Flavor: ​Fresh baby greens aroma. Balanced, creamy, delicate notes of spearmint and arugula. Clean, vegetal, full-bodied finish.

Garden: Taiwanese Bi Luo Chun Green Tea is only produced in the Sanxia (Three Gorges) District, on the south side of New Taipei City. Sanxia is the only region in Taiwan that has maintained the pre-modern system of tea farmers selling their fresh produce to centralized tea factories. Dozens of farms supply only a few factories. This is a relatively sustainable method that dates back to the Qing Dynasty.

Another sustainable and safe farming practice in Bi Luo Chun Green Tea production is that zero pesticides are used throughout the entire growing season. This is because very young, tender leaves are picked every 7-14 days for making this type of tea, so the harvest is basically ongoing. The only time pesticides are used at all on these farms is when the trees are pruned, which typically in once every 2-3 years.

Harvest: Hand-picked, small batch, Early Spring 2021.

Elevation: 300-500m

Bi Luo Chun Green Tea has an exceptionally delicate and pure character, since the tender new leaf buds undergo the least processing possible after being harvested. The flavor profile is very refined, with subtle nuances of flavor in a very light brew. The tea tree varietal that is used to make Bi Luo Chun produce especially fuzzy and plump leaf buds, providing the distinctive character of this tea type.

The yellowish "fuzz" that can be seen in the dried leaves comes from the tiny new leaf bud shoots at the growing tip that mostly fall off the leaves in their exposure to high heat during the "kill green" process of curing the leaves. These tiny shoots basically disintegrate into "fuzz". These are actually the microscopic fibers that offer natural protection of the new leaf sprout. They will mostly disappear in brewing the leaves, but can be noticed as floating micro-fibers on the surface of the tea. These contribute to the subtle complexity of this tea. The unaltered, fresh green flavor profile is wonderfully satisfying and refreshing. Bi Luo Chun Green Tea possesses a mystique that captivated Chinese royalty in ages past.

In addition to the simplest processing methods used to make Bi Luo Chun Green Tea, the most distinguishing factor of this tea type is the cultivar that is used. Qing Xin Gan Zai (青心柑仔) is exclusively cultivated in the San Xia area for the production of Bi Luo Chun and Long Jing Green Tea. With roots going back to dynastic China, this cultivar has been determined to produce the finest Green Tea.

The leaf buds are especially plump in their early growth stage, offering a particularly juicy composition. Preserving this composition by exposing the leaf buds to high temperatures as soon as possible after being plucked locks in their original fresh green, delicate character and flavor profile.

Although the Sanxia district has historical roots in tea production going back to the Qing Dynasty (1800's), it experienced a modern renaissance in the late 1970's. The economic development in Taiwan created a demand for specialty tea that brought back an era that had diminished in the tumultuous changes that this island went through in previous decades. Now it is a flourishing industry that supplies specialty teas to the Taiwanese market as well as Europe and North America. We are happy to be a part of this cultural propagation!

Gongfu: Use ​1g tea per 20-30mL 80°C water. First brew 40 seconds, second brew 30 seconds, third brew 40 seconds. Can be brewed 3 or 4 times.

Cold Brew: Use 4g 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.

Flavor: ​Savory, buttery, vegetal aroma. Smooth, substantial texture. Smooth, savory/pastry character. Refreshing, herbal finish.

Garden: This tea is grown and processed in Ruifeng Village, Meishan Township, in the Alishan tea producing region of Taiwan. Alishan is the southernmost High Mountain Tea producing region, with the Tropic of Cancer running through it. Being further south, it gets more direct sunlight, combined with almost daily afternoon fog that rises from the valleys below. These farms are at 1100-1400m elevation, providing the ideal growing conditions for this produce.

Harvest: Hand-picked, small batch, Ruifeng, Taiwan. Winter 2020.

Elevation: 1300m

This winter batch of Alishan High Mountain Oolong is similar to the previous fall harvest in character. It has savory and foresty notes more than floral or herbal. There is enough fresh green to give it the notorious High Mountain Oolong flavor, but it is more full-bodied and mellower than a spring tea character. It's both soothing and refreshing.

The source of this tea is a very reputable wholesale source for tea merchants throughout Taiwan and mainland China. Their tea is often sold before it is finished being made. We have seen professional competition players visit the factory during harvest time, assess the daily batches of tea half way through their curing process, and make large volume orders. In short, High Mountain Oolong Tea from this source is some of the best of its type on the market.

