Source of batch 114 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club, a tea field in the Shan Lin Xi region of Taiwan.
May 22, 2025

Batch 114 Light Roast Shan Lin Xi Oolong Tea | Eco-Cha Tea Club

Batch 114 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Light Roast Shan Lin Xi Oolong Tea made from the produce of fall 2024 harvest. This month's edition is basically version two of batch 100, which was produced from fall 2023 harvest. Beyond the harvest, it differs from version one in the extent of roasting. We requested that Lisa do a triple roast this year in order to make the roasted quality more evident. Batch 100 was a single roast. Click here for more about how this tea brews.

We started our exploration of tea culture here, in the home of Tony and Lisa Lin, when we first visited in 1993. We stayed in their home and watched them process their winter harvest. We never stopped coming back. They, and their children, and their grandchildren, are now our Taiwan family. 

This is the second year that Lisa has sourced a full day's harvest from their friend, who was Tony's coworker at the Lugu Farmers' Association before Tony retired. We have known Tony's coworker, Mr. Zhang for decades as well, and the reconnection with him and his family through tea has been meaningful.

Here we are in the factory during their winter 2024 harvest, partially as a result of sourcing batch 100. We've all aged significantly of course, but when you meet up with friends you know from 30 years ago, it's like yesterday. But now Mr. Zhang is a grandpa, and his sons run the family business — under his guidance, of course! Below is Mr. Zhang's son, who we mostly remember as a very lively young boy...

Tony and Lisa are our primary tea mentors. They not only welcomed us into their home, but they opened the doors for us to explore Taiwan's tea culture, and introduced us to so many professionals in the industry. Now, we find ourselves having in-depth chats with the children of those professionals. It's an honor to be a part of their lives and their culture. Here's a distant view of the farm from where these leaves came:

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