Tea type
Matcha Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Ash, Biting, Bitter, Cut Grass, Gardenias, Cream, Dirt, Earth, Floral, Grass, Sugarcane, Bread, Butter
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Daylon R Thomas
Average preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 4 g 8 oz / 236 ml

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3 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I’m so so disappointed with this one. When I heard about this tea in Red Blossom’s teashop, the idea of a matcha made from Lishan oolong material was so exciting to me. They even grind it in house!...” Read full tasting note
    28
  • “I used my last sampler, and I still wasn’t satisfied. I used cold water, mixed it into a paste, put it in a double wall tumbler with hot water, shook it, and poured the drink into a small cup. The...” Read full tasting note

From Red Blossom Tea Company

漢字 梨山烏龍抹茶

origin Lishan, Taiwan

craft qing xiang, ground

flavor notes gardenia, vegetal, sugarcane

Our Lishan Matcha is a fantastic (and entirely unique) alternative to Japanese matcha. Unlike Japanese green tea-based matcha (which is usually grown in low-elevation mass plantations and manually shaded), the high-elevation growing environment of Lishan provides all the requisite factors to create rich flavor naturally.

Peaking at 2200 meters above sea level, Lishan is the third highest mountain amongst the 12 that make up the Lishan Range. The tea garden from which this tea is harvested lies at approximately 2000 meters (6500 feet) above sea level, an elevation that yields temperate weather in the summer and light snow fall in the winter.

At this elevation, the tea plants are exposed to strong sunshine only in the morning before they are quickly enshrouded in mist. This short sun exposure allows the leaves to produce intense flavor compounds, but tempers the bitterness that can result from over-exposure. The cooler temperature also slows the plant’s metabolism, enabling the leaves to retain and store more flavor compounds.

Matcha (抹茶 mǒchá in Chinese, meaning “ground tea”) originated in China during the Song Dynasty (CE 960-1279), and was later introduced to Japan by buddhist monks, eventually becoming the foundation of the Japanese tea ceremony. Inspired by the original Song Dynasty practice of drinking stone-ground mǒchá, our Lishan Matcha combines the rich, vegetal flavors of green matcha with the complexity of Formosa oolong. The ground version of this tea offers the same notes of gardenia, sugarcane, and cream as its whole leaf counterpart, but with increased intensity and an extended finish. We love enjoying this tea whisked in a tea bowl, or as a fun addition to homemade ice cream and baking. Our Lishan Matcha is produced in-house in small batches using an industrial herb grinder, which pulverizes the leaves with a blade spinning at 15000 rpm.

Our Lishan Matcha comes sealed in 50g canisters.

About Red Blossom Tea Company View company

Company description not available.

3 Tasting Notes

28
Not Recommended
114 tasting notes

I’m so so disappointed with this one.

When I heard about this tea in Red Blossom’s teashop, the idea of a matcha made from Lishan oolong material was so exciting to me. They even grind it in house! I kinda wish I had asked more questions like, do you remove the stems to simulate tencha, like matcha? How often is the oolong ground? Maybe it was the marketing that got to me, because this tea powder is a terrible stand in for matcha, as it was advertised.

I was very careful to make this to the package suggestions, making sure that the water temp and ratio was just right. I sifted the powder and was hit with a very strong floral notes, just like you’d think a Taiwanese oolong would have. I slowly added water and then let my whisk do it’s frothy thing. The resulting brew was grainy and bitter as hell, with the strong floral at the forefront making way for the grassiness and bitter bite underneath. I tried my best, but I couldn’t even finish the cup. Now I sort of wish I had made it into a latte, perhaps I could have finished it then…

I think i remember trying some powdered oolongs from The Tea Kings eons back… come to think of it, it was weird then too XD

Flavors: Ash, Biting, Bitter, Cut Grass, Gardenias

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 4 g 8 OZ / 236 ML
5 comments
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Barsomn
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I didn’t know this existed! But I can understand your frustration, when a matcha is bad the concentrated nature of koicha or usucha amplifies all the bad notes making it hard to finish. I’ll stick to my current sources.

ashmanra
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Oh no! After an aroma like you describe, that is truly disappointing.

MiepSteep
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Yeah :/ it was fun to explore a different form of a Lishan oolong, but I think it’s sort of misleading to label it as matcha or even an alternative of matcha. Whole leaf is so much more tasty heh

LuckyMe
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I once had a very floral Chinese matcha from Matcha Outlet that tasted a lot like Taiwanese high mountain oolong. Unfortunately it’s no longer available.

I do like the idea of an Lishan tea powder though. Could just be that this vendor’s execution of it wasn’t so good.

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Not Recommended
1726 tasting notes

I used my last sampler, and I still wasn’t satisfied. I used cold water, mixed it into a paste, put it in a double wall tumbler with hot water, shook it, and poured the drink into a small cup. The tea wasn’t nearly as clumpy and better mixed, but was still grassy and bitter. It had the trademark Lishan creaminess, orchid, plumeria, and even buttery bread complexities, but they were undercut by the bitterness.

I’m not sure if I used too much matcha. I used a single serve sample for 14 oz, which should allow for more diffusion of the powder. Maybe I’m a clutz, but I have not had this kind of issue with regular matcha. I may just have to try this matcha again in the future, but right now, I’m not sure I’d recommend it without some practice. If you do ever decide to get one, make sure your matcha skills are on point or use a filter, maybe a smaller amount? I could just be unrefined because I do not drink matcha as much as I used to. I am still impressed with its complexity and that Red Blossom is doing something original, but the price and bitterness are deal breakers for me personally. I’m also not going to rate it because I do not think I’d be the best judge, unless someone has had the same experience.

Flavors: Bitter, Bread, Butter, Cream, Dirt, Floral, Grass

1 comments
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Leafhopper
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My matcha-making skills are nonexistent, so I’m glad I didn’t decide to get this. It’s a fun concept, though, and I’m sad it didn’t work out as well as intended.

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