Lishan High Mountain Oolong

photography by Douglas King

The highest tea growing peaks in Taiwan are located on Lishan. Misty, cool, high elevation, this mountain produces some of Taiwan's most famous tea. Tea farmers are growing tea around 1500 meters up to about 2600 meters at the highest point. Da Yu Ling and Fu Shou Shan teas are the most sought after among the wider tea audience because of their elevation.

Other lower elevation tea growing mountains may be growing other kinds of cultivars, like Jin Xuan. Around 1500 meter areas, Lishan farmers may be growing these varieties, too. But Qing Xin cultivar is the only one that can stand up to the highest elevation conditions and still produce a good oolong.

Compared to Alishan, Lishan tea is much more buttery. Alishan has high notes. And Lishan has a buttery texture that coats the mouth. It is balanced and thick, and is very classically representative of High Mountain Oolong.

We will be doing an Instagram live session with Lishan High Mountain Oolong on Tuesday the 10th of October at 11:30. Shiuwen will talk about how she brews and tastes the tea while drinking the tea with you. We want to encourage people to drink the tea along with us. If you have our Lishan then that's great, and if you drink another Lishan Oolong, that should be fine, too. Our goal is to facilitate drinking tea together and share the way we experience our teas.
Our Instagram account is https://www.instagram.com/floatingleavestea/

Written by Noah

Note on Myself: I’m Noah, and I have been an apprentice at Floating Leaves Tea since 2015. Since then, my love for tea has grown deeper and deeper, and I want to share my journey with you all. Thanks for reading!

2016 Winter Taiwan Tea Trip: Meishan

This is the first time I visited this tea farm at Meishan. The tea country at this part of the mountain is absolute beautiful. The farmer and his wife also run a bed and breakfast business. They showed us around and cooked us food. Besides tea farming, they run a bed and breakfast business too. If you ever come to this part of the tea world, make sure you check it out: http://zhulin.okgo.tw/

We spent two days visiting tea fields, taking walks, and drinking tea. We were surrounded in nature and kindness. I hope your 2017 will be filled with beauty, good tea and kind people too!

beautiful tea country

well-maintained tea field

bamboo forest right outside our cottage

we were surrounded by spetacular mountains

sunset with amazing "cloud sea"

A Couple More Tea Photos To Share From Instagram

Here are a couple of more photos I want to share from 9 Thousand Things on Instagram. I have a lot of fun looking at Alexander's photos. His photos help me to stop for a second and daydream - which I love doing - about two of my favorite things: traveling and tea!

Here are a couple of examples:

The following photo is for our Spring HeHuanShan.

Title: Lost World

Among all the photos Alexander took of Floating Leaves Tea, this is probably the one I go back and look at the most. I think it's because of the location. It makes me feel like it's a setting from a book. Where is this mysterious place? I started to imagine a person with the tea and his stories. Sometimes I put myself into the story. When customers come into the shop, I "close the book" and attend to them.  After they leave, I get to "read" the book of my imagination and I love it! When you look at this photo, can you imagine it being a part of a story?

The next photo is simply delightful and a bit mischievous. It's for our 2016 Spring Alishan, and the photo "describes" the nature of this Alishan well.

Title: Beneath the Bounce the Springs

Enjoy!

*photography provided by Alexander of 9 Thousand Things on Instagram.

Connecting With Tea Bloggers

I recently connected with some tea bloggers. They reviewed some of my teas and I had so much fun reading their notes! These tea bloggers have written some of the most vivid, detailed, and fun descriptions about their tea experiences that I've ever read.

Here are three great examples. Please check them out!

photo provided by Oolong Owl

Oolong Owl Blog on Floating Leaves Tea 2016 High Mountain Oolongs

photo by Jeff Cleary

UNYtea Guy on 2016 Lishan High Mountain Oolong

photo by Alexsia Wilson

My Thoughts Are Like Butterflies on 2016 HeHuanShan High Mountain Oolong



I spend most of my time taking care of my tea business and my son, so I haven't been as active with the online tea community as I would like. However, my son is eight now and I feel like I currently have more time and energy to connect with the various tea bloggers who have been writing about their passion for tea.