We befriended the family who runs this factory a few years ago, and have been sourcing our Lishan High Mountain Oolong Tea from them since then. They cooperate with the neighboring tea farmers in their production methods. They purchase quality fertilizer and set guidelines for the farmers to follow in their farm management. They then purchase the raw produce in full from the farmers and process the tea leaves themselves, and handle the sales to wholesale and retail customers. The farmers are often also the craftsmen who process the leaves.

This arrangement is sustainable in several ways. It relieves the farmers of the pressures of investing in the cost of processing their produce. The farmers are able to focus on farm management alone, and not have to worry about promoting and selling their tea. It is far more stable in terms of steady income on a seasonal basis for the farmers, and their lives are made easier as a result of this business relationship.

This region is also a more sustainable agricultural resource than other High Mountain Tea producing regions, due to the fact that the farms are located in a previously developed residential area. Tea producers in Meishan Township have repurposed their land resources to meet the growing demand of high quality tea. This has significantly less impact on the environment than clearing previously undeveloped land for tea production.

Gongfu: We recommend a 1:15 leaf to water ratio, so 10g of tea for 150mL of water. 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.

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.

Flavor: ​Fresh foresty, herbal aroma. Balanced, soft savory and vegetal notes. Satisfying, clean/dry finish.

Garden: This farm is managed by an innovative farmer who inherited his family farm, and has continued to expand his farm management to other plots of tea in the Shanlinxi region. Mr. Chen has been a professional tea judge for over 20 years, and continues to hone his skills as both a farmer and professional representative of specialty Oolong tea.

In recent years, he has focused on cultivating tea, and works in cooperation with a local colleague with whom he contracts the processing of his tea. We also know this colleague – Mr. Zhang, who is younger, but very skilled and sought after as a contracted tea maker. A great deal of the tea that he supervises the processing of is procured for entry into the Lugu Farmers' Association's Dong Ding Oolong Tea Competition. Mr. Zhang is also a professional tea judge who is highly motivated in his career.

Harvest: Hand-picked in medium batches, winter 2020. Shan Lin Xi, Nantou, Taiwan.

Elevation: 1500m

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 foresty or pastry-like. Oxidation offers a more substantial, less green brew that is complex, yet balanced and smooth on the palate. In addition to this, Mr. Chen had his leaves dried more extensively at the final stage of rolling and drying to remove any remaining moisture in the stems of the leaves. This cures the leaf more thoroughly, stabilizing the flavor profile and prolonging shelf life. It also subtly mellows the flavor further to offer a softer, sweeter, more balanced brew.

This winter crop was harvested significantly earlier than normal, since this section of the farm was pruned slightly after the spring harvest. So the new growth following the pruning grew faster than the rest of the farm. It was then oxidized significantly more than standard High Mountain Tea, with the intention of making into Dong Ding Oolong. But it was not quite oxidized enough to produce optimal results as a Dong Ding. So we decided to source this entire day's harvest from this very small section of the farm for our winter batch of Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong.

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.

Gongfu: Use ​1g tea per 20-30mL 80°C water. First brew 40 seconds, second brew 30 seconds, third brew 40 seconds. Can be brewed 3 or 4 times.

Cold Brew: Use 4g 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.

Flavor: ​Fresh, herbal aroma. Green leafy character, mildly sweet. Refreshing flowery finish.

Garden: This artisan consistently achieves high ratings in virtually every oolong tea competition in Taiwan, including the largest oolong tea competition in the world. He works with a co-op of farmers that share knowledge and resources. A prime example of sustainable methods combined with expertise.

Harvest: Machine harvested in medium batches. Winter 2020. Nantou, Taiwan.

Elevation: 400m

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.

Tsui Yu 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. 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.

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 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 that the solar withering occurs at the ideal time. Machine harvesting provides more control over these daily conditions simply because it is faster and does not require scheduling a team of pickers.

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.

Gongfu: For brewing Oolong Tea Gongfu style, we suggest a ratio of 1:15 tea leaves to water in a small teapot (200ml or less) for one minute intervals.

Flavor: Creamy, sweet, toasted nutty flavor. Crisp mildly smoky, lasting finish. Roasted yams and pine aroma.

