Batch 120 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Aged Oolong Tea from Lugu, Taiwan. Learn more about the background story of this tea in our sourcing blog. We procured these tea leaves in the spring of 2013. Due to a combination of circumstances, these leaves were allowed to age for 12 years, and we decided to celebrate our 10th anniversary of the Eco-Cha Tea Club with this batch of Aged Oolong Tea.

The leaves were harvested from a newly planted plot of Ying Xiang Tai Cha #20, before it was being sold on the market we were told. The young trees were growing healthily and producing premium leaf material. In terms of the leaf chemistry, aging is tantamount to post production oxidation. Even though the leaves have been fully cured and dried, they will continue to slowly transform in their chemical composition with exposure to the air. The transformation that we observed over the last 12 years has been our first direct experience of the aging effect. It has given tangible meaning to the Chinese adage "bitter before sweet" (先苦後甜).

This brew offers a distinctive aromatic and flavor profile that includes toasted grains, tart stonefruit, mineral and molasses notes, and a clean bittersweet finish. It has a refined aspect as a result of the patient aging process, while keeping the leaves relatively dry and preventing any musty qualities to develop. The bright limpid appearance of the tea is testimony to this. It is an elusive composition of flavor notes that is neatly integrated and satisfying. Watch the tasting video below for the full experience and background story!

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