I know some of you order my teas and review my teas. You are on my list to receive samples as a thank you for supporting my business. But if you are wondering where your samples are, feel free to reach out to me (which might be the best and the fastest way!).

Happy tea drinking, happy reading and happy writing!

2016 Lishan - My Favorite New Spring High Mountain Oolong

Many customers have asked me if I have a favorite High Mountain Oolong from the 2016 Spring harvest. It's hard to pick just one because they are so good in many different and wonderful ways.

ShanLinXi is complex:  its flavor is rich and will carry through many different steepings. It's no wonder why ShanLinXi has been the customer-favorite High Mountain Oolong this season.

Alishan is beautiful and "quiet."  It's a tea that makes me feel like I would be content reading a book while sitting in the garden.

This season's DaYuLing is a late bloomer. As it gets into later infusions, the DaYuLing opens up and blooms into a delicious tea.

HeHuanShan is a great tea this season. Its texture is smooth and buttery and it has a huge, amazing aftertaste. I was debating with myself over whether I would pick this one or Lishan as my favorite.

Finally I set my mind on Lishan because it has a great flavor, a long-lasting aftertaste, and its liquid is so buttery that I can't stop drinking it - just one infusion after the other!

Beautiful, juicy tea leaves

I am a "texture" tea drinker. I do have to say that this Spring's High Mountain Oolong will make you very happy. If you haven't tried them out, give them a shot, I believe you will agree with me.

*photography by Jake Knapp of Could 9 Photo & Design

ShanLinXi Spring 2016 - Customers' favorite High Mountain Oolong

I love this Spring season's High Mountain Oolong!

Over the weekend, I did two blind tea tastings of my new 2016 Spring High Mountain Oolongs. People had fun tasting and discovering which one is their favorite for the season. Our Spring selection includes oolongs from:  Alishan; ShanLinXi; HeHuanShan; Lishan, and DaYuLing mountains.

Getting ready to taste 5 High Mountain Oolongs. Photograpy by Lee Damon. 

ShanLinXi turned out to be the people's choice this season! We brewed 5 High Mountain Oolongs at once in the bowl style and we didn't know which tea was in which cup. ShanLinXi's flavor showed up right away and it carried on through the end.

This season's High Mountain Oolong has definitely been worth the wait. I feel it has more complexity than the previous season's, and they all have a great, smooth texture! Want to know what delicious surprises this season has to offer? Please check out our High Mountain Oolong sampler and let me know which one is your favorite!

FLT High Mountain sampler, with a new look! Photography by Jake Knapp. 

In my next post, I will talk about the characteristics of each tea and let you know which one my favorite is!

2016 Taiwan Tea Trip: Wistaria Tea House

I am so happy to be back in Taiwan: the humid air, warmer temperature, the food and of course the tea people and teas!

After 12 and half hours of flight, Wistaria Tea House is always a perfect place to relax. 

A pot of Yu Shan High Mountain Oolong, a pot of 70's Dong Ding, and a pot of 60's Aged Puer brought so much happiness and satisfaction.

the entrance of Wistaria Tea House

window display

beautiful tea menu, so many good tea to choose from!

60's loose leaf Puer

awesome tea snacks: roasted peanuts, mochi, and tea plum

Single Estate Tea

I love single estate teas. The flavor profile not only change from season to season, they also change from week to week. I enjoy the surprises! Take my winter High Mountain Oolongs, for example. When I first received them in December 2015, I brewed them in Gaiwans. I liked ShanLinXi and Lishan the most. The salivation effect from ShanLinXi showed up right away and it was bold, and one couldn't miss the buttery-ness of this Lishan.

In January 2016, I did a blind tasting of these High Mountain Oolong with my tea club members. We didn't know which high mountain Oolong was in which tea bowl. The point of this kind of tea tasting is to use our senses and tasting skills to evaluate teas. It can be challenging, but it is fun for sure! From this blind tea tasting, I was amazed to discover that my two favorites were Lishan and
DaYuLing.