Garden: This batch of Dong Ding tea comes from Yonglong Village, just above Dong Ding Mountain. Yonglong is known for its rich soil which differs from other locales in Lu Gu Township. The unique flavor of the DongDing Oolong produced here is attributed to this soil quality, along with the fact this region is home to the most concentrated population of skilled oolong tea artisans in Taiwan. This farm is managed by a father and son team who inherited their family tradition as artisans of Dong Ding Tea. Their tea has been awarded first prize in the world's largest Oolong tea competition, and they consistently achieve top awards in their local competition of traditionally made Dong Ding Oolong.

Harvest: Hand picked in small batches. Winter 2020. Yonglong, Nantou.

Elevation: 700m

Dong Ding Oolong is a medium oxidized, 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.

Our source of this tea is representative of a Dong Ding 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.

This tea comes from Yonglong Village, just across from 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 adjacent ridge to 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 family's tea gardens are 30-40 years old, and are solely comprised of an early strain of Qing Xin Oolong that some some farmers consider to be an heirloom strain that is no longer readily available.

Gongfu: For brewing Oolong Tea Gongfu style, we suggest a ratio of 1:15 tea leaves to water in a small teapot (200ml or less) for one minute intervals.

Flavor: ​Rich, roasted aroma. Hearty, bold, smoky/nutty flavor. Toasty finish.

Garden: This artisan consistently achieves high ratings in virtually every Oolong Tea competition in Taiwan, including the largest Oolong Tea competition in the world. He works with a co-op of farmers that share knowledge and resources. A prime example of sustainable methods combined with expertise.

Harvest: Machine harvested, medium batch. Songboling, Taiwan. Spring 2020.

Elevation: 400m

These well roasted tea leaves offer a bold flavor profile that makes this tea a perfect coffee alternative — particularly for folks who are trying to cut down on their caffeine intake! Roasting tea leaves releases the caffeine from the leaves, lowering the caffeine content in the brewed tea. .

The brewed tea has a hearty, balanced character with notes of roasted pecans and walnuts. There is a hint of smokiness in the finish, combined with sufficient complexity and a touch of sweetness that makes it quite satisfying. This tea type is a great daily cuppa that you won't tire of easily, and it's easy on the wallet!

These leaves were allowed to oxidize significantly more than our unroasted Tsui Yu Oolong tea, in order to achieve optimal results in their roasting. This added time and skilled attention put into to the making of this tea are what make it an especially good value. It is an artisanal tea made from economical resources — making it a prime example of sustainably sourced 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 toasted nutty character if the leaves are roasted post production.

This batch of tea leaves comes from the most active tea roaster we know. This man enters virtually every oolong tea competition in central Taiwan. He won 3rd Place out of 6,777 entries in the winter 2018 Lugu Farmers' Association Dong Ding Oolong Tea Competition. This is the largest oolong tea competition in the world. 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 Roasted Tsui Yu selection is made in the fashion of this competition's standard. 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.

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 is a hand-held type of hedge clipper 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 solar withering is done the ideal time for the initial wilting phase of the leaves. Machine harvesting provides more control over these daily conditions simply because it is faster, and does not require scheduling a team of pickers.

Gongfu: 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.

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.

Flavor: Sweet, fruit pastry aroma. Rich, complex, smooth composition. Notes of dried fruit. Clean, dry finish.

Garden: This tea comes from Fenghuang Village, on the ridge just across from Dong Ding Mountain. Fenghuang is known for its rich red soil which differs from other locales in Lu Gu Township. This farm is managed by our good friend who inherited his family tradition as artisans of Dong Ding Oolong. Like their Traditional Dong Ding Oolong, we feel confident in saying that this is a high quality Small Leaf Black Tea.

Harvest: Hand-picked, small batch. June 2020. Fenghuang, Lugu, Taiwan.

Elevation: 500m

In recent years, our friend has made his summer crops of Qing Xin Oolong and Tai Cha #20 (Ying Xiang) from his family plots of tea into Black Tea. This farm and home factory is managed by one of the most skilled traditional Dong Ding Oolong Tea makers we know, and using his summer crop to make Black Tea due to demand from his long term customers is a prime representative of a more general trend in the local industry.

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, with a complex, vibrant flavor profile that includes notes of rhubarb and bergamot, and a dry lingering muscatel aftertaste.

