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Taiwan High Mountain Oolong Tea Winter 2024
So, you may be wondering — how exactly do these three winter 2024 batches of Taiwan High Mountain Oolong compare?! Well in short, they are distinctly different in their aromatic and flavor profiles. This is primarily due to their regional variations, which you can learn more about on each product page. Then there are the differences in the timing and weather on the day of harvest. And finally, the slight but significant differences in how they were processed.
Continue readingTop 5 Best-Selling Teas in 2024 | Eco-Cha Teas
Taiwan's tea culture is rich and diverse, offering a variety of flavors that have captivated tea enthusiasts worldwide. Based on our sales from last year, here are the top five best-selling Taiwanese teas from 2024. Continue readingTaiwan's Nantou Global Tea Expo 2024
Taiwan's 13th annual Nantou Global Tea Expo was held for nine consecutive days from 10/5 — 10/13/2024. It's by far the largest and most extravagant tea event in Taiwan — with several hundred vendors, and lots of fun activities to be enjoyed. In addition to specialty teas, there are also coffee, fruit and vegetables, tea ware and arts and crafts being sold. Local news reported that close to one million people attended this year! Continue readingBonsai Exhibit At Historical Mazu Temple
We recently visited the historical Lu Er Men Mazu Temple in Tainan for a bonsai exhibit and competition. It's known to be the largest Mazu temple in the world, and it was indeed impressive in stature! Mazu is perhaps the most prominent Daoist deity in Taiwanese culture, and is believed to be a sea goddess who is especially worshipped by sailors and fishermen seeking refuge and protection. Continue readingMid-Autumn Festival Gathering: Our Favorite Holiday Custom
Mid-Autumn Festival is the second biggest cultural holiday of the year in Taiwan. This year was a bit of a subdued occasion, as it fell on a Tuesday, and Monday was a work day. So the festivities were much less apparent this year. We missed seeing the ubiquitous family barbecues popping up in front yards everywhere. So we called our dear friends on Monday and asked if they were up for a visit and a barbecue on Tuesday. They said "Of course!".
Continue readingDifferent Types of Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncakes in Taiwan
The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is one of Taiwan’s most celebrated holidays. Held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, this festival brings families together to appreciate the full moon and share mooncakes. These delicacies come in a variety of flavors and textures, and they are best enjoyed with Taiwanese tea, especially oolong tea, which enhances the experience of savoring these treats. Continue readingSipping Serenity: The Art of Drinking Tea Anywhere
Tea, the timeless beverage, has been a companion for humanity across centuries and cultures. Thankfully, modern innovations allow us to enjoy this ritual wherever we are. Whether you're hiking in the mountains, working in an office, or traveling, brewing and drinking tea on the go is both accessible and delightful. Continue readingSpring 2024 High Mountain Oolong Teas
Our spring 2024 high mountain Taiwan Oolong teas are all in, and we brewed them side by side to see how they compare with each other. We brewed them in the "factory cupping style" — 6g of tea leaves in a standard tea judging bowl, filled with boiling temp water, and sipped as they brew. The real results are when the tea has cooled considerably, and the brewed tea has become somewhat concentrated. Continue readingLi Shan High Mountain Oolong Spring 2024
We had a wonderful visit to Li Shan for spring 2024 harvest. Li Shan (Pear Mountain) is the highest elevation and most prestigious high mountain tea producing region on the island of Taiwan. Li Shan is located much further north of both the Alishan and Shan Lin Xi regions. This offered the specific benefit of receiving much more rainfall in Li Shan during the spring growing season than the regions to the south. Continue readingSpring 2024 Update
Eco-Cha is dedicated to bringing you the finest teas from Taiwan. 2024 has already been particularly eventful, with harvests, tastings, and the age-old craft of tea-making. Here’s a glimpse into what we’ve been up to so far this spring.