By the middle of January, I was a bit worried about the HeHuanShan. I wondered if it would open at all. Then one day in February, I brewed the HeHuanShan High Mountain Oolong and was delighted that so many good qualities in the flavor, salivation and aftertaste showed up!

In the middle of February, I was in Portland doing a Lunar New Year tea tasting with my tea friends. I decided to do a blind tea tasting with all the High Mountain Oolongs again. I noticed most of the teas opened up nicely at that time. ShanLinXi did well during this round, Lishan and DaYuLing maintained their qualities, HeHuanShan bloomed and Alishan was its usual self, affirming that "I am a beautiful tea!"

A good tea is like life:  it changes. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. I love these changes though. I embrace changes and surprises. Every time when I brew a pot of tea, I am always looking forward to the known and the unknown qualities.

*photos provided by Lee Damon.

New Winter Teas

Happy Holidays!

I have received a lot of sweet notes and cards from some of you. This is one thing that I love about my business. You are not just my customers, you treat me like I am your friend or family member. It's a wonderful feeling - Thank You!

Some winter teas just arrived. For lighter Oolongs, my Baozhong and High Mountain Oolongs have been here for a couple of weeks and they are opening up nicely. I love how the weather makes these teas different from season to season. Take our Farmer's Choice Baozhong for example, I feel that last season's has a bigger flavor, and this season's offers a very nice viscosity in the broth. High Mountain Oolongs offer some beautiful floral and citrus flavors and aftertastes. After the holiday season, I will be updating their tasting notes on my website.

For warm and darker Oolongs, I have a full body and solid DaHongPao. I also added a 90's AnXi Tieguanyin under the Older Oolong category. This is a traditional style Tieguanyin. It's full-bodied and smooth with a strong salivation effect. It's very satisfying, you've got to give it a try!

In about a week, there will be a very nice Gui Fei Mei Ren and a dark roasted Buddha's Hand. Make sure you check out the site and add them to your tea list.

In the next couple of days, 4 Sheng (Green/Raw) Puer will be added to our Puer list. Two are from 2013 and the other two are from the 90's. I am excited to be able to add them to our tea lineup. I can't wait for you to tell me what you think of these teas!

So many wonderful new teas to drink! Wherever you are in this holiday season, I hope you have a cup of delicious tea to accompany you. I will be having teas and thinking of you with a smile on my face.

Happy Holidays!

2015 Spring High Mountain Oolong - Fantastic Tea!

When our buyer, Rob Bageant, was out buying the Spring High Mountain Oolongs, I stayed connected with him via messaging. It was a bit of torture for me not to taste the tea, but at the same time, it was pretty fun to feel I could taste the teas based on his descriptions. We have bought tea together many times throughout the years; I have confidence and feel very connected to buy tea this way even though I was not there physically.

dry leaves of ShanLinXi

It excited me when our buyer's opening statement was, " Very good tea this season. So balanced." Then, he said, " it makes tea buying easy this year because it's so good!" When he was tasting DaYuLing, "this tea has no flaw", he said. I was screaming in my apartment, " I want to taste it"!

I had some of the High Mountain Oolongs shipped to Seattle via express mail. The box magically showed up in two days. Of course, I couldn't wait and tasted them all in a row. 

At that moment, I understood what Rob meant by the tea was very good this season. I tasted the Alishan, it was so beautiful that I felt that I was in a garden. Then I proceeded to ShanLinXi, it was a good ShanLinXi as I remembered: citrus, fruity, and wonderful stimulation in the mouth. Then I moved on to HeHuanShan, I remembered I kept saying, " I like this tea, I like this tea......There is so much goodness going on". When I tasted the Lishan, this came to my mind, " Yes! Thank you! A well balanced, solid, good Lishan. Thank you!"

