Eco-Cha Tea Club

Batch 114 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Light Roast Shan Lin Xi Oolong Tea made from fall 2024 harvest. Learn more about where these leaves came from here. The tea leaves were sourced by our mentor Lisa Lin, and roasted three times, as per our request. This is the second fall batch of tea that Lisa has procured from a friend and local producer in Lugu. Lisa has requested relatively more oxidized leaf material that offers her a spectrum of roasting options.

Batch 114 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Light Roast Shan Lin Xi Oolong Tea made from the produce of fall 2024 harvest. This month's edition is basically version two of batch 100, which was produced from fall 2023 harvest. Beyond the harvest, it differs from version one in the extent of roasting. We requested that Lisa do a triple roast this year in order to make the roasted quality more evident. Batch 100 was a single roast.

Batch 113 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an early spring Bi Luo Chun Green Tea harvested on March 12, and cured by our ongoing source in the Sanxia District of New Taipei, Taiwan. The leaves are very tender leaf buds that are only about 7-10 days into their growth cycle, with almost no stem material. These delicate buds are still coated with their protective "peach fuzz" micro fibers that will become suspended in the brewed tea, and are an integral aspect of the character and profile of Bi Luo Chun tea.

Batch 113 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Early Spring Bi Luo Chun Green Tea from Sanxia, Taiwan. These leaves were plucked on March 12, and we picked them up the next day. The leaves were still being cured and dried when we arrived at the factory. The photo above shows the leaves after they slowly wilted overnight. We purposely waited for more than a week after the harvest began this year. Last year we procured the very first day of spring harvest, and it was amazingly fragrant and quite distinct in character. But we learned that the very first sprouted leaves of spring are extremely delicate. We decided to go for the second week this year in order to get more substantial flavor. It was a good idea!

Batch 112 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Late Winter Oolong Tea, harvested in mid-December 2024. Check our sourcing blogpost for the background story. This unroasted, lightly yet significantly oxidized Oolong Tea is made from the Four Seasons Spring cultivar that has become popular in Taiwan in the last 30 years or so. Upon first tasting this batch of tea when it was served to us a couple months ago in the home of our friend from whom we procured it, we recognized the substantial oxidation level.

Batch 112 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Late Winter Oolong Tea from Songboling, Nantou County, Taiwan. The name given to tea that is harvested at this time of year in Mandarin is Dong Pian (冬片), which translates as "winter leaf" and it refers to the bumper crop following winter harvest. Winter crops are harvested from mid-October at highest elevation through November at lower elevation. 

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.

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. Shui Xian in Mandarin translates as Water Faerie — the name given to a strain of tea originating from Fujian, China, similar to the Qing Xin strain that is prominently grown to produce the best quality Oolong Tea in Taiwan.

Batch 110 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Qi Lai Shan High Mountain Tea from winter 2024 harvest. In short, this batch of tea embodies what has made Taiwan's High Mountain Tea world famous. It brews a substantial, balanced, complex, aromatic cup of tea that leaves an impression with each sip. Flowery, savory, creamy, and pastry notes all integrate into an extremely satisfying flavor profile.

Batch 110 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Qi Lai Shan High Mountain Oolong Tea from winter 2024 harvest. We wanted a fresh, yet substantial character of tea to bring in the new year, and this winter crop of High Mountain Tea embodies what we were looking for — including its source. We first met Mr. Xu several years ago at Taiwan's Nantou Global Tea Expo, and were impressed by the tea he offered, as well as his manner of representing it. He had a depth of sincerity and intent that made us want to learn more about him and his work in tea.

Batch 109 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea from Muzha, Taiwan. Last December we began our ninth year of the tea club with this traditional type of Oolong Tea, and we decided to offer a spring 2024 batch of this tea to kick off year ten. We choose to offer a Muzha Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea at this time of year because it is a rich, bold, heavy roast Oolong that is particularly satisfying in the cold winter months. Its hearty, complex roasted flavor profile has a warming effect that soothes and satisfies.

Batch 109 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Tie Guan Yin Oolong spring 2024 harvest from Muzha, Taiwan. The photo above was taken on one our first visits to our source of Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea many years ago. We have continuously sourced our TGY from this artisan, and have become friends in the process.