Hello fellow tea lovers! well i have been drinking tea steadily for about a year now. (thanks very much to adagio for introducing me to high quality teas!) And since i have been drinking so much tea my tastes and brewing methods have changed quite a bit. first off i almost always brew tea with my yixing pot using the the gong fu method now. (though i sometimes use the Tetsubin at work) Yes i know it takes longer but i think the taste is better, and i enjoy the process!
Anyway, my new favorite tea is Alishan oolong. (though i love all high mountain green oolongs) I was wondering if anyone knew of a reliable source to buy good quality Alishan oolong online. It seems the prices range from $50 - $150 for 300 grams (10.6 oz). TenRen has 300 grams for $50 buy i am unsure of the quality. I would be willing to pay the high price if i knew the tea was of high quality and fresh, but since this is all online i am skeptical..... any help you can provide me will be much appreciated!
Alishan Oolong - Reliable online source needed
"Those who desire to give up Freedom in order to gain Security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one." -Ben Franklin
Oct 20th, '06, 23:50
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Hey Libertatis, I believe this is the same as alishan, it is called ali san...a high grown oolong from Taiwan?!?!? I had gotten this in 2004 and it was so nice and aromatic, one of the best green oolongs I ever had...
http://www.harney.com/alisan.html
Harney stands behind their product 100%, which is a plus. I did not get it this year since it arrived a little late (it is an 06 harvest oolong) and I already had stocked up on some pretty good green oolongs that I am quite pleased with and were also quite a bit cheaper. But they have that incredible sweet aroma that I crave in a green oolong.
I know of other sources for ali san/alishan, but I have not had it from these sources...2 I know off the top of my head include specialteas and teahome.
http://www.harney.com/alisan.html
Harney stands behind their product 100%, which is a plus. I did not get it this year since it arrived a little late (it is an 06 harvest oolong) and I already had stocked up on some pretty good green oolongs that I am quite pleased with and were also quite a bit cheaper. But they have that incredible sweet aroma that I crave in a green oolong.
I know of other sources for ali san/alishan, but I have not had it from these sources...2 I know off the top of my head include specialteas and teahome.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
Chip,
Thank you for the information! and yes Alishan often appears as Ali San. I am not sure which one is actually correct, as i have seen it many times spelled both ways. I will take a look at that site you mentioned, and thanks for your personal input! I definitely trust the reviews here on this board more than what the stores like to say about themselves!
And in case anyone is wondering, in starting this thread i was in no way trying to take business away from Adagio, as i think they sell excellent tea! They just don't happen to stock this one particular tea that i am currently craving!
Thank you for the information! and yes Alishan often appears as Ali San. I am not sure which one is actually correct, as i have seen it many times spelled both ways. I will take a look at that site you mentioned, and thanks for your personal input! I definitely trust the reviews here on this board more than what the stores like to say about themselves!
And in case anyone is wondering, in starting this thread i was in no way trying to take business away from Adagio, as i think they sell excellent tea! They just don't happen to stock this one particular tea that i am currently craving!
"Those who desire to give up Freedom in order to gain Security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one." -Ben Franklin
Oct 23rd, '06, 21:51
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Oh no, big sister is watching....Amanda wrote:
...but please trust we are keeping an eye on them...
-Amanda
Libertatus...since I wrote that post I have seen a few other ali san/alishan and other oolongs from ali san, so if you have any problems or need a few others to compare, let me know...
Ali san is awesome...it is poor man's li shan which I have read about and drooled, but there comes a point of diminishing returns and li shan can easily cost twice as much.
chip
Chip,
Yea Ali Shan is fantastic. I have never tried Li Shan. The outrageous price has steered me away, but who knows i might break down and buy a couple ounces one day just to try it.
Yea Ali Shan is fantastic. I have never tried Li Shan. The outrageous price has steered me away, but who knows i might break down and buy a couple ounces one day just to try it.
