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Our spring batch of Alishan High Mountain Jin Xuan Oolong is just slightly more oxidized than the previous winter's harvest. This is a common variant between winter and spring tea. Leaves that grow in spring are more supple, with higher water content typically. This allows them to oxidize more easily. The end result is subtle, but does offer a seasonal variation in the flavor profile. This spring's batch has a bit more pastry aroma, with a more balanced creamy/vegetal character. It clearly has the buttery/milky character that has popularized this strain of tea. The brewed spring tea leaves carry a "butteriness" from start to finish. It's a very friendly introduction to High Mountain Tea that is bound to please newbies as well as experienced drinkers of Taiwan's finest.

The Story of This Tea

 This batch of tea comes from Ruili Village in the Meishan Township of Chiayi County, Taiwan. We source our Alishan High Mountain Oolong from same farm. The neighboring villages of Ruifeng and Ruili have increasingly become popular sources of Alishan High Mountain Oolong in the last 10-15 years in the local industry. Originally, Alishan tea was originally made famous by the newly developed area on the south-western foothills of Alishan, with the most famous place name being Shizuo. This area is along the main tourist route leading to Alishan Scenic Area, and the local tea industry flourished and developed as a result. While quality tea is still produced in this area, it has become somewhat over-popularized and over-developed.

Zhangshuhu was the earliest "new hot spot" for Alishan High Mountain Tea, that became a popular resource 15-20 years ago. But at the same time, neighboring villages developed tea farms and sold their produce for a more reasonable price, yet offering competitive quality. Just a bit down the mountain, we've discovered that there are more family-run operations and smaller farms. We firmly believe that this makes a difference not only on a sustainable level, but also in terms of the quality of tea produced. 

When farms are run privately, there is more care and responsibility that goes into the management of them. This, combined with smaller factories results in smaller quantities of tea leaves being processed on a daily and seasonal basis. This smaller batch factor allows for more customized processing, and is also typically done by the farmers/owners themselves, who take more pride in their processing methods and quality of their product.

Mug: 8g tea in 300ml 100°C water. Steep for 4 minutes. Re-steep. Adjust to taste.

Cold Brew: Use 5g of tea per liter of water. Brew tea at room temperature for 2-3 hours, and enjoy. Or you can put your cold brew bottle in the fridge to brew overnight and be ready to drink the next day.

Gong Fu: Barely cover the bottom of your Gongfu teapot with tea leaves (about 8-10g for a 175 ml pot). Use boiling temperature water and brew for about 50 seconds. Increase brewing time with each successive brew. The leaves can be brewed 6-8 times.

Alishan High Mountain Oolong is a vibrant, fresh green oolong with a mild, subtly sweet character that makes a popular choice in this category. This batch is sufficiently oxidized which mellows the green leaves into a milder, more full-bodied and balanced brew. As with all quality High Mountain Oolongs, there is a smooth viscosity to the texture of the tea, while maintaining its clean, fresh character.

High Mountain Spring Tea is known for its fresh, floral and mild herbal aromatic qualities. It offers a delicate balance of sweet and astringent qualities that leave an especially clean mouth-feel combined with a lingering, fragrant finish in the nose. Its a refined and complex combination of floral and sweet qualities with the inherent bitter/astringent character of tea leaves that gives Alishan High Mountain Oolong its claim to fame.

The Story of This Tea

This batch of tea comes from Ruili Village in the Meishan Township of Chiayi County, Taiwan. We source our Alishan High Mountain Oolong from same farm. The neighboring villages of Ruifeng and Ruili have increasingly become popular sources of Alishan High Mountain Oolong in the last 10-15 years in the local industry. Originally, Alishan tea was originally made famous by the newly developed area on the south-western foothills of Alishan, with the most famous place name being Shizuo. This area is along the main tourist route leading to Alishan Scenic Area, and the local tea industry flourished and developed as a result. While quality tea is still produced in this area, it has become somewhat over-popularized and over-developed.

Zhangshuhu was the earliest "new hot spot" for Alishan High Mountain Tea, that became a popular resource 15-20 years ago. But at the same time, neighboring villages developed tea farms and sold their produce for a more reasonable price, yet offering competitive quality. Just a bit down the mountain, we've discovered that there are more family-run operations and smaller farms. We firmly believe that this makes a difference not only on a sustainable level, but also in terms of the quality of tea produced. 

