Batch 110 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Qi Lai Shan High Mountain Tea from winter 2024 harvest. In short, this batch of tea embodies what has made Taiwan's High Mountain Tea world famous. It brews a substantial, balanced, complex, aromatic cup of tea that leaves an impression with each sip. Flowery, savory, creamy, and pastry notes all integrate into an extremely satisfying flavor profile. Check our sourcing blogpost to learn about the origin of this batch of tea.

The appearance of the dried leaves offers a preview of the substantial winter growth. Thicker stems and leaves result in a bulkier appearance in the leaf material. The coloration of both the leaves and stems is uniform, showing that the leaves were harvested in their prime — approaching maturity, but still tender and pert. The time and care put into the rolling and drying of the leaves is recognized by the stems protruding from the rolled leaf (not wrapped within), and the less compressed and tightly rolled shape of the leaves indicates less compacting and more rolling. This is a more labor intensive and time consuming method that maintains the integrity in the leaves.

The clear, viscous, shiny appearance of the tea reflect the substance that exudes from the leaves when they are brewed. The constituents in the fresh leaves were preserved in the curing process. Sufficient yet delicate oxidation has maintained the fresh quality while balancing out the bitter/astringent qualities with enough floral sweetness.

Watch the tasting video for the full low down on this batch of tea that we chose especially to start off 2025 with a fresh, distinguished batch of Taiwan High Mountain Oolong!