Eco-Cha Tea Club

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'.

Roasted Wuyi Oolong Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 93 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Roasted Wuyi Oolong Tea. Learn the detailed background of this tea in the sourcing blog. This month's edition is perhaps our favorite rendition of Wuyi Oolong that we have shared to date.

Roasted Wuyi Oolong Tea | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 93 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is a Roasted Wuyi Oolong Tea from Songboling in Nantou County, Taiwan. This plot of tea was planted about 10 years ago and has been naturally cultivated — without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

Award Winning Wenshan Baozhong Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
We had tasted and procured this batch of tea before it was entered into the New Taipei City Farmers' Association spring 2023 competition. We later learned that it achieved "Youliang" (優良獎) Award — placing it in the top 50% among 1576 total entries.

Award Winning Wenshan Baozhong Tea Spring 2023 | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 92 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Award Winning Wenshan Baozhong Tea from spring 2023 harvest. We tasted and chose this batch right out of the drying oven, just as it was completely cured. The stems had not been removed yet, but its maker had already designated is as a potential competition entry. After destemming and tasting again, our source chose this for his spring competition entry, and it received an award in the New Taipei City Farmers' Association spring 2023 tea competition.

Award Winning Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 91 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Award Winning Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong Tea. This tea received Gold Medal Award at the Meishan Township Farmers' Association spring 2023 competition. We chose to share this tea with the tea club for its flavor profile more than the award it received, however. We wanted to give our club members a chance to experience a top quality Alishan Jin Xuan as a light-medium roast Oolong.

Award Winning Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong Tea : Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 91 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong Tea that received Gold Medal Award in the Meishan Farmers' Association spring 2023 Jin Xuan Competition. The Jin Xuan Competition is separate from the main competition of Qing Xin Oolong — the original tea strain from China that is used for making High Mountain Oolong Tea, unless otherwise specified. We shared this same award winning tea as batch 22 of the Tea Club about six years ago. It's a worthy category to represent as one of Taiwan's specialty Oolongs, and we are happy to have a chance to share it again.

Eco-Farmed GABA Oolong Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
The leaves of this batch of tea were hand-picked from organically grown Four Seasons Spring tea trees. It was a very minimal harvest of new-growth from late summer 2022. We've learned that this singular hand-picked crop of tea produces the best quality GABA Oolong Tea that we've ever tasted. They only make it once a year, and it's very limited in quantity. So we feel like it's a perfect pick for the Eco-Cha Tea Club!

Eco-Farmed GABA Oolong Tea 2023 | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 90 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Eco-Farmed GABA Oolong Tea. We coined the term Eco-Farmed to designate teas that are sourced from a certified organic tea farm, without representing the organic certifications. This family of farmers implements the most natural farming methods we've seen in the local tea industry here in Taiwan. Our friend has independently pioneered these farming methods, and after more than 20 years of challenging research, is now successfully managing several plots of tea and producing specialty types of organic tea.

Early Spring Bi Luo Chun Green Tea Tasting Notes | Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 89 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is made from leaves that sprouted with the first signs of spring 2023. Bi Luo Chun Green Tea produced in the Sanxia District of the greater Taipei area is by far the earliest spring harvest of all on the island of Taiwan.

Early Spring Bi Luo Chun Green Tea 2023| Eco-Cha Tea Club
Batch 89 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an early spring Bi Luo Chun Green Tea that was harvested on March 12, 2023.