Ingredients
Tea
- 6to 8 g Alishan gaoshan oolong, rolled into tight balls
Water
- 300 mlwater at 90 to 95°C
- soft water, filtered if your tap water is hard
Equipment
- a gaiwan or a small clay pot, about 150 ml
- a fairness pitcher
- small cups
To serve
- on its own, without milk or sugar
Directions
- Use soft, filtered or spring water rather than hard tap water.
- Heat the water to around ninety to ninety-five degrees, just off the boil. Water that is genuinely boiling scorches the leaf and draws out bitterness that this tea should not have.
- Let a boiled kettle stand for thirty seconds or so before pouring. Use six to eight grams for a small pot of about a hundred and fifty millilitres. A teaspoon in a mug for four minutes gives a quite different and much duller drink.
- Pour hot water over the leaves and immediately pour it away, within a few seconds. It is not about cleaning the tea, whatever is sometimes said.
- Fill the pot and steep for about forty-five seconds to a minute. The first infusion needs slightly longer because the balls have not yet opened.
- Pour it out completely into a pitcher, leaving no water behind. Each following infusion needs only fifteen to thirty seconds, increasing slightly as you go.
- Pour from the pitcher into small cups so everyone gets the same strength. Never add milk or sugar, which would obliterate everything the tea is prized for. Keep the leaf sealed, away from light, heat and any strong smell.
Technique
- Slow growth at altitude gives more theanine and fewer bitter catechins.
- The rolled balls unfurl over successive infusions and give many steepings.
- Gongfu brewing uses a high leaf ratio with very short infusions.
Substitutions
- Any Taiwanese high mountain oolong, such as Lishan or Shan Lin Xi.
- Filtered water if your tap water is hard.
Variations
- Brewed cold overnight, which gives a sweet clean infusion.
- Aged or roasted versions, which are darker and nuttier.
- Lishan, grown higher still.
History
High-mountain plantations spread across Chiayi’s Alishan range from the 1980s, where cloud cover and cold nights thicken the leaf and soften bitterness.
Frequently asked questions
What is Alishan High Mountain Tea?
Alishan High Mountain Tea is a drink from Taiwan: lightly oxidised oolong grown above a thousand metres, creamy and floral. High-mountain plantations spread across Chiayi’s Alishan range from the 1980s, where cloud cover and cold nights thicken the leaf and soften bitterness.
How long does Alishan High Mountain Tea take to make?
Alishan High Mountain Tea takes 5 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes several infusions for 2. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Alishan High Mountain Tea?
Yes, within limits. Any Taiwanese high mountain oolong, such as Lishan or Shan Lin Xi. Filtered water if your tap water is hard.
What is the most important thing to get right in Alishan High Mountain Tea?
Use soft, filtered or spring water rather than hard tap water.
