Batch 104 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a competition grade Wenshan Baozhong, spring 2024 harvest. Our source prepared this tea for competition, and then decided to enter other batches instead that offered a more delicate profile that he determined to be closer to the competition quality standard. We have learned over the years that we clearly are more inclined to choose the batches with a more substantial, full-bodied profile. The competition standard is oriented toward subtle, pure qualities. Both have their attributes, and the differences among daily batches of tea from the same source are really only evident when tasting them side by side. Our in-store batch is a bolder profile, while this competition grade batch is a more fragrant and cleaner profile.

Shown above is the Top Category Award that our source achieved in the 2021 spring competition. He has achieved this award twice over the last several years. He received three awards ranking among the top 8% of all entries in this year's spring competition, and five lower ranking awards. Our friend is a solid representative of his local tradition and his skills have been proven. A few years ago, he participated in a national tea making competition where the level of oxidation in the leaves was judged. He won national champion prize!

We are most inspired to share this batch of tea in order to allow our tea club members to experience the local competition quality standards for this type of tea. Wenshan Baozhong has deep historical roots in Taiwan's tea culture, and warrants recognition as a traditional Taiwanese tea. The distinguishing quality of Wenshan Baozhong is in its bold aromatic bouquet combined with a substantial, fresh herbal palate that is truly unique. As we can see in the photo above, Baozhong Tea is only gently twisted, rather than tightly rolled. This maintains the structural integrity of the leaves that preserves freshness and gives it its unique character. It is a minimally oxidized tea that is gently coaxed through the stages of moisture depletion, oxidation, and drying. In sum, the leaves are much more delicately processed than a High Mountain Oolong, which has a similar degree of oxidation, but the end result is significantly different.

The photo above is simply to provide a more realistic image than the first photo of the same spot that was covered in a very rare snowfall many years ago. Our friend who manages this farm literally swept the snow from his tea bushes to prevent the new growth from frostbite.  Although climate change is having an effect on the seasonal weather patterns in Taiwan as well, snow is limited to elevations above 2000m for the most part, and only occasionally. The Pinglin tea growing region in northern Taiwan is quite small, and is exclusively where Baozhong Tea is produced. It is a micro-niche in the world of tea at large. We regard it as a gem of Taiwan's tea culture and history.

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