When farms are run privately, there is more care and responsibility that goes into the management of them. This, combined with smaller factories results in smaller quantities of tea leaves being processed on a daily and seasonal basis. This smaller batch factor allows for more customized processing, and is also typically done by the farmers/owners themselves, who take more pride in their processing methods and quality of their product.

Mug: 8g tea in 300ml 100°C water. Steep for 4 minutes. Re-steep. Adjust to taste.

Cold Brew: Use 5g of tea per liter of water. Brew tea at room temperature for 2-3 hours, and enjoy. Or you can put your cold brew bottle in the fridge to brew overnight and be ready to drink the next day.

Gong Fu: ​Barely cover the bottom of your Gongfu teapot with tea leaves (about 8-10g for a 175 ml pot). Use boiling temperature water and brew for about 50 seconds. Increase brewing time with each successive brew. The leaves can be brewed 6-8 times.

Dong Ding Oolong is a medium oxidized, medium-heavily roasted tea with a hearty, complex, and robust character.

The initial steeping brings forth a complex bouquet of roasted vegetables, pine, and a touch of smokiness. On the palate, you get roasted sweet corn, nutty/fruity notes, and a tangy, heady finish with just the right touch of astringency.

This batch of Dong Ding Oolong is representative of a traditionally made Oolong from the original source of this type of tea. It demonstrates the broad spectrum of character and flavors that can be captured by refined roasting techniques.

The Story Of This Tea

This batch of tea comes from Yonglong Village, just above Dong Ding Mountain, at 700m elevation in Lu Gu Township, Nantou County. It was cultivated and processed by a father and son team of award-winning tea makers. The father has been recruited among 5 elders in the community in a practical seminar to teach pre-modern methods of traditional Dong Dong Oolong tea making to the younger tea makers in the area.

This ridge above Dong Ding Mountain is home to the neighboring Yong Long and Feng Huang Villages and is known for a rich red soil which differs from other locales in Lu Gu. The unique flavor of Dong Ding Oolong produced here is attributed to this soil quality, along with the fact that these villages are home to the highest population of the most skilled traditional oolong tea artisans in Taiwan.

This selection of Jin Xuan has the classic buttery notes of a Jin Xuan Oolong without being overwhelmingly milky. The flavor is buttery, slightly sweet, like summer garden fresh veggies - balanced by the smooth astringent "original oolong" qualities that offer a clean, fragrant finish. This tea has no added flavor.

The Story Of This Tea

This batch of tea leaves come from the most active tea roaster and merchant we know. He enters virtually every Oolong Tea competition in central Taiwan, including the largest and most prestigious Oolong Tea competition in the world. He consistently achieves high ratings in all of these competitions. In fact, he won first place for Nantou County's Jin Xuan Dong Ding Oolong twice in a row. In last year's Dong Ding Oolong competition that is comprised of some of the best Oolong Tea makers in the world, he placed 4th out of over 6000 entries. He is a highly motivated, intelligent and progressive individual - making him a leader in his field.

In the last several years, he has formed a cooperative with his neighboring farmer friends who share the same high standards of cultivation and processing. This is in order to collectively produce a significant enough volume to be able to compete with larger scale productions of tea in this region, while maintaining the quality control standards of privately run farms. This team of farmers share their expertise in continually developing the most effective methods for cultivating quality tea.

Jin Xuan Oolong is a hybrid cultivar produced by the government subsidized Tea Research Extension Station (TRES) in Taiwan and is registered as Tai Cha #12 (台茶12號). It was designed to possess a stronger immunity to naturally occurring "pests" in the regional climate of Taiwan while producing a somewhat larger leaf that increases yield. It is known for its buttery or milk flavor qualities and has a milder astringency and smoother texture.

This batch of tea was grown at 400m elevation. These farms are on relatively flat ground, allowing for machine-cut harvesting. The machine that is used for harvesting is a hand-held type of hedge clipper designed to be wielded by two people, one on each side of the row of tea bushes. A vacuum attachment collects the harvested leaves in a cloth bag. While machine harvesting results in a portion of the leaves and stems being cut, this expedient method allows for timely harvest in the late morning hours that ensures the outdoor oxidation step in processing the leaves is done at noon - the ideal time for the initial wilting phase of the leaves. While hand picking maintains the integrity of the tea leaves, it is far more time consuming and labor intensive, and must be started in the early morning hours, but not until the dew on the leaves has evaporated. Machine harvesting provides more control over these daily conditions simply because it is faster and requires fewer hands. The rapidly diminishing local labor force for hand-picked tea is a real issue in Taiwan. So machine harvesting is a significantly more sustainable method.

