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ECO-CHA TEA CLUB: GOLD MEDAL AWARD WINNING DONG DING CUI YU OOLONG TEA TASTING NOTES
The hybrid strain of Cui Yu (翠玉), a.k.a. Tsui Yu, or Jade Oolong, can withstand traditional processing methods of heavier oxidation and roasting with good results. This hybrid strain that became popular in the late 1980's and 1990's along with Jin Xuan, is now becoming relatively rare. View full article →Eco-Cha Tea Club: Gold Medal Award Winning Dong Ding Cui Yu Oolong Tea
This month's batch of tea being shared with the Eco-Cha Tea Club was entered into in the spring 2018 Nantou County Tea Trade Association's Dong Ding Tsui Yu (Cui Yu) Tea Competition, and received the Gold Medal Award. This award ranks within the top 5% of all entries. View full article →Taiwan's Top Ten Most Famous Teas
Here's a list of the top 10 teas that Taiwan is most famous for, followed by a brief description of each one. The word Oolong refers to any type of partially oxidized tea i.e. from 5% to 85% oxidation. It also refers to specific processing methods that clearly distinguish it from Green and Black Tea types.
View full article →Gourmet Iced Tea Recipe: Honey Red Jade Black Tea
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.
GOURMET LOOSE-LEAF ICED TEA IN 3 EASY STEPS
- Brew your tea at a ratio of 1:40, loose-leaf tea : water (1:30 if unsweetened/unflavored). Boiling temp. water. Brew 7 minutes.
- Pour the brewed tea into a a cocktail shaker full of ice, add whatever flavoring, and shake.
- Pour the well shaken iced tea into glasses half-full of ice cubes.
Eco-Cha Tea Club: Da Yu Ling High Mountain Oolong Tasting Notes
This month's batch of Da Yu Ling High Mountain Oolong tea being shared with the Eco-Cha Tea Club is sufficiently oxidized and unroasted. This style of processing transforms the fresh, green character into a more balanced, sweeter, full bodied brew while maintaining the delicate floral and vegetal aromatic notes. View full article →Eco-Cha Tea Club: Da Yu Ling High Mountain Oolong Tea
The highest elevation tea growing regions are widely acknowledged as the epitome High Mountain Oolong Tea production.. The ideal climate conditions offered by this elevation combined with the methods of tea cultivation that have been developed are considered to be the main factors that have gained this category of tea its fame.
This is a rare batch of Da Yu Ling High Mountain Tea in that the level of oxidation exceeds the commonly produced tea in this region at highest elevation. The difference between the standard 10-15% level of oxidation and the less commonly produced 20-25% is that the light, floral, green character is transformed into a more fruity, substantial, smooth character of High Mountain Oolong.
View full article →How To Make Gourmet Iced Tea: Quick And Easy
The best loose-leaf iced tea in 3 easy steps- Brew your tea at a ratio of 1:40, loose-leaf tea : water. Boiling temp. water. Brew 7 minutes.
- Pour the brewed tea into a a cocktail shaker full of ice and shake
- Pour the well shaken iced tea into glasses half-full of ice cubes
Taiwan Tea Picking Competition
The Lugu Farmers' Association organized a groundbreaking event in an effort to maintain a high quality standard of hand-picked tea in Taiwan. After developing the world's largest Oolong Tea competition (est. 1976), and nine years of producing the Nantou Global Tea Expo, our mentor Tony Lin (林獻堂) said that this is his latest effort to preserve the quality of Oolong Tea in Taiwan. View full article →How To Brew The Best Taiwanese Tea Gong Fu Style
We're inspired to post this simple guide in response to all the posts we see on tea oriented platforms showing how people are brewing their quality Taiwanese loose-leaf teas — particularly the quantity of leaves, and even more so — the brewing time. There really is no right or wrong when it comes to brewing tea. We just want to share how tea makers, professionals and tea fiends 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. View full article →Iced Loose-Leaf Tea Recipe: GABA Passionfruit Iced Tea
Too hot to drink hot tea, but don't want to compromise your taste for high quality loose leaf tea? Well, we've been researching the simplest way to get the best results for next-level iced teas, and we're ready to share! View full article →Eco-Cha Tea Club: Honey Oolong Tea Tasting Notes
The extensive oxidation and minimal roasting offer a flavor profile that has the rich, density of Small Leaf Black Tea while still maintaining enough freshness to give it complexity and vibrancy. Sweet, ripe fruity notes balanced by mildly astringent nutty/woody tones. Add to this an unmistakeable honey essence in both the aroma and on the palate. It's a proper Oolong in its complexity, and a signature bug-bitten batch of tea. View full article →Eco-Cha Tea Club: Honey Oolong Tea
A mom, dad, and son team manage their small family farm and process their crops on their own. And the recent spring harvest offered the pleasant surprise of one day's harvest turning out to be Honey Oolong. This name is properly used when the flavor of the tea has a distinct honey character that results from the Green Leafhopper working its magic. The Leafhopper (jacobiasca formosana) is a tiny green bug that likes to feed on the sap of the tender new leaf buds. View full article →Harvesting Loose-Leaf Tea By Machine VS. By Hand
The marketing trends of modern tea production in Taiwan have, for a number of reasons, resulted in a clear discrimination of the quality and value of tea that is harvested by machine compared with tea harvested by hand. These initial reasons have been conveyed to foreign purveyors of Taiwanese teas, who consequently represent the product as such today. Much less conveyed is the fact that tea production methods have evolved significantly in Taiwan in recent decades. This calls for a current assessment of the state of the industry today. View full article →5 Easy Steps To Cold Brew Loose Leaf Tea
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:
- a container to brew
- tea leaves
- drinking water
That's really all there is to it! Any water-tight container is fine.
