http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/index/ en alnedra.mofi@gmail.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-20T09:09:13+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/spring_gaoshan/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/spring_gaoshan/#When:16:30:00Z Low grade 高山  Gaoshan can make me nauseous quite rapidly, as the effort to make lower grade leaves put out that astringent flavour of Gaoshan instead creates an alkaloid tasting tea. If you’ve ever had to drink water that has been purified by bleach, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Today I tasted the spring batch of Gaoshan at the teahouse, which, unsurprisingly, was lighter and greener than the autumn batch from last year. What I found impressive this year was that the tea was particularly clear, and the leaves more robust, with far fewer broken leaves and bits. The astringency that I associate with Gaoshan is not immediately apparent, and if I was told that this was a 金萱 Jin Xuan (also a light wulong from Taiwan), I might have been taken in for a while. Gaoshan, like Tie Guanyin, is a domineering tea, its fragrance and taste unmistakable from the moment you decant the tea leaves to the the first sip. Yet, the master who made this batch has added a great deal of subtlety and layers of an almost milky texture to the leaves, and as the tea infuses my palette, I am momentarily unaware that it is a Gaoshan that I am tasting. The scent from the tea leaves is not as strong as the autumn batch, but carries certain floral undertones and a rich odour, as if saturated with cream. The tea colour too is more subdued, almost a pallour. But this softer, gentler spring tea is more forgiving on the tastebuds and stomach, allowing me to drink several steeps of it without the feeling that my mouth and stomach are being slowly bleached clean - a feeling that at first feels refreshing, but becomes distressing in the long run. Tea, Gao Shan 2008-05-26T16:30:00+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/gao_shan_high_mountain_part_one/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/gao_shan_high_mountain_part_one/#When:07:20:00Z This is a Taiwanese tea, and can be grown in a number of high mountains in Taiwan, such as Alishan 阿里山, Li Shan 梨山 (Pear Mountain) or Yu Shan 玉山 (Jade Mountain). The tea bushes are grown at altitudes higher than 1000 feet above sea level, which makes for very sweet, fragrant and light teas. Even though the tea leaves can come from many different plantations and mountains, there is a very distinctive flavour of Gaoshan which makes it immediately recognizable. There may be a nectar-like fragrance to the tea, and the colour is a pale golden yellow; the dominant taste is reminiscent to me of clear spring water, or the sweetness that suffuses the mouth after drinking ginseng tea. As a wulong tea, Gaoshan can be mistaken for a green, as the leaves are very green, akin to dark jade or fresh olive leaves. It is usually very lightly roasted and fermented, and the tea cleanses one’s palette most pleasantly. Gao shan is good to drink on its own, or after a spicy or oily meal, as it is rich both in taste and fragrance, and able to aid in digestion. Because of its digestive effect though, it is best to only drink this tea on a full stomach, or at least avoid it when one is hungry. Steeped thickly, with lots of leaves and hot water, the rich golden tea helps with indigestion or bloatedness due to too much oily food; steeped lightly, with moderately hot water (just below boiling), it is a good complement for a long read, or conversation among friends. More on this tea, one of my favourites, in future entries. Tea, Gao Shan 2007-12-07T07:20:00+00:00