Batch 122 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Qi Lai Shan High Mountain Black Tea from northern Nantou County, Taiwan. For the full background story of this tea, check our sourcing blogpost. This batch of tea is a lovely melding of several aspects of Taiwan specialty tea. It is a high mountain tea from a lesser known region located just south of Li Shan. It is product of cooperative sustainable and innovative methods that just began last year. And it was made using hybrid techniques combining Black Tea and Oolong tea processing methods.

The leaves were rolled into the classic semi-spherical Oolong Tea style, and were post-production baked at relatively low temperatures for about eight hours. The delicate roasting has resulted in a refined, complex aromatic and flavor profile that embodies aspects of both Oolong and Black Tea. The aroma from the steaming leaves in between brews conjures whisky soaked cherries dipped in dark chocolate. The flavor is a tangy sweet malty profile with a hint of smoke that is reminiscent of preserved plums.

The brewed tea has a balanced, substantial mouthfeel and an integrated flavor profile that has been pulled together by the light roasting of the leaves after they were fully cured. The high mountain Qing Xin Oolong tea leaves are represented in the clean, complex character with a lasting finish. It's an exemplary Small Leaf Black Tea. It's sweet, tangy, and malty with notes of cocoa and smoky plums. It brews up a beautifully limpid orange/brown hue that packs a flavorful fruit punch.

Watch the tasting video for the full scoop on this batch of high mountain Black Tea that tell a story about Taiwan's innovative modern tea industry!