This batch of tea was slightly more oxidized in its processing than a standard High Mountain Oolong. Heavier oxidation results in a more substantial, balanced brew. The aroma and flavor become more subtle, but more rich and smooth in texture and composition. Some of the floral fragrance is is compromised, but most serious drinkers feel that it is well worth it in exchange for a more complex, full-bodied brew.

The Story Of This Tea

We visited the Lishan farm and factory during spring harvest and observed the overall scene. We tasted the tea as it was made, and then got to choose which batch from the last two days of production (because the previous 4 days were already spoken for). The source is a family we befriended over a year ago, and feel very confident about working with. Their home is in Alishan, where they run a renowned factory, cooperating with local growers, and producing competition grade award winning tea for many years now. They have recently leased a plot of tea in the western side of the Lishan region, on the top of a ridge, directly above a reservoir. This micro-climate is a significant asset. Their tea making skills are in high demand among wholesalers here on the ground. Many wholesalers buy their tea in large quantities without even tasting it. They have numerous long term customers who buy their produce consistently.

Red Jade Tea - also known as Taiwan Tea No. 18, brews a rich, full-bodied tea with subtle hints of clove, cinnamon and mint in its complex composition.

The character of Red Jade is unique among black teas, while still possessing a classic black tea quality. It is another exemplary selection on the Eco-Cha menu in that it is sustainably produced with low-impact farming methods and minimal processing. If you are a black tea lover, you deserve a sampling of this unique strain of tea.

The Story Of This Tea

Tai Cha #18 is a hybrid of the Assam tea plant with the wild tea tree that is naturally occurring on Taiwan. It is recorded that the Portuguese were the first to discover this wild tea tree hundreds of years ago. When the Japanese came to this area in the early 1900's bringing with them the Assam plant, this wild tea was being cultivated by early Chinese settlers. So it is said that the hybrid existed long before the Tea Research and Extension Station registered and promoted it less than 20 years ago.

This batch of tea was harvested from a farm that has been managed by a local farmer for well over a decade. In recent years however, our friend who is an organic tea farmer has contracted this farm to cultivate its crop naturally, using no chemical farm products whatsoever. Our friend began with a commitment to procure 1/3 of the seasonal crop, and in less than 3 years has increased his procurement to 2/3, based on demand for his naturally cultivated Red Jade Tea that he processes himself in his home factory. He has had these leaves tested annually with consistent ND results, which indicates zero chemicals in the tea leaves. This new generation with an integrated sustainable approach to tea production is the kind of development in the industry we seek to support.

Our friend lives in the Songbolin tea producing region, and his home factory is equipped for Black Tea processing, which was used by previous generations in his family, but was dormant for many years before this new development. He has repurposed his inherited factory for the production of naturally cultivated Black Tea from a nearby region. He processes his Black Tea himself, using his own factory, which reduces cost and allows him to market it at competitive prices. This also is the kind of sustainable business approach that we are committed to supporting in the local industry. His produce of "small leaf type" Oolong from his own organic farm is processed by a nearby modern tea factory designed to make Green Oolong, in the fashion of High Mountain Oolong.

One of the prominent qualities of Taiwanese high mountain oolong is the fragrance that exudes from the freshly brewed leaves. Especially after the first and second brews, hold the un-lidded teapot near your nose and inhale slowly to experience the volatile aromatic oils that are being released from the freshly moistened and heated leaves. From there you can enjoy the evolving aroma of each successive brew. The fragrance is the most intriguing and subtle quality of a fine high mountain tea.

This tea carries distinct qualities of adequate oxidation of the leaves during processing. This is evident in its sweeter, mellowed aroma and smooth, balanced flavor. Its aroma is slightly less floral and more fruity or pastry-like. Oxidation offers a more substantial, less green brew that is complex, yet balanced and smooth on the palate. This batch is another exemplary high mountain tea from the Shan Lin Xi area.

The Story Of This Tea

This batch of winter tea was harvested in late October, on the first day of our friend's 4-day harvest. The leaves were picked just as they reached maturity, offering a more substantial constitution in the leaf, but before they became overly matured. This batch has a fresh herbal character, combined with a noticeable degree of oxidation that mellows the grassy green flavor into a sweeter, smoother quality in the brewed tea.

