Taiwan Tea Tour, Alishan Tea Processing - Part II

Weighing the oxidized tea leaves for "Big Stirring":




The tea leaves after the Big Stir:




"Kill Green" (using high heat to stop oxidation):








Bruising the leaves to break down more cells and bring the leaf juices to the surface:




Using even heat to redistribute the moisture from the leaves, while preparing other batches of leaves that have just finished the killing green process. Next, it will be time for shaping the leaves:






*Thank you, Matthew, for the photos.

Taiwan Tea Tour, Alishan Tea Processing - Part I

It was wonderful to watch the tea making process. Each step of the process has a special charm and a uniquely beautiful aroma. Even standing in the tea fields without doing anything makes me happy.


Tea picking:




Tea pickers charge by how many leaves they pick:




Indoor oxidation:




A tea factory owner showed us how to "Stir Green":






In a more modern tea factory, things are more scientific and exact. They weigh the leaves after oxidizing to do the "Big Stir" (breaking the cells down from further oxidation):

Taiwan Tea Tour, Alishan Day 5

I love being in Alishan. It's so green and full of wonderful trees and bamboo forests.





I am happy that farmer Zhang had some time to show us around this time. I enjoyed talking and hiking with him.



And of course, we got to drink their freshly made Alishan tea. I think the overall quality of this season's tea is better than last winter. I am excited to bring back some Alishan from their tea fields and I can't wait to share them with you!

Taiwan Tea Tour, Muzha Tieguanyin Day 4

Before our appointment with Farmer Zhang, we took some time to walk around the Muzha area. We were very lucky to discover pickers harvesting tea. They were very nice and didn't mind us going in to the tea field to see how they picked tea. They told us they were picking Six Season Spring varietal, the 2nd harvest of the season.



Then we saw the farmer who collected the leaves. He didn't mind us watching him doing outdoor oxidation and let us smell the leaves. They smelled delicious!



I was really looking forward to drinking tea with Farmer Zhang. He has a passion for making traditional style Tieguanyin and I simply love his smile.

He started us off with a Tieguanyin that he just finished roasting a couple of hours prior to us showing up. It's very interesting to start with a tea like that. He told us that some drinkers like tea that's "fresh out of the oven." I told him that I felt the tea is not "round" yet. He said a tea like that takes a couple of weeks for the firing to become smooth. He said he wanted us to taste the tea base. He guaranteed that the tea would turn into a round tea if we stored it for a while. It's always very interesting to discuss tea with Farmer Zhang. I will be sharing what he thinks about his teas over the next couple of posts.



I ended up choosing a Tieguanyin made in 2008. It has a strong tea body with a very clear energy. I also picked up a Tieguanyin that was made in 1999. It's smooth and the tea energy is gentler. I am very happy with both of the teas. I am looking forward to sharing them after I return to Seattle!

Refrigerated Buddha Hand

PingLin is one of oldest tea growing regions in Taiwan. It's most famous for its Baozhong, but it also has a lot of other varietals of tea plants. One of my favorite ones is tea made from the Buddha Hand varietal. When I go to visit Farmer Chen, I always ask if he has any Buddha Hand tea.

Prior to our visit, Farmer Chen had a customer who tried his Buddha Hand and liked it so much that he bought all of the Buddha Hand in the shop! Farmer Chen knew that we were curious about that tea, so he brought out a Buddha Hand that was only half-way done. The leaves were stored in the refrigerator and were awaiting the rolling process.



I have never tasted a Buddha Hand like this before. It was much lighter than the finished one I'm used to. We appreciated Farmer Chen's generosity in sharing this special treat with us.

*photos are provided by Matthew Kraus