Taiwan Black Tea

This batch of tea was made from naturally grown Four Seasons Spring tea leaves. It's quite interesting to experience the contrast between lightly oxidized Four Seasons Spring leaves and fully oxidized leaves from the same plant. This tea type is most commonly produced as a "green Oolong" where the leaves are lightly oxidized and left unroasted. In recent years however, Four Seasons Spring is being made into Black Tea, particularly from summer harvests, to produce a very satisfying, fragrant brew that is a bit lighter than the standard Black Tea profile. The floral character of this tea is mellowed by full oxidation but still has a more complex aroma and smooth, palatable, more refreshing character.

These leaves were infused with organic Lemongrass in the final stage of their processing, as they finished being rolled and dried. The distinct yet compatible characters of this fragrant Black Tea with the flavor enhancing qualities of Lemongrass provide a brew that is both soothing and refreshing. We've discovered that this tea works equally well as a cold brew or a hot brew. Our favorite method to date is to brew the tea with 95°C water at fairly strong concentration and then chill it to be served over ice. For those with a sweet tooth, a touch of honey is all it takes to make it sweet enough without compromising the original character of this brew.

The Story Of This Tea

Mr. and Mrs. Xie manage their cooperative of certified organic farms in a way that combines tradition with an eclectic knowledge of tea production. They have an integrated understanding of what works in terms of tea cultivation and processing as well as consumer market trends. After visiting them numerous times in their home and gradually learning of their overall production from their humble representation that would only be offered when warranted by our relentless questions, we discovered this tea type that is unique in our knowledge of tea making.

This batch of tea is a combination of Four Seasons Spring tea leaves made into Black Tea and infused with dried, naturally grown Lemongrass in the rolling and drying phases of processing. We've tried several tea blends from this source, and despite the fact that we have been tea purists up to now, we've finally been convinced that tea blends are well worth sharing when they are made with the right ingredients and prepared with world-class skill and knowledge of tea making. This selection is our favorite blend so far, because it is substantial in character without an overwhelming floral character that masks the tea flavor. It is truly a balanced profile of flavor and composition that has but the concept of tea blends into a whole new category for us!

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.

This is a batch of heirloom Qing Xin Oolong tea leaves harvested in June and made into Black Tea, which has been the annual practice on this farm for the last eight years or so. Although this farm is run by one of the most skilled traditional Dong Ding Oolong Tea producers we know, the younger generation of this father and son team has made some innovations. And we feel that the son's recent R&D of using their summer crop to make Black Tea is a prime representative of a more general trend in the local industry.

We already knew that this is our favorite source of traditionally made Dong Ding Oolong Tea, but in the last couple years, we've come to realize that their Black Tea is also something very special. In a word, it's the balance of flavor and character that we find unique among Small Leaf Type Black Tea makers. This young tea artisan has learned how to process his family resource of heirloom tea in a way that makes an exceptional Black Tea. There is both a purity and substance of character that sets it apart from the majority of Black Teas, delivering a rich, full flavor that is both satisfying and soothing. The aroma is something like fresh baked plum cobbler, yet the flavor is both clean and richly balanced, with a dry lingering aftertaste that has a finish like a good dessert wine or even champagne.

The Story Of This Tea

This tea is an heirloom crop of Qing Xin Oolong in the sense that the original trees were planted about 40 years ago and propagated in the traditional manner. This involves binding down some of the branches of an established tea plant and burying the supple new growth branches enough for them to take root. This is the most guaranteed way of preserving the original nature of the plant and preventing mutations that can naturally occur from using cuttings, or especially growing from seed. Since this method is labor intensive and takes much longer, it was phased out by commercial production of tea saplings to establish new plots of tea much more expediently. The purchasing of saplings also has much greater potential of resulting in variations within a given strain, due to the unknown factors of their origins and cultivation methods.

The quality of tea that is made from these heirloom plants sets it apart from the more recent generations of tea farms that have been established. We showed the photos that we blogged to our friend from a neighboring village who is a 52 year old 4th generation tea farmer, and he instantly recognized the shape and size of the leaves as distinct from more "modern strains" of Qing Xin Oolong. We are confident in saying that the cultivation practices on this farm along with the strain that was planted 40 years ago distinguish it as a rare and valuable resource. We feel honored that this is our ongoing source of traditionally made Dong Ding Oolong. And we are delighted to share a batch of tea that was harvested in June and processed as Black Tea by the young and talented son of this family-run farm — equipped with its own private on-site factory.