Jin Xuan Oolong Tea

US$6

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  • 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.

    Flavor: Mild floral aroma. Buttery, milky, delicate vegetal character. Soothing, clean aftertaste.

    Garden: This tea is sourced from an artisan who has repeatedly won first prize in the Nantou County Tea Trade Association’s Jin Xuan Dong Ding Oolong Tea Competitions. He works with a co-op of farmers that share their knowledge and have repeatedly had their teas tested by Taiwanese food safely lab SGS. A prime example of sustainable methods combined with community-based expertise.

    Harvest:  Machine cut in medium batches. Spring 2024. Songboling, Taiwan.

    Elevation: 400m

  • 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.

  • These tea leaves are procured 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.

    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.

  • 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: Start with a 1:15 leaf to water ratio, e.g. 10g of tea leaves for a 150mL teapot. Use boiling temperature water and brew for about 50 seconds. Increase brewing time with each successive brew. The leaves can be brewed 6 times.

Customer Reviews

Based on 35 reviews
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(31)
6%
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S
Sean Rune
NPS score:
0 (Not at all likely)
10 (Extremely likely)
Likes: value, flavor
Spring 2024 another sucess

This is my third or fourth season of eco-cha Jin Xuan. This is my daily drinker and an amazing value. This lot seems to have less of the floral aroma, but there is still a trace. Perhaps more green vegetal flavor this season. But overall still a great "Milk Oolong" flavor, some nice aroma to remain interesting, smooth mouth feel, and a great every-day choice. I am happy with the Spring 2024 lot (I bought four 150g).

M
Max Berkowitz
NPS score:
0 (Not at all likely)
10 (Extremely likely)
Tasted Young

I would say this tea brewed closer to a green with a heavy floral and even occasionally grassy note and not as much of a milky aroma. Good for the price, but not what I was hoping for.

J
John Tindel
NPS score:
0 (Not at all likely)
10 (Extremely likely)
Likes: Excellent value
Excellent value

For the price, you really can't do better for a milk oolong. It's soft and creamy and smooth, everything you want in a milk oolong. I would have been happy paying twice the price for this tea

S
Sean Rune
NPS score:
0 (Not at all likely)
10 (Extremely likely)
Likes: quality, price
Improvements: maintain consistency for future seasons
incredible value, my new daily oolong

I am loving the Spring 2023 Jin Xuang. While the fragrance is not as intense as high mountain oolongs I have tried, it is still very aromatic. Really pleasant sweet fragrance, like a fresh honeysuckle blossom without being perfume-like. I also got notes that reminded me of pancakes with light honey and butter. The flavor is so smooth and clean. The vegetal notes are present but mild and sweet. There is just enough astringency to give it a nice bite but it is not overpowering at all.
I feel that this tea competes very favorably with much more expensive handpicked high elevation teas, and it is nice to have a great affordable option from lower-elevetation farms that require less manual labor.

L
Luke Burrow
NPS score:
0 (Not at all likely)
10 (Extremely likely)
Likes: Value, availability, consistency, quality
Improvements: n/a
Fantastic Value

I've been drinking this tea nearly every morning for the last five years, and I've been nothing but impressed. The customer experience at Eco-Cha has been wonderful, the quality has been consistent over the years, and the tea is excellent for the price.

As someone who loves Taiwanese oolongs but can't afford to spend a ton of money, this has been the perfect tea for me. Would recommend to anyone looking for an affordable entry point into the world of Taiwanese tea!