Eco-Cha Tea Club
Shui Xian Black Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
The wonderfully bright, clear orange appearance of the brewed tea is the first impressive trait of this tea to be enjoyed. It's just pretty to look at! And while enjoying the visual, the fragrance wafting from the brewed tea leaves is the next sensory assault to delight in. It's a sweet/tart, warming spice potpourri that conjures blackberry torte and rhubarb pie, along with hints of allspice and bergamot.
Qi Yun #23 Black Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 98 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Black Tea made from a new cultivar by the name of Qi Yun #23. It's Chinese name is derived from the place name of its origin in Qi Men, An Hui Province, China. The second word "yun" refers to its distinctive aftertaste. And it is in the finish that this brew stands apart. It has a pronounced orange citrus note that is akin to bergamot. So the leaves of the Qi Yun strain brew a naturally bergamot-like character of tea!
Qi Yun #23 Black Tea | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 98 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Qi Yun #23 Black Tea. It is a new strain of tea on the scene that was introduced by Taiwan's Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES) about five years ago. The cultivation of this new strain dates back to 1938, when a Japanese professor brought tea seeds from Qi Men in An Hui Province, China to cultivate in Taiwan. This research was continued by the TRES, which finally produced this new cultivar in the last decade.
Ying Xiang Small Leaf Black Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Ying Xiang Small Leaf Black Tea was selected to share with the Eco-Cha Tea Club mainly because we feel it is an exemplary Small Leaf Black Tea from Taiwan. You can learn about the background of this tea in our sourcing blogpost. Ying Xiang is the name in Mandarin that was given to this cultivar which means "Alluring Fragrance". The leaves from this tea tree offer a distinctly aromatic brew that sets it apart from the other popular Taiwanese tea cultivars.
Ying Xiang Small Leaf Black Tea | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 94 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Ying Xiang Small Leaf Black Tea from Lugu, Taiwan. Ying Xiang means "alluring fragrance", and it is the name given to this tea cultivar that was produced by Taiwan's Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES). It is also known as Tai Cha #20 — being the 20th cultivar to be promoted by the TRES. This cultivar is a cross between the most commonly grown tea strain on Taiwan — Qing Xin Oolong, and the second most commonly grown cultivar — Jin Xuan Tai Cha #12, also known as "milk oolong'.
Red Jade #18 Black Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
The dried leaves above exhibit the premium batch of Red Jade #18 Black Tea being offered as batch 84 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club. This crop was picked in early July, while it was still immature and tender. Summer crops are the best leaf material for optimal results in a full flavored composition for Black Tea specifically. Stronger sunlight and hotter weather produce higher concentrations of catechins in the leaves, resulting in a fuller aromatic and flavor profile. Full oxidation of these compounds is necessary to achieve a balanced composition that is not overly astringent.
Red Jade #18 Black Tea | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 84 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Red Jade #18 Black Tea from the historical Sun Moon Lake tea growing region of Taiwan. This cultivar, given the name Red Jade (紅玉) is registered as hybrid #18 by Taiwan's Tea Research and Extension Station. You can learn all about its background in our recent blogpost, but this Black Tea hybrid strain is unique to Taiwan, and was "born" in the 20th century. It has become quite popular over the last 20 years since it was first commercially introduced in the early 2000's.
Alishan Small Leaf Type Black Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 83 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Alishan Small Leaf Type Black Tea made from summer harvest of the Jin Xuan/ Tai Cha #12 hybrid strain. The new growth was plucked when it was still young and tender, providing premium leaf material for making Small Leaf Type Black Tea. We tried several summer batches of Small Leaf Type Black Tea in our search for a premium representative of this tea type, and this batch of Alishan Jin Xuan from our regular source was our pick of choice.
Alishan Small Leaf Type Black Tea | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 83 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Alishan Small Leaf Type Black Tea made by our source of Alishan High Mountain Oolong and Alishan High Mountain Jin Xuan Oolong. They picked some of their Jin Xuan summer crop when it was still immature. These young tender leaves from the second flush (summer crop) are ideal for making Black Tea. Jin Xuan is the name of Taiwan's most popular hybrid small leaf type tea.
Hong Oolong Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
We can see from the brewed leaves above that they resemble an Oolong Tea much more than a Black Tea. The bulk of the leaves still maintain their structural integrity, indicating that they have not been rigorously rolled, like a Black Tea would be. Only a portion of the leaf material was torn and squeezed to expose the sap, resulting in a more thorough oxidation. Most of the leaf material was treated with the skill and tact that an artisan Oolong Tea is made from. We feel that this is a more specialized batch of Hong Oolong in this respect.
Roasted High Mountain Black Tea | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Eco-Cha first met Mr. Zhan in 2016, when we smelled tea being roasted beside the historical train station in Shuili — one of our favorite mountain towns in central Taiwan. We learned that he had been transitioning his family tea farm to natural farming methods for several years already. We said that we looked forward to learning more about his work, and hoped to have the chance to procure some tea! Well, some things take time... and 5 years later, here we are — finally able to share a batch of his tea with the Eco-Cha Tea Club!
Eco-Farmed Specialty Roast Oolong Tea Tasting Notes| Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 60 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club brings us to a full five years of offering monthly editions of specialty Taiwanese teas! This month's edition was cultivated and crafted by one of our most respected sources of naturally farmed tea. He not only employs the most radical natural farming methods we know of, he also is continually refining processing methods to bring his produce to its fullest potential, based on the growing conditions of each season. Mr. Xie also produces our GABA Oolong Tea, which, like this month's batch, is one of his signature products.