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While pure iced teas made from quality Taiwan loose leaf tea are amazingly satisfying and refreshing on their own, sometimes it's also nice to mix it up with some natural flavorings. Here are some suggestions on how to flavor iced teas for an added kick.

We are kicking off our sixth year of the Eco-Cha Tea Club this month, with batch 61! And this month's batch of Heavy Roast Wuyi Oolong is a record breaker in that it is definitely the most thoroughly roasted batch of tea that we have shared to date. We think this tea will be appealing at this time of year — especially for our members who live in colder climates. This is a very hearty, rich, and warming brew. So we like to think it will make the holiday season even cozier!

It brews a clear, bright, yellow/green tea with a balanced creamy savory aroma and a satisfying savory scone flavor profile, with subtle floral notes in the finish. It's character really comes forth after the brew has cooled to room temperature.

Batch #38  of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is kicking off 2019 with a cutting edge rendition of Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong Tea. We're inspired to share this batch of tea because of its differentiating value from the conventional market grade High Mountain Tea that has become well known in Taiwan and beyond. 

Appearance of the dried leaves is the first step in assessing any loose leaf tea. We can see by the coloration that these leaves are partially oxidized, with both green hues and darker tones. This is the first sign that it is a traditionally made Oolong tea. In recent trends, tea made in this fashion has been given the name "hong Oolong" or Red Oolong. It's actually just a new name for an old recipe.

Fo Shou, or Buddha Hand, is a traditionally made Oolong Tea with deep roots — literally. This name refers to a large-leaf strain of tea, putting in the same category as Wild Tea, Assam, and Red Jade #18. Large-leaf strains are a category that is distinctly separate from the majority of small-leaf tea strains cultivated for Chinese Oolong, Green and Black Tea production.

The best loose-leaf iced tea in 3 easy steps

1. Brew your tea at a ratio of 1:40, loose-leaf tea : water. Boiling temp. water. Brew 7 minutes. 
2. Pour the brewed tea into a a cocktail shaker full of ice and shake
3. Pour the well shaken iced tea into glasses half-full of ice cubes

Here's a simple Gong Fu brewing guide on how to brew the best tea using quality Taiwanese loose-leaf teas. From how long to steep oolong to how much to use, there really is no right or wrong when it comes to brewing tea. We just want to share how both tea pros and tea lovers in general  brew Oolong Tea here in Taiwan. We offer this in hope that it will enhance the quality of brewed tea for tea lovers around the world.