Continue readingTaiwan High Mountain Oolong Tea : Winter 2023
In this post, we discuss the Alishan and Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Tea growing regions in the context of tasting our winter 2023 batches of each. The photo above is an aerial shot of tea farms from our source of Alishan High Mountain Oolong Tea. Continue readingTraditional vs. Roasted Dong Ding Oolong Tea
We did a side by side tasting of our Traditional Dong Ding Oolong Tea and our Dong Ding Oolong Tea. We now procure both of these selections from the same source. Currently, our Traditional Dong Ding Oolong Tea is from spring 2023 harvest and our Dong Ding Oolong Tea is from winter 2023 harvest. So they are two different seasonal harvests from the same farm and made in the same way by the same craftsman. Continue readingCentral Taiwan Lantern Festival 2024
The Lantern Festival, also known as the Yuan Xiao Festival (元宵節), is a highly anticipated and celebrated event in Taiwan. This festival marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations and is observed on the 15th day of the first lunar month. This year, the Lantern Festival will be celebrated on February 24 and we wanted to share with you some of the festivities on the ground. Read more to find out! Continue readingHow To Use A Professional Tea Judging Set
The Professional Tea Judging Set is essential teaware for being able to assess whole leaf tea efficiently and thoroughly. Let's take a look at what's included, and how it can be used to enhance your experience and understanding of tea. Continue readingMuzha Tie Guan Yin Oolong
We just recently put our spring 2023 batch of Tie Guan Yin Oolong on the shelf. We purposely allowed it to rest for more than four months before packaging it up to put in the store. This allows the roast to settle and mellow, bringing forth a more complex and refined flavor profile. We are always impressed at how this tea brews a luminescent rich copper-toned brew — portraying the skill and finesse of how it was roasted several times for a total of about 50 hours. Continue readingShan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong Tea | Fall 2023
Although there was a light, wispy fog up at the tea garden by 10 a.m. on the day of harvest, the leaves were transported down the mountain — from 1500m on the farm to about 700m elevation at the factory. It was a warm and sunny day in the village where the leaves were processed, offering optimal withering conditions. The character of the brewed tea is a classic fall batch — not overly fragrant, but substantial in both its aromatic and flavor profile. A smooth, balanced brew that results from tender leaf material and skillful processing. Continue readingAlishan High Mountain Jin Xuan Oolong Tea Fall 2023
Alishan High Mountain Jin Xuan Oolong was the first of three different types of tea we cupped last week on our fall 2023 sourcing trip to Alishan Tea Country. Of the three batches of Alishan Jin Xuan being brewed above, we chose the one with the most pronounced buttery/creamy note that is characteristic of the Jin Xuan/Tai Cha #12 cultivar — also known as "milk oolong". This batch was also the most oxidized — resulting in a full bodied, balanced brew. Continue readingAlishan High Mountain Oolong Tea Fall 2023
It was quite the tea cupping when we visited our source of both Alishan and Li Shan High Mountain Oolong to taste the recent fall harvest. We cupped three different types of tea overall, drinking tea for about three hours straight! But for now, we'll focus on Alishan High Mountain Oolong Tea — fall harvest. Continue readingGhost Festival in Taiwan: A Spectacular Display of Customs and Traditions
Taiwan, a land of vibrant culture and rich traditions, is no stranger to unique customs and celebrations. One such captivating event is the Ghost Festival, known as 中元節 (Zhongyuan Festival), which takes place during the seventh month of the lunar calendar. This month-long celebration culminates on the 15th day when the gates of hell are believed to be thrown open, allowing restless spirits to roam freely on the earthly plane. Continue readingShan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong Tea Summer 2023
The tea garden that produced our summer 2023 batch of Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong is an especially foresty plot of tea — especially in its current state! The owner of this plot of tea initially planted a lot of trees that have grown to nearly full size. The tea trees themselves have also been allowed to grow taller than usual, and were not trimmed after spring harvest.
Continue readingAlishan High Mountain Oolong Summer 2023
We are excited to present a fine batch of Alishan High Mountain Oolong Tea — summer 2023! Taiwan has had much better weather during the second flush growing season, following drought conditions in early spring. And the weather during summer harvest has been auspiciously sunny! Continue readingLi Shan High Mountain Oolong Spring Tea 2023
Spring harvest of Li Shan High Mountain Oolong Tea produced better results than perhaps anywhere else on Taiwan this year. This is due to the fact that the Li Shan tea producing region is at the highest elevation, making it the latest harvest in spring and the earliest harvest in winter. Continue readingTraditional Dong Ding Oolong Spring 2023
We snapped the photo above as we finally sat down after our work was done, and watched the sun rise over the ridge below Phoenix Mountain in Lugu, Taiwan. The third and final shift of processing the spring crop of Traditional Dong Ding Oolong Tea began at midnight and was completed as the sun rose. Continue readingAlishan High Mountain Oolong Spring Tea 2023
Our Alishan High Mountain Oolong Tea is cultivated on a residential farm, run by a husband and wife team, with their own factory, and surrounded by forest. This couple is most closely aligned with Eco-Cha's premise of sustainability in their farming and tea production practice. We are excited to put their Oolong Tea back on our menu this spring!
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