I heat up the water to prepare to brew DayuLing. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. I have not carried this tea for many seasons. The first sip reached to my mouth. I had my eyes closed," Oh my! I have not tasted anything this buttery for a long time!" 

brewed leaves of DaYuLing

I remembered I read it somewhere saying that tea is the nectar of God. Yes, it is and it's magic. Tea leaves in a cup, and those farmers are able to transform a plant into a liquid that is so beautiful, complex and full of goodness. 

After so much high mountain tea, I felt pretty lively. I felt like I turned into a butterfly, happily flying around flowers in a beautiful garden. I felt very grateful of the farmers, the weather, and Rob. I felt fortune to be able to taste them. I had the wonderful flavor of tea lingering in my mouth, thinking, "Life is very good, isn't it?" 

NEW Teas - The Winter Oolongs Have Arrived!

The NEW teas are here!!

I returned from Taiwan about 3 weeks ago and have been so busy tasting, inventorying and tidying up the shop that I’m just now sitting down and writing about all of the beautiful teas that I was able to find this season.  I had a great trip and spent several days with my buyers and my tea farmers in Taipei, and I also got to spend some time with my family.  I love Taiwan!

Seattle had a record-breaking year of warm weather this year.  Taiwan was also a bit warmer than usual, which resulted in a warmer tea season with an earlier-than-usual harvest.  The fragrance of the High Mountain oolongs’ bouquets is a bit more muted than last year’s harvest, but the tea broth is solid, round and full.  Here are some of my notes:

Alishan: the lightest and the brightest of the high mountains this season.  Pleasant and refreshing, with a clean aftertaste.

ShanLinXi: soft, creamy, and citrus-fruit flavors.  My buyer knows that I especially like an exquisite tea broth, and he was right on in helping me pick this one. He predicted that the ShanLinXi’s complex flavor would be my favorite of the season.  It is very good, but still too early for me to pick a favorite.

Lishan: Heavier body and stronger aftertaste than the ShanLinXi.  Bold flavors, fruity, and a satisfying finish.  I am enjoying this tea very much and am having a difficult time deciding if I like the ShanLinXi or Lishan better. 

I had an interesting experience with this season's High Mountain teas that I want to share. While I was in Taiwan, I tasted the same ShanLinXi that I brought back.  I noticed the bouquet was stronger in Taiwan, so I thought it might have something to do with the water I used.  After I came back to Seattle, I tasted the Lishan and I thought the bouquet had disappeared, which really shocked me!  I tried it the next day and the bouquet was still not there.  I tried the Lishan from the same bag again on the third day and it turned out just as lovely as I remembered it in Taiwan!  The body, the taste, the scent and the aftertaste were all there!  I noticed that on the first two days, it was dark and rainy outside, but on the third day, it was sunny.  I wonder if the air pressure, weather, etc has some impact on how much of the bouquet shows up.  Anyway, I’m glad the right flavor profile has returned.  I have found that tea sometimes gets “jet lag,” too, and may need a little bit of time to open up. 

I’m excited about these teas and will be doing tastings soon – the schedule will be arranged and posted later this week.  I also brought back other teas, including a nice moderate roast Dong Ding, so I’ll post the notes about those teas, along with the tasting schedule, soon. 

Spring High Mountain Oolong

One of Floating Leaves Tea's tea buyers, Rob Bageant, went out to source our Spring High Mountain Oolongs last week. He was able to find us some High Mountain Oolongs with a smooth broth and clear HuiGan 回甘 (sweetness that returns to the throat area after you swallow the tea broth).

Tasting Spring Oolongs in Taiwan

He said that due to the unstable weather conditions, the bouquet of these High Mountain Oolongs might not be as strong (for example, lack of sunshine or too much rain), but with the highly-skilled tea farmers and producers, all of the tea he found us is smooth with wonderful HuiGan. I can't wait to taste them!

The first batch of High Mountain teas was sent over from Taiwan. I will be hosting some tastings soon.  Please check our blog and website for tasting times and dates.

sorting tea

*photos provided by Rob Bageant

New ShanLinXi and Lishan

Christmas has been busy. Thank you all for supporting my business, either ordering from the website or coming in for the new teas. I hope you have all had a chance to try out the new winter teas and enjoy them.

