters, rolled into tight balls and only lightly oxidized, so the cup stays soft and green-floral instead of toasted.
Put 5 g of leaf in a 100 ml gaiwan, pour in water at 90°C, rinse once and pour off the first infusion at about 30 seconds; in a mug, 2.5 g in 180 ml at 85°C for two minutes does the job.
Reading the Flavor Profile
| Axis | Score |
|---|---|
| Sweetness | 85/100 |
| Acidity | 20/100 |
| Bitterness | 15/100 |
| Body | 75/100 |
| Aroma | 92/100 |
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 Jin Xuan Milk Oolong?
One serving, 6 oz cup (180ml), contains approximately 35 mg of caffeine.
What temperature should I use for Jin Xuan Milk Oolong?
Target 90°C (194°F).
How long should Jin Xuan Milk 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 Jin Xuan Milk 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.
Is there milk in milk oolong?
No. In genuine milk oolong the creamy, milky note comes from the Jin Xuan cultivar itself, not from dairy. Some producers add artificial flavoring, so look for a tea sold as natural or unflavored, and check that the flavor lasts through several infusions.
How can I tell if milk oolong is flavored?
Smell the dry leaf: a strong smell of condensed milk or vanilla even when it is cold suggests flavoring. Then taste across several infusions. Natural Jin Xuan stays creamy and floral as the leaf opens, while flavored tea is sweet and milky at first and goes thin by the third steep.
Who was Jin Xuan named after?
Jin Xuan means golden daylily. Its breeder at Taiwan's tea research station, Wu Zhenduo, is said to have named it for his grandmother, and its sister cultivar Cuiyu for his mother. Before it had a name, farmers called it the twenty-seven one, after its experiment number, 2027.
Who should avoid Jin Xuan Milk 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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