On the road and don't have any container? Just buy a bottle of water and put your tea leaves in that!
View full article →Comparing Seasonal Batches Of Loose Leaf Oolong Tea
The inspiration for this post began when we first tasted our spring batches of tea this year. Especially for the three teas that we'll take a look at here, we immediately thought upon tasting each of them, they are noticeably different from last winter's batch. So first, let's list the main points to observe in comparing seasonal batches from the same source of tea. View full article →Eco-Cha Tea Club: Eco-Farmed Jin Xuan GABA Tea Tasting Notes
This month's batch of tea being shared with the Eco-Cha Tea Club continues to intrigue us. It has qualities of a delicate Black Tea, with the complexity and depth that defines Oolong Tea. It's mild in character, but very substantial and well balanced in its flavor profile. Smooth on the palate, with tangy, fruity notes, and a lasting heady finish. It's got that composition that keeps you refilling your cup to get more! View full article →Eco-Cha Tea Club: Eco-Farmed Jin Xuan GABA Tea
While GABA tea was invented in Japan, it wasn't until Taiwanese tea makers applied their expertise in Oolong Tea processing methods that it became known for its unique qualities of flavor along with its heath benefits. Japanese production of GABA tea is focused on its value as a health food supplement, similar to green tea powder. The tea industry in Taiwan relies on its differentiating value of quality produce to compensate for its relatively low volume, compared to other tea producing countries. So when the demand for GABA tea increased, Taiwanese tea makers used their skillful resources and developed a specialty tea with specific healthy attributes. View full article →5 reasons why you should cold brew tea
Quality cold brew tea, like coffee, is increasingly popular these days. Even the stalwart snobs among us have happily discovered that it cannot be considered inferior to their preferred paraphernalia-laden methods of brewing. Indeed, cold brew is just different, and with benefits of its own. So let's take a quick look at why cold brew appeals to tea lovers of all types.
View full article →Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
Our friend, and go-to teaware vendor for over 20 years, knows that we are always looking for interesting styles of teaware. When he sent us photos of this pretty decorative teapot, crafted in the shape of a swimming fish, only weeks before Dragon Boat Festival, we instantly recognized the cultural significance. To help celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, we're offering you this special-edition teapot along with 75g of Tie Guan Yin Oolong tea for a limited time! View full article →Eco-Cha Tea Club: Light Roast Phoenix Village Oolong Tasting Notes
The truth is, our favorite batches of traditionally made Taiwanese Oolongs have come from this community of family owned farms in the foothills of Phoenix Mountain in Lugu Township. We've been told it's the soil, and the mid-elevation climate that is most conducive to making a traditionally made Oolong Tea. But in our own perception, it's the expertise that comes from generations of tea making that results in the character of tea that we love the most. View full article →Eco-Cha Tea Club: Light Roast Phoenix Village Oolong Tea
We recently visited Mr. Liu when we hosted a visitor from Italy who was keen on experiencing the local tea culture. Our guest was truly elated to be served tea by a true artisan of the trade. Mr. Liu served us three different teas that were all locally harvested this past spring. They varied only in their degree oxidation and roasting. And the one that was sufficiently oxidized, but only lightly roasted, immediately impressed us.
View full article →Dragon Boat Festival Special Offer
A few weeks ago we came across something fantastic that we knew we had to offer to our customers as part of the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival. We'll be announcing a special offer this Thursday (June 14th) first through our newsletter. So, if you haven't already signed up for our newsletter, sign up now here so you can get first dibs on this exciting item. If you sign up, you'll also get $5 off your first order. Not only is this item functional, and useful, it's sure to become a collectors item!
You can sign up for the newsletter at this link: http://eepurl.com/dvZs4L
View full article →Sustainability and Responsible Farming—What Does it Entail?
Eco-Cha prides itself on sourcing tea in a responsible and sustainable way. There are lots of definitions and discussions on what this means exactly. These words can represent different things to different people. Here are some of the elements that we feel make a responsible farmer.
View full article →