It had been so busy for me that I actually haven't had much time to enjoy these new teas myself. Yesterday, I finally had some quiet moments at the shop and the sun was out! I felt so happy to sit at the tea table and enjoy the new teas with the warm sun on my face.

I started with the new winter ShanLinXi. A customer showed up to taste the tea with me. We had five great infusions of this tea. It has a wonderful citrus note blended with a sweet, floral bouquet. There is a tartness in the tea that is balanced by the citrus note and sweetness. On the fifth infusion, the tea still tasted strong. I couldn't stop smelling the wet leaves while I drank the tea, they smelled so good!

Then we moved on to the Lishan. Many customers and I have been very satisfied with this tea. It's a solid high mountain tea with a smooth and strong body. The aftertaste of this tea lingers for quite a while. We made six good infusions out of this tea and decided to take a break. I sat there and enjoy the wonderful bouquet lingering in my mouth with a very nice Hui Gan (a sweetness that attaches in the throat area after one swallows the tea).

In the afternoon, two tea friends showed up, and I was very excited to tell them that I had a great tea session today with the ShanLinXi (I have had great tea sessions with Lishan). One of them is a big ShanLinXi fan and he told me he noticed when the weather is drier, ShanLinXi tastes better. Well, it was the first day of sunshine after who knows how many days of rain. Or, is it that my feelings of ease and peace helped me to better enjoy the tea?

Anyway, I will share more of my tasting notes for the new winter Oolongs in the next couple of posts. Thank you again for all of your support this year. I look forward to sharing more tasty teas with you in the coming year. Enjoy your teas and have a great 2011!

New Winter Oolong Will Arrive Soon!

I have been praying for a good winter Oolong harvest since October. Due to the changing climate, there were typhoons in Taiwan in October!

In early November, I talked to our tea buyer in Taiwan and he said the tea was not good. It was too watery and did not have enough substance. Every time I heard bad news like this, my heart sank. He said we should wait and see if better teas would show up later in the month.

I guess my patience paid off this time. We talked again last week and he was very excited to tell me that he had found some good High Mountain Oolongs. He took some of the teas he purchased for us and tried them at home. He wrote me an email this morning and stated that the tea tastes very good!

The High Mountain Oolong is on its way to Seattle. This season, we will have Alishan, Lishan, ShanLinXi and DaYuLing to share with you. I know many of you have been waiting a few seasons for us to get a good ShanLinXi and DaYuLing and I think you will be happy with what we have to offer this season. It's estimated to arrive in the middle of December and I can hardly wait to taste the teas with you! I will post more news and tasting notes shortly after the new teas arrive.

Da Yu Ling

Many of you have probably already heard the news that the Taiwanese government is planning on shutting down the tea farms in the DaYuLing area, which is famous for its premium quality high mountain oolong. We have heard this rumor for the past three years and I learned that the government is pretty serious about it this year.

When I was in Taiwan this past May, I thought it would be great if I could find a good DaYuLing tea. We didn't carry it last season and had a fairly small amount of it the season before that. It would also have been great because this year might have been the last season for us to enjoy this tea.

On May 22nd, 4 days before I left for Seattle, I went to visit a tea friend and hoped to hear some great news about DaYuLing tea. We sat down and he said, "Not good. The tea is not good. The tea farms in the FuShouShan and DaYuLing area were attacked by 'red spiders'." He showed me a picture he took in FuShouShan. There were around 10 "red spiders" on one tea leaf. I later learned that red spiders are actually not spiders. They are a pest to many plants and fruits. They are like spider mites (kind of like aphids); I don't know exactly what they're called in English but I'm sure you can find more information about them somewhere online.

I asked my friend why it was a bad thing to have "red spiders" on the tea bushes. Afterall, isn't Oriental Beauty also produced with the help of some sort of bugs? He replied, "That's different. The bugs for Oriental Beauty nibble behind the tea leaves and take some of the leaves' moisture out from the vein. The red spiders bite too much and destroy the cells in the leaves, so it will be hard to make good tea."