Our source of this tea is firmly committed to the practice of transporting the freshly picked leaves to a factory at about half the elevation of the tea farm in order to provide ideal climate conditions for processing. Specifically, there is more sunshine and less fog at lower elevation, along with more available outdoor space to provide an optimal environment for solar withering - the initial an pivotal stage of Oolong Tea processing. It is this level of professionalism combined with the more environmentally friendly aspect of using a factory located in a residential area rather than on a remote high elevation tea farm that makes us committed to this source of quality Taiwanese High Mountain Tea.

Tieguanyin Oolong tea is traditionally a heavily oxidized, heavily roasted tea, that in effect puts it in its own flavor profile. It is distinctly different from all other tea types produced in Taiwan, regardless of region or tea strain. This tea is unique due to its curing methods.

One step in particular sets Tieguanyin apart from the processing methods of other Oolong types. After the "kill green" or "cease oxidation" step —where the leaves are exposed to high heat, they are partially rolled and dried, and then put in the roasting oven while still in the cloth wrapped balls shown above, and slightly "steamed in their own juices". This results in a subtle, tangy fermented character that makes Tieguanyin unique. This anomaly of tea processing methods in Taiwan, combined with heavy oxidation and heavy roasting give Tieguanyin Oolong is bold, rich and distinguished character.

The Story Of This Tea

Traditional methods of tea making typically involve much more "curing" of the tea leaves — which has the dual purpose of bringing out a distinct character, and stabilizing the tea leaves to maintain flavor — giving it a prolonged shelf life as well as a distinguished profile. In this sense, Tieguanyin Oolong is a prime example of a traditional product of regional origin. This tea tree strain was initially brought from mainland China, and took root in Northern Taiwan. It's traditional processing methods have continued to evolve to this day.

These tea leaves were cultivated and cured in perhaps the most traditional fashion that has survived into Taiwan's 21st century tea industry. Not only were they cultivated in the most historical tea growing regions in northern Taiwan, they were cultivated and cured in an overall context that is now very rare. It is rare because it is one of the few remaining resources of heirloom Tieguanyin tea trees in Taiwan, and it is naturally cultivated, and it is processed in the most boutique home-style tea factory we've ever seen.

Tieguanyin Oolong tea is traditionally a heavily oxidized, heavily roasted tea, that in effect puts it in its own flavor profile. It is distinctly different from all other tea types produced in Taiwan, regardless of region or tea strain. This tea is unique due to its curing methods.

One step in particular sets Tieguanyin apart from the processing methods of other Oolong types. After the "kill green" or "cease oxidation" step —where the leaves are exposed to high heat, they are partially rolled and dried, and then put in the roasting oven while still in the cloth wrapped balls shown above, and slightly "steamed in their own juices". This results in a subtle, tangy fermented character that makes Tieguanyin unique. This anomaly of tea processing methods in Taiwan, combined with heavy oxidation and heavy roasting give Tieguanyin Oolong is bold, rich and distinguished character.

​Mug: ​9g tea in 350ml 95°C water. Steep for 3 minutes. Re-steep. Adjust to taste.

​Cold Brew: Use 8g of tea per liter of water. Brew tea at room temperature for 2-3 hours, and enjoy. Or you can put your cold brew bottle in the fridge to brew overnight and be ready to drink the next day.

​​Gongfu Brew: ​ Use 9g for a 175 ml pot. Use boiling temperature water and brew for about 50 seconds. Increase brewing time with each successive brew. The leaves can be brewed 5-6 times.

Upon first brew, there are distinct aromatic notes of fresh herbs with subtle hints of flowery sweetness. This Tsui Yu has a dark green leafy vegetal character base with herbaceous overtones and a refreshing floral, dry finish. This selection makes an especially flavorful cold brew tea.

The Story Of This Tea

Tsui Yu Jade Oolong is a hybrid that was registered at the Taiwan Tea Research Extension Station (TRES) in 1981. It was designed for making oolong teas, and is capable of variable oxidation levels. It is known for its flowery aroma which takes on a fruity character if the leaves are roasted post production.

