Batch 131: Award Winning Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
October 25, 2026

Batch 131: Award Winning Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club

Home Eco-Cha Tea Club Batch 131: Award Winning Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Award Winning Tie Guan Yin Oolong Gong Fu Brew

Batch 131 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Award Winning Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea from spring 2026 harvest. We share a batch of Tie Guan Yin Oolong almost every year, as it is represents the local tea making tradition of the Wenshan district in Taipei, Taiwan. It is perhaps the smallest tea producing region on the island of Taiwan, and the local population of tea artisans is dwindling year after year. This is truly a shame, as it is one of our favorite tea types. This well oxidized, heavily roasted Oolong Tea is really soothing and satisfying through the winter season! Click here for the background story on this tea.

Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea from Muzha, Taiwan
The appearance of the dried leaves is the first indication of the traditional processing methods. In contrast to virtually all other rolled Oolong Tea types from Taiwan, these leaves are irregular in shape, and rolled more loosely. This is the result of a more labor intensive method of rolling the leaves in smaller cloth-wrapped balls, and without the use of the hydraulic compacting machines that started being used about 20 years ago. This more traditional technique results in more surface area of the leaves remaining exposed. This is conducive to more uniform results in both roasting and post-production oxidation.

Muzha Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea in a cup

The color of the brewed tea reflects the expertise in curing the leaves. Oolong Tea processing is primarily about uniform depletion of moisture from the leaves. The leaves must be carefully withered, with intermittent shuffling and tumbling to stimulate circulation within the leaves. This is followed by tumble heating, then rolling and drying the next day. A bright, rich golden brew indicates the the leaves were dehydrated properly. If the tea is murky and dark, it indicates that the moisture in the leaves was trapped due to mishandling them during the withering process. The fact that such well oxidized and extensively roasted tea leaves can brew such a luminescent tea is truly and expression of the art of Oolong Tea making!


This batch of tea offers a hearty, robust brew that is a unique profile of nutty, roasted, smoky and fruity notes. There really is a lot to experience in brewing a pot of this tea, and we see this as the expression of the rich tradition and skillful means that have brought it into being. Watch the tasting video for the full scoop!


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