I feel bad for the farmers and feel bad for not being able to get a good DaYuLing. Hopefully, I will still have a chance next season.

Winter High Mountain Oolong

I've completed my tasting of the 4 High Mountain Oolongs that we will be carrying this season: Lishan, Alishan, Buddha's Hand, and LaLaShan. They all have a strong enough body and they are unique and very different from each other.

The Lishan Tea has a very nice fruit note with a buttery mouth feel. It has a very light roast to bring out the flavor.

The traditional Alishan Tea is floral, gentle, and complex. It is made by a premium Alishan tea maker and we are happy to have his tea again this season.

The Buddha's Hand is bold and green. It has not been roasted and was produced within the last 3 weeks, but the base is strong and the flavors will mellow.

The Lalashan is roasted, fruity, and has a clear and strong hui gan. It is a bold tea that yields a lot of flavor and many infusions.

We only have a small amount of each tea for now (the Buddha's Hand is temporarily unavailable) and more of them will be in Seattle after the New Year. If you want to figure out which one you might like the most, please check out the High Mountain Tea Sampler on our website: www.floatingleaves.com

I will be posting this season's Dong Ding tasting notes soon.

Happy Holidays to you all. Stay well and drink lots of good tea!

Brewing Da Yu Ling High Mountain Oolong Tea

When I was in Taiwan in May searching for Oolongs, I didn't notice that some of this past season's tea has a slight bitter taste in the back of my tongue. After I brought them back to Seattle, that mild hint of bitterness appeared in some of the new teas. I don't know why they had such a change. Perhaps just like humans, tea can change in new environments, too.

Many customers have tried this spring's Da Yu Ling and they've commented that this Da Yu Ling is sweet and complex, but not bold. They generally like this tea. A regular customer bought a bag of the Da Yu Ling, and after he tried it twice at home, he came to tell me that the tea had some bitterness to it. I was having tea with some friends at the teashop at that time and he didn't want to sit down to try the tea that I was brewing. I asked him to come back again and to bring the regular pot he uses for high mountain teas and with that pot, we could brew the tea together. He gladly accepted the invitation.

My customer showed up with his pot later in the week. He brewed the tea in his pot the way he is accustomed to and I brewed the same tea in a gaiwan. The first three infusions from his pot were overwhelmingly bitter. He tasted mine and told me that the bitterness was there, but it was not offensive. I laughed and said,"no wonder you didn't like this tea. It's too bitter the way you brew it!" He justified by saying," I think this tea is interesting. The flavor changes throughout the infusions and it can last for 7 infusions. This tea is not boring at all. I just don't like the first three brewings." I laughed again and told him that it was not good enough. He was very intrigued by the tea's different taste when brewed in a gaiwan compared to his pot, though. My point was to ask him to give this tea a chance.

Alone in the teashop one afternoon, I found that I was in the mood to drink Da Yu Ling. I took out a yixing pot and put in a lot more tea leaves than usual. I brewed it for about 20 to 25 seconds (I noticed that customer timed his tea 20 to 25 seconds). It was really good! I wish he was there at the time to try the tea. It had full body and was full of flavors. The slight bitterness was there, but it was not offensive at all. I enjoyed that tea until the last drop of many brewings.

My customer came again afterwards. I asked him if he could bring his pot over so that we could brew the same tea in two different pots, and he accepted the second invitation again.

This time, we were pretty scientific about the brewing. We measured the pots and the leaves. My pot is just little bit smaller than his. He used around 10.2 grams of tea and I used 10 grams. He timed the 20 seconds of brewing time and I added two to three more seconds. It turned out again that the tea from my pot was not as bitter as his. He insisted it was still too bitter and I respected what he was tasting. I told him with a sincerity that I liked the tea. I told him that in Taiwan, many people brew tea even stronger than what we did that day, and they would brew it to just the "right edge". Their tea tastes bitter, but it was normally full body and the Hua Gan(sweetness turns back to the throat) and a sweet taste will appear at the mouth. People like interesting changes like this. He told me it was the first time he ever heard of Hua Gan and he couldn't "sense" it. But it was interesting for him to learn new things.