"Those who desire to give up Freedom in order to gain Security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one." -Ben Franklin
Oct 24th, '06, 16:00
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Libertatis,Libertatis wrote:Chip,
Yea Ali Shan is fantastic. I have never tried Li Shan. The outrageous price has steered me away, but who knows i might break down and buy a couple ounces one day just to try it.
On that day, I will be on a plane bound for Portland....
I actually have 2 sources in Taiwan for Li Shan that are actually not that bad a price. I have never used them before, but it may worth a try...however I do not want to be overstocked in green Taiwan oolongs and have 6 50 gram bags still waiting to be opened. I try not to have too much of it opened at a time in order to preserve that incredible sweet aroma.
Libertatis,
Tao of Tea carries Alishan oolong. It may be a bit pricey, however, at $6 an ounce. I haven't purchased this variety from them before, but other varieties that I have ordered were of good quality. (Naturally, these were varieties that Adagio doesn't carry... so there's no need for punishment or spankings, Amanda.)
Tao of Tea carries Alishan oolong. It may be a bit pricey, however, at $6 an ounce. I haven't purchased this variety from them before, but other varieties that I have ordered were of good quality. (Naturally, these were varieties that Adagio doesn't carry... so there's no need for punishment or spankings, Amanda.)
I was only referring to the recent string of lovely ladies posting as of late looking for "nu frnd to meat at coffee shop to talk please send your email addrss".
Often times I'm tempted to leave them up and start responding to the junk
As an aside, I am looking forward to trying an Ailshan Oolong - and will take the advise of this conversation when figuring out where to purchase it. So I thank you all for helping me as well!
Hugs, kisses, and the occasional flogging,
-Amanda
Often times I'm tempted to leave them up and start responding to the junk
As an aside, I am looking forward to trying an Ailshan Oolong - and will take the advise of this conversation when figuring out where to purchase it. So I thank you all for helping me as well!
Hugs, kisses, and the occasional flogging,
-Amanda
Oct 27th, '06, 13:17
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...Amanda...aka Big Sister and protector of idiots who would send one of those "lovely ladies" their email address,Amanda wrote:I was only referring to the recent string of lovely ladies posting as of late looking for "nu frnd to meat at coffee shop to talk please send your email addrss".
Often times I'm tempted to leave them up and start responding to the junk
As an aside, I am looking forward to trying an Ailshan Oolong - and will take the advise of this conversation when figuring out where to purchase it. So I thank you all for helping me as well!
Hugs, kisses, and the occasional flogging,
-Amanda
Spring Ali Shan is best when fresh so don't wait too long. Plus, many suppliers run out...
It's natural sweet aroma is something every "NorthEast tea babe" should try once.
heatwaves,heatwaves wrote:Libertatis,
Tao of Tea carries Alishan oolong. It may be a bit pricey, however, at $6 an ounce. I haven't purchased this variety from them before, but other varieties that I have ordered were of good quality. (Naturally, these were varieties that Adagio doesn't carry... so there's no need for punishment or spankings, Amanda.)
The Alishan that the Tao of Tea has is a pretty good high mountain oolong (I like many of their Oolongs, such as their Strong Fire & Dong Ding Oolongs). I certainly suggest you try it if you have the chance, or maybe just have a cup gong fu style in the tea house on SE Belmont (probably one of the coolest tea houses I have ever been too, aside from the Virtual TeaChat teahouse we all seem to love
). I have since had another small portion of Alishan given to me by my friend in San Francisco (he has family in Taiwan). I must admit that the Alishan he gave me was quite a bit better (as it was fresher and came in a vacuum sealed pouch). I am excited to see if the Tao of Tea gets a fresh harvest in though, as this would make it a truly good find! I have also tried some of TenRen's Alishan, available for $50 (300 grams, or 10.6 oz). I was skeptical at first, since I didn't think the tea would be that fresh. I was pleasantly surprised though by the sweetness and fragrance of the tea. It is clearly not the freshest or most expensive Alishan I have tried, but for the price it is really quite good.
-Libertatis