Shui Xian Black Tea | Eco-Cha Tea Club

February 20, 2025

Shui Xian Black Tea | Eco-Cha Tea Club

Home Eco-Cha Tea Club Shui Xian Black Tea | Eco-Cha Tea Club

Batch 111 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Shui Xian Black Tea produced in Zhushan, Taiwan. We procured this tea from our source of Lugu Competition Dong Ding Oolong Tea, and from whom we sourced Batch 108 of the Tea Club. The photo above was taken just a few days ago, after the tea trees were pruned in preparation for the upcoming spring crop. So the to tree tops are looking rather bare! This tea garden is situated above the banks of the Qing Shui river that runs past our home, just several miles upstream! Shui Xian in Mandarin translates as Water Faerie — the name given to a strain of tea originating from Fujian, China, and is said to be similar to the Qing Xin strain that is prominently grown to produce the best quality Oolong Tea in Taiwan.

This is the tea merchant and master roaster who encouraged the local tea farmer to plant a plot of the Shui Xian small leaf type strain of tea trees. He did this with the promise to cooperate with the farmer to purchase his produce if it was made according to his recommendations. When we first tasted this tea at his table, he told us the story of the farmer processing last spring's tea into a lightly oxidized High Mountain Oolong style. It was very astringent, and the merchant used this unfortunate fate of the farmer to reinforce his stance. He only wants heavily oxidized Oolong Tea or Black Tea made from this strain of tea that is known to offer a pronounced aromatic profile that can withstand extensive processing methods. While we listened to this background story and sipped this brew of Black Tea made from the fall 2024 crop, we concurred. This small leaf type Shui Xian Black Tea has a distinctly balanced flavor and complex aromatic profile that we find exceptional. So the tea stood up to the story of this merchant's contribution to sustaining Taiwan's tea culture.

This is the same guy back in 2016, when we first visited the new plot of Wuyi tea that he cooperated with another local farmer to plant with the same mindset. Wuyi was the prominently cultivated strain of tea in Songboling, Taiwan prior to the introduction of new hybrid cultivars such as Jin Xuan and Four Seasons Spring that have since replaced it. Mr. Xie committed to reviving the culture in which he grew up by investing in this plot of Wuyi to represent his family's local tradition. It's not just a story however. Wuyi Tea has substance that cannot be matched by the modern cutlivars that have replaced it. We have shared the produce from this plot of Wuyi Tea with batch 4, 61, 62, and 93 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club.

These two plots of heirloom strains of tea that this tea merchant inspired tea farmers to cultivate and produce value-added batches of tea are testimony to a living tea culture in the local industry. Eco-Cha's on the ground presence that represents a foreign demand has also contributed to reviving and sustaining this precious local culture that is literally on the brink of disappearing. These two plots of tea are by definition a source of boutique teas on the local market. They are rare, and in a sense — anomalies in the tea farming community. This, along with our experience of the quality of this tea, is why we are inspired to share it exclusively with our tea club.

Lugu Farmers Association Dong Ding Oolong Tea Competition

Along with the commitment to support local farmers in producing heirloom strains of tea on the local scene for him to represent, this merchant is achieving top notch professional status in the tea competition industry and beyond. In recent years, he has been offering seminars on tea roasting and tea industry knowledge in general. This is why we have continued to source the produce that he finds valuable — because it has already been verified by local pros here in Taiwan!

LET US KNOW!

Please post any questions or comments you may have in the comments section below!

SUBSCRIBE!

If you enjoyed this post and would like to hear more about the specialty tea industry here in Taiwan, follow us on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram and please subscribe to our newsletter. Subscribe now and get US$5 off your first order!