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Another impressive oolong from TTC. Love their packaging too. If you buy 250 g, for instance, they send it in 5 50 g packs to keep the tea as fresh as possible. This is the third of three samples I got from them and my favorite of the bunch.

Medium finish. No astringency or bitterness. Mild-medium sweetness. A bit acidic in smell and flavor. Longevity is 8-10 infusions. Super clean flavor.

I’ve determined that Taiwanese oolongs are the most consistently clean, balanced, drinkable teas for the price. Doesn’t seem I’m alone in this realization either. Hope they keep putting out amazing oolongs for many years to come :).

Harvest: May 2023
Location: Shibi shan, Yunlin County (elevation 1300 m)
Cultivar: Qing Xin

Dry Leaves: Vegetal, butter
Wet Leaves: Vegetal, herbal, barley, acidic
Flavor: Vegetal, buttery, herbal, thick, lemon, sweet

A super unique tea! Quite lovely. Don’t think I’d buy more of this, but would love to sample some of the other cultivars commonly used in Sun Moon Lake teas.

First Sun Moon Lake black tea for me, and I’m impressed. No bitterness or astringency. Aftertaste is quite long and minty. Longevity is 8+ infusions. Don’t really get any of the fruity notes mentioned by reviewers on TTC’s website. I have also read that Red Jade is often compared to the taste of cognac or brandy. Not a hard liquor person myself, but I do see the hard liquor qualities of this tea, minus the alcohol taste of course. However, the smell of the wet leaves is incredibly specific for me. Brings back childhood memories of those root beer barrel candies. Not root beer itself, but the candies specifically. Moments like these are why I love tea: the resurfacing of memories long forgotten through a simple leaf soup.

Harvest: May, 2023
Location: Sun Moon Lake, Nantou County (700 m elevation)
Cultivar: Hong Yu/TTES No. 18

Dry Leaves: Cinnamon
Wet Leaves: Cloves, root beer candy, mint
Flavor: Burnt sugar, sweet, spices, mint, cinnamon

Hmmm this one is intriguing. Very light, but what flavor there is is good. It’s quite a step back in intensity from the bold Taiwanese oolongs that Eco-cha boasts. Objectively, this is a wonderful tea. Longevity, complexity, mouthfeel, balance are all on point. And there’s some heady cha qi to boot. But in my opinion it is certainly not worth it for the price ($0.60/g). However, it was nice to try another Li Shan oolong from a different company. Still not wowed by the Li Shan name as many others apparently are. But if I want a subtle cup of tea, this is a great option. The main word that comes to mind when I tried this tea was “clean.”

Apparently Fushoushan refers to a government farm in Taiwan that used to be part of Chang Kai Shek’s summer domain at the top of the Li Shan range (> 2300 m elevation). This particular oolong comes from a garden adjacent to the government-owned parcel of land.

Undertones of sweetness with no bitterness of astringency to speak of. Longevity is nice at 8+ infusions. Mouthfeel is very thick with nectar qualities. Primary flavor for me is cucumber. Aftertaste is extraordinarily long (many minutes) and fresh.

Harvest: May 2023 (Lot 1230)
Location: Li Shan, Taichung County (elevation 2100 m)
Cultivar: Qing Xin
Picking: Hand-picked

Dry leaf: Floral
Wet leaf: Floral, honeysuckle
Flavors: Floral, melon, cucumber, sweet, nectar.

Free sample with my last W2T order that I’m just now getting around to. Has a strange front end high note that is difficult to pin down. The overall gist I’m getting from the flavor is cinnamon peach cobbler.

Medium sweetness, no astringency or bitterness. Finish is quite long. Mouthfeel is, when tied to the flavor, like spiced gelatin (think of that gelatinous pie/cobbler filling). No metallic taste, but the front-end note gives a sharp, metallic character.

Overall, a respectable tea from W2T. One of their better ones from what I’ve tried. Not rushing to order more, but might pop a couple of minis in to my next order from there, if any are left.

Dry leaf: Nothing
Wet leaf: Fruity
Flavors: Red licorice, black licorice, walnut, peach, brown sugar, cinnamon, cobbler/pie, gelatin, cherry.

Bought a sample of this 2023 asamushi sencha with my order from Tezumi. I am definitely more satisfied with this one, although I don’t think I like either better than their Matsuba Sencha. This one has more flavor, complexity, and sweetness with less harsh notes than the Ao-Sora.

Harvest: May, 2023.
Cultivar: Okumidori
Location: Wazuka, Kyoto

Dry leaf: Vegetal.
Wet leaf: Same.
Flavor: Vegetal, grassy, sweet, bitter, umami.

I feel pretty let down by this sencha. Even for an asamushi, it is too light in flavor for me at 60 degrees C. At 70 C, it was too bitter (more than they claim on the website). Sweetness isn’t really there nor is there any astringency.

I don’t mind light flavor in my tea. And the flavor that is there is pretty nice. However, it is nowhere near as good as I’d hope for a $0.44/g tea.

Apparently this Taiwanese cultivar is also the one used to make Dongfang Meiren (Oriental Beauty), which is pretty interesting.

Harvest: May 12, 2022.
Cultivar: Chin Hsin Da Pa
Location: Honyama, Shizouka (100 m elevation)

Dry leaf: Umami, vegetal.
Wet leaf: Same.
Flavors: Umami, vegetal, bitter, grassy, nutty.

This tea is wonderful. Tasted immediately after their generic JX, I think I enjoy it about as much, although I believe this is higher quality tea. This one is much more floral and has a more noticeable, lingering buttery aftertaste and hou yun. However, this one is over twice the cost of the generic version.

The more interesting comparison to me is to their other Alishan. This is much richer and fuