3 Taiwanese Teas: Beautiful Ball-Shaped Oolongs

What is Taiwan Ball Oolong?

Today we are writing about three oolong teas from Taiwan, which are all made in the rolled ball shape. This is in contrast to strip or twisted-style oolongs, which are also rolled during processing but are finished with the leaves uncurled.

The three Taiwanese ball oolong teas we are discussing are:

• A Li Shan
• Dong Ding
• Four Seasons Spring

A Li Shan, Dong Ding, and Four Seasons Spring are perfect for a comparison because they are similar in many ways, and yet each one has its own unique identity and personality.

It takes 7-10 steps to make these complex teas from the raw leaf, often multiple days of continuous work. Expert oversight and years of experience result in beautiful fragrance and lingering flavor.

Here is a table that shows these teas’ concrete differences at a glance:

A Li Shan Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong

A Li Shan is a lightly fermented and lightly roasted oolong tea. This processing style results in a pale golden-green tea liquid, smooth, creamy flavor, and floral aroma.

Named after A Li Shan Mountain, the prominent tea mountain in Taiwan where it is grown, A Li Shan is the most famous Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong. The 1,300-meter elevation results in hardy leaves with a high concentration of flavor-producing components.

Our A Li Shan is made from Jin Xuan #27 (Golden Lily), a Taiwanese tea cultivar that was developed in Taiwan in 1980. It became hugely popular due to its incredible flowery fragrance and creamy flavor.

There are many lower-quality teas on the market that imitate this style of Taiwanese Jin Xuan oolong. They are called “milk oolongs,” and are often artificially flavored to add a milky or buttery flavor. These low-quality oolongs can never compare to the real thing, like our A Li Shan oolong, which is not milky or buttery but pure, clean, and naturally floral and creamy.

The experience of the tea master in charge is also crucial for a high-quality tea. The farmer and tea master that makes our A Li Shan Oolong has over 30 years experience, and has won two gold medals at the A Li Shan Taiwanese tea-making skill competition. He is a true master, and the results show in our A Li Shan tea.

Dong Ding Premium Taiwanese Oolong

Our Dong Ding Oolong comes from Dong Ding Mountain in Taiwan, at a high altitude of 800 meters. Dong Ding was the very first Taiwanese oolong in history; Dong Ding Mountain is where the first Chinese oolong tea plants were introduced to Taiwan, over 100 years ago.

The name Dong Ding roughly translates to “Icy Mountain Top.” The story goes that the tea farmers, most of whom did not wear shoes, would go to work in the mountain tea garden in the early morning. At high altitude, they felt the cold, icy frost on their toes and gave the mountain its name.

The name Dong Ding does not only refer to the tea region, it is also the name of a specific Taiwanese oolong tea processing method. The Dong Ding method is medium-light, slightly more fermented than that of A Li Shan, at about 25%.

25% fermentation results in a flavor that is still floral, but also slightly malty. Charcoal fires are used to create a special sweet, fruity note.

Four Seasons Spring Taiwanese Oolong

Unlike A Li Shan and Dong Ding, which refer to region and processing method, Four Seasons Spring is the name of a Taiwanese tea plant cultivar. This cultivar produces high quality leaves throughout the year, as if it were always spring–hence the name. It is the newest and most modern of the three oolong tea cultivars.

Our Four Seasons Spring tea is processed using the Dong Ding method, with medium-light fermentation. There are many factors that contribute to a tea’s flavor and fragrance; that is why Four Seasons Spring does not taste the same as our Dong Ding Premium.

The different garden locations and plant cultivars create a unique experience with each tea. For instance, Four Seasons Spring and our A Li Shan are both floral, but Four Seasons Spring does not have the creamy not that A Li Shan has from the Jin Xuan cultivar.

Four Seasons Spring is one of the most popular teas among the younger generation in Taiwan. It is not only used for traditional tea brewing: due to its aroma, like a spring flower blossom, it is famous for making milk tea as well.

We hope you learned some interesting facts about Taiwanese ball-style oolong teas! Which of these three teas is your personal favorite?

Happy sipping!

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