The name Small Leaf Black Tea refers to the category of cultivars that are distinguished from... you guessed it — large leaf types! Put simply, small leaf types of tea are a result of cultivating and breeding different strains in different regional climates that mostly occurred in China over hundreds of years. This breeding of small leaf types continues today. So in Taiwan, large leaf type teas include the Assam strain that was propagated by the Japanese in the first half of the 20th century, as well as the naturally occurring indigenous tea tree, and also the hybrid of these two strains, which is called Tai Cha #18, a.k.a Red Jade a.k.a Ruby Red. Virtually all other strains of tea grown in Taiwan belong to the small leaf category. These small leaf types are mostly used for making Oolong and Green Teas.

Tai Cha #18/Red Jade Black Tea has become quite popular since its commercial promotion after the 9/21 earthquake in Taiwan in 1999. Oolong Tea makers met this new demand for specialty Black Tea by using their summer crops of small leaf tea types to make Black Tea. The result is that there are not only many versions of Black Tea made from many different strains of small leaf Black Tea now made in Taiwan, but they are also made by some of the world's best Oolong Tea makers. The farm management and tea making skills that go into producing the Oolong Tea that Taiwan has become world renowned for is now being used to produce Black Tea as well. So the processing methods involved in making small leaf type Black Tea often involve the initial step of Oolong Tea making — namely, solar withering. This added step is considered to result in a more distinctive character of Black Tea with a more vibrant, complex flavor profile.

Our source of small leaf Black Tea is a prime example of this. He was born and raised in the heart of Dong Ding Oolong Tea country, and has inherited his family farm and factory. He is also a professional tea judge at the Lugu Farmers' Association and manages High Mountain Tea farms in the Shan Lin Xi tea growing region above Lugu. In addition to producing his own tea, he regularly provides the service of processing other farmers' produce in his home factory into whatever type of tea the farmer orders. So he is proficient at making traditional Dong Ding Oolong, Hong Shui Oolong, Black Tea, as well as lightly oxidized High Mountain Tea. He also has decades of experience in farm management, and produces tea that regularly wins awards in the local competitions.

In addition to this, our source of this tea has his tea leaves rolled in the manner of Oolong Tea, rather than the curled strip tea that is most common in Black Tea making. This added step preserves the integrity of the leaf by making it less susceptible to crumbling, and possibly produces a more refined flavor profile.

Gongfu: For Black Tea, we suggest a 1:25 ratio, using 90°C water for one minute intervals.

Flavor: ​Cherrywood smoke, fire-roasted yams aroma. Thick, oily mouthfeel. Dried apricots, roasted pecans, and molasses flavor profile. Sweet/tangy, dry smoky, peaty finish.

Garden: These tea leaves are from a Shan Lin Xi high mountain tea farm, fall 2020 harvest. They were they were sufficiently oxidized to be suitable for extensive roasting.

This batch of tea was oven roasted 3 times over 3 months time, letting it rest between roastings. When it was about 80% of the desired roasting level, it was brought it to the local charcoal roasting master in Lugu, who completed the task, using Longanwood charcoal.

Harvest: Hand-picked, medium batch. Fall 2020. Shanlinxi, Taiwan.

Elevation: 1400m

The aroma that exudes from these leaves during their initial steeping is a rich caramelized, nutty character with a hint of smoke. The tea is complex, hearty, and smooth, with a pleasant balance of bitter and sweet notes in the finish. It's similar to a traditionally made Dong Ding Oolong, but the leaves grown at higher elevation have an even more substantial composition.

This batch of tea was sourced by our tea mentor and close friend Lisa Lin in Lugu, Taiwan. Lisa sourced tea from her friend's farm at spring harvest that was processed in preparation for entry into competition.

Lisa roasted this batch of tea 4 times over 4 months time, letting it rest between roastings. When it was about 80% of the level she was aiming for, she brought it to the local charcoal roasting master in Lugu, who completed the task, using Longanwood charcoal.

These tea leaves were allowed to oxidize significantly more than a standard High Mountain Oolong, as this spring batch was processed in preparation for competition. The skillful art of roasting tea is in the ability to comprehend the composition of the leaves before the roasting begins, and to perceive the transformation they go through in the long, slow roasting process. This perceptual ability becomes more essential as the leaves reach their optimal composition.

Gongfu: 9g for a 150 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.

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.