I am back to Seattle!

I had a great trip to Taiwan and I am back to share the tea that I found.

For the unique varietals, I found a Buddha's Hand, a Taiwan Wuyi, and a Shei Shan. All of these teas have enough body, a nice mouth feel, and distinctive taste. For Baozhong, I purchased Farmer's Choice and Honorable Mention from Farmer Chen. There will be no first place this year, but you will get a chance to taste it at our Baozhong tea tastings.

There is also a selection of Dong Ding and Tieguanyin teas; some of them are very low in quantity. Both of these teas have full mouth feel.

For the high mountain teas, I chose a Shanlinxi, one Lishan, one Dayuling, and one Hehuanshan. This spring, the high mountain tea is gentler and has a softer body than previous winter teas. For the Alishan lovers, I'm sorry, but I couldn't t find one that was good enough to bring it back for you to drink. There is also an aged Buddha's Hand produced in 1991 and possibly an aged Tieguanyin.

In a couple of days, I will post some of these new teas on the website and offer you some tasting notes. Please keep an eye out for our upcoming newsletters for a series of tea tastings.

See you all very soon for new and age teas.

2009 Taiwan Tea Trip

I can't believe that I have to leave Taiwan in three days. It feels like I just got here and I am getting used to the rhythm of life. I am grateful to the people that I've met. They were helpful and generous. I will write more about this trip when I get back to Seattle. Here are some notes about the tea I have already tasted and that you will be able to try some soon.

I tasted 7 Dong Ding teas. Six of them are Spring teas and one of them is winter tea. This farmer is dedicated to producing tea the traditional way. A lot of attention and the best leaves that are actually from Dong Ding mountain go into making this tea so high in quality. All of his tea has very nice mouth feel and the flavor will stay in the mouth and throat for many hours. I chose one that I thought is the most balanced one. The farmer also gave me a small bag of aged Dong Ding. He didn't remember how old it is and told me not to sell that tea. If you can come by soon, I will share this with you when I am back.

My friend, Mr. Tsai, took me to Pinglin. We wanted to meet a farmer who has Xia Sha varietal. He told me that the farmer worked very hard and is dedicated to organic farming. Unfortunately, the farmer was not there that day. Mr. Tsai already ordered some tea for me. I will see if I can try it this Wednesday. Then we went to meet Farmer Chen and his wife. I probably tried 10 different Baozhongs. My favorite one was one that didn't win at the competition. I thought it has more weigh than the rest and it's very smooth. I also tried some aged oolongs. I chose one that was made from the Buddha's Hand varietal. This age Oolong has a very clear plum smell and it tastes very clean. 

On the third day in Taipei, I went to meet farmer Zheng and his family in the Mu Zha area. He is dedicated in making Tieguanyin. They were very friendly and very eager to let me try their teas. I lost count of how many I tried. They wanted me to try more. I told them I couldn't drink any more tea. I was not completely satisfied with this year's Tieguanyin so I chose a couple of teas that are about three to five years old.

I also drank a lot of high mountain teas. So far, I am not too crazy about Alishan tea. I did like one ShanLinXi, which has a very smooth body. I will try more high mountain teas over two days and decide what I want to bring back to Seattle.

New Winter Oolong Review - Part II

I have had these new winter Oolongs for 5 days now. Some of them started to change. I will do a more detail reviews in a couple of weeks. The tea might settle down more by then.
But anyway, here are some new High Mountain Oolongs that I just tasted:

ShanLinXi: This tea is very full body and have a nice fruit note. I made five infusions and the body and bouquet stayed all the way.

Lishan A: This Lishan is way softer than the ShanLinXi. It has a very smooth body and a delicate floral bouquet.




Buddha Hand: This is a very strong high mountain tea. Every infusion has a strong cooked vegetable and a hint of honey sweetness to it.