So, you may be wondering — how exactly do these three winter 2024 batches of Taiwan High Mountain Oolong compare?! Well in short, they are distinctly different in their aromatic and flavor profiles. This is primarily due to their regional variations, which you can learn more about on each product page. Then there are the differences in the timing and weather on the day of harvest. And finally, the slight but significant differences in how they were processed.
Taiwan's tea culture is rich and diverse, offering a variety of flavors that have captivated tea enthusiasts worldwide. Based on our sales from last year, here are the top five best-selling Taiwanese teas from 2024.
Taiwan's 13th annual Nantou Global Tea Expo was held for nine consecutive days from 10/5 — 10/13/2024. It's by far the largest and most extravagant tea event in Taiwan — with several hundred vendors, and lots of fun activities to be enjoyed. In addition to specialty teas, there are also coffee, fruit and vegetables, tea ware and arts and crafts being sold. Local news reported that close to one million people attended this year!
We recently visited the historical Lu Er Men Mazu Temple in Tainan for a bonsai exhibit and competition. It's known to be the largest Mazu temple in the world, and it was indeed impressive in stature! Mazu is perhaps the most prominent Daoist deity in Taiwanese culture, and is believed to be a sea goddess who is especially worshipped by sailors and fishermen seeking refuge and protection.
Mid-Autumn Festival is the second biggest cultural holiday of the year in Taiwan. This year was a bit of a subdued occasion, as it fell on a Tuesday, and Monday was a work day. So the festivities were much less apparent this year. We missed seeing the ubiquitous family barbecues popping up in front yards everywhere. So we called our dear friends on Monday and asked if they were up for a visit and a barbecue on Tuesday. They said "Of course!".
The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is one of Taiwan’s most celebrated holidays. Held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, this festival brings families together to appreciate the full moon and share mooncakes. These delicacies come in a variety of flavors and textures, and they are best enjoyed with Taiwanese tea, especially oolong tea, which enhances the experience of savoring these treats.
Tea, the timeless beverage, has been a companion for humanity across centuries and cultures. Thankfully, modern innovations allow us to enjoy this ritual wherever we are. Whether you're hiking in the mountains, working in an office, or traveling, brewing and drinking tea on the go is both accessible and delightful.
Our spring 2024 high mountain Taiwan Oolong teas are all in, and we brewed them side by side to see how they compare with each other. We brewed them in the "factory cupping style" — 6g of tea leaves in a standard tea judging bowl, filled with boiling temp water, and sipped as they brew. The real results are when the tea has cooled considerably, and the brewed tea has become somewhat concentrated.
We had a wonderful visit to Li Shan for spring 2024 harvest. Li Shan (Pear Mountain) is the highest elevation and most prestigious high mountain tea producing region on the island of Taiwan. Li Shan is located much further north of both the Alishan and Shan Lin Xi regions. This offered the specific benefit of receiving much more rainfall in Li Shan during the spring growing season than the regions to the south.
Eco-Cha is dedicated to bringing you the finest teas from Taiwan. 2024 has already been particularly eventful, with harvests, tastings, and the age-old craft of tea-making. Here’s a glimpse into what we’ve been up to so far this spring.
In this post, we discuss the Alishan and Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Tea growing regions in the context of tasting our winter 2023 batches of each. The photo above is an aerial shot of tea farms from our source of Alishan High Mountain Oolong Tea.
We did a side by side tasting of our Traditional Dong Ding Oolong Tea and our Dong Ding Oolong Tea. We now procure both of these selections from the same source. Currently, our Traditional Dong Ding Oolong Tea is from spring 2023 harvest and our Dong Ding Oolong Tea is from winter 2023 harvest. So they are two different seasonal harvests from the same farm and made in the same way by the same craftsman.