This batch of tea leaves comes from the most active tea maker we know. This man enters virtually every oolong tea competition in Taiwan, including the largest and most prestigious oolong tea competition in the world. He consistently achieves high ratings in all of these competitions. He won first prize in the Nantou County Tea Trade Association Dong Ding Tsui Yu Oolong tea competition winter 2013. The competition tea was processed to make a semi-oxidized roasted tea in the style of Dong Ding Oolong Tea. Our selection is slightly less oxidized and unroasted to maintain its original fresh, fragrant character. He has also repeatedly won first prize in the Nantou County Tea Trade Association Jin Xuan Dong Ding Oolong tea competition. This is a region that is comprised of some the best tea makers in the world. He is a highly motivated and progressive individual - making him an exemplary figure in his field.

In the last few years, he has formed a cooperative with neighboring farmer friends who share his standards of cultivation and processing. This is in order to collectively produce a significant enough volume to be able to compete with the larger scale production of tea in the area, while maintaining the quality control standards of small, privately-run farms.

Wholesale dealers of tea typically buy tea from large scale producers in quantities of thousands of pounds per harvest. This co-op of farmers employs farming methods that use occasional or zero chemical fertilizers, zero chemical weed killers, and only a minimal amount of water soluble pesticides are administered at the beginning of the growing season. The tea leaves are randomly tested for trace chemical residue, and this team of farmers share their expertise in continually developing methods for cultivating quality tea.

This batch of tea was grown at 400m elevation, which means the farms are on relatively flat ground, allowing for machine-cut harvesting. The machine that is used for harvesting is a hand-held type of hedge clipper designed to be wielded by two people, one on each side of the row of tea bushes. A vacuum attachment collects the harvested leaves in a cloth bag. While machine harvesting results in a portion of the leaves and stems being cut, this expedient method allows for timely harvest in the late morning hours that ensures the outdoor oxidation step in processing the leaves is done at noon - the ideal time for the initial wilting phase of the leaves. While hand picking maintains the integrity of the tea leaves, it is far more time consuming and must be started in the early morning hours, but not until the dew on the leaves has evaporated. Machine harvesting provides more control over these daily conditions simply because it is faster.

The amount of leaves harvested on a typical day from this farm makes about 250 kilograms of dried tea leaves. This is almost double that of a small-batch harvest and about half the amount that large farms harvest, so we use the term "medium batch" in reference to this quantity.

Wenshan Baozhong Tea has a pure character, in that the tea leaves undergo very little processing after being harvested. Like all Oolongs, the basic steps of withering, oxidation, and tumble heating are involved. But the level of oxidation for making Baozhong Tea is relatively minimal, about 10-15%. Baozhong is also an unroasted type of Oolong.

Beyond this, the leaves are only slightly curled after the tumble heating/cease oxidation stage, then dried. This allows the leaves to maintain more of their structural integrity, both visually and in terms of the chemical compounds within the leaf. In this respect, Baozhong is more similar to Green Tea or White Tea, in that the leaves are not compressed, and tightly rolled as with other Oolongs, and they are not bruised as with Black Tea.

The result of this minimal processing method is that the original, fresh green leaf character is preserved. Along with this is a substance of flavor and a distinct aromatic profile that puts Baozhong in a class of its own. It has an especially aromatic profile, with a fresh green character, yet with just enough oxidation to give it balance and substance. It is easily distinguished from its Green Tea cousins, but also stands clearly apart from High Mountain Tea and other traditionally made Oolongs.

The Story Of This Tea

It appears that minimal oxidation of tea leaves after they are picked was accidentally discovered to enhance the flavor profile of Green Tea. The goal of curing Green Tea is to lock in the freshness of the young tea leaves upon picking them. This is accomplished by drying them as soon as possible. Of course, this is not totally feasible, as the freshly picked leaves need to be taken in from the field to be dried. It is likely that this is how Baozhong Tea was invented, since Green Tea was the historical tea of choice in mainland China for centuries, and then in Taiwan. However, by the late 19th century, Oolong (partially oxidized) Tea was the main export to the West from Taiwan.

The name Baozhong translates literally as "wrapped type", as it was originally wrapped in plain brown wrapping paper. This pre-modern packaging also allowed for post-production oxidation, which eventually led tea merchants aging this tea type for added value. Nowadays, some of the most sought after aged tea in Taiwan is Baozhong Tea. One reason for this is that curled leaves have a lot more surface exposure, and oxidize more quickly and easily than rolled leaves. This delicate finesse in the making of Baozhong, along with its conduciveness to aging is what has kept it a popular choice since the 1800's!