Seasonal Tea — oolong tea

Iron Goddess of Mercy is one of the most recognizable types of oolong - the name alone makes it memorable. Unfortunately its legacy is being tarnished to the point that tea producers of Iron Goddess from just a few decades wouldn’t be able to recognize the transformation in flavor that it has undergone in such a short period of time.  Tie quan yin, or Iron Goddess of Mercy is both a cultivar and tea process. Many different legends tell of the origin, but it’s widely accepted the tie quan yin cultivar first appeared in Anxi County in Fujian, China. Iron...

Tea production in Taiwan began after a mass migration of millions of people from China during the middle of the 19th Century. The migrants brought tea cultivars and oolong processing knowledge from Southern Fujian to Nantou, Taiwan. The style of tea produced was a medium-oxidized, medium-roasted, globe-shaped oolong that mimicked the Iron Goddess styles of tea of Southern Fujian. These teas are the roots of Taiwanese oolong production. Despite the evolving tea oolong industry, some producers make oolong tea the old way, even though it is no longer fashionable. I I however love the flavors that come from the mix...

The small island nation of Taiwan is dotted with several tea-producing mountains. During the 1970s and ‘80s, Taiwan’s tea growers experimented with the relationship between cultivar, process, and elevation. Elevations over 1000 meters above sea level certain varieties of tea to develop incredibly complex floral aromas and flavors that are attributed to slowed growth. Light oxidation, combined with light baking, further accentuates these incredible nuances in flavor and aroma. This is our second offering this year from Shan Lin Xi. We also offered a spring harvested version of this tea. Comparatively the spring is lighter in body, and a bit...

Southeastern China is the birthplace of oolong tea. Oolongs originated in the Wuyi mountain range located in northern Fujian province roughly 1000 years ago. According to old Chinese tax records, Fujian’s neighbor to the west, Guangdong province, has produced oolong for nearly 900 years. The oolong grown in Guangdong was certainly influenced by the manufacturing processes developed in Northern Fujian, but makes use of a unique strain of an old tea cultivar called dan cong. Dan cong was originally produced in the Golden Phoenix mountain range, which is why these teas are often referred to as Golden Phoenix Oolongs whether...

High growing elevation limits tea growth allowing for a longer development of flavor. During the 1970’s farmers in Taiwan discovered that growing tea at elevations over 1000 meters above sea level could produce oolong tea with astonishing complexity and an unparalleled weighty mouthfeel. Slowing the plant’s growth reduced the yield from 4 or 5 harvests per year down to 1 or 2, but it dramatically increased quality and thus gao shan cha or high mountain tea was born.  Farmers experimented growing existing cultivars at higher elevation, but soon found that a new cultivar named qing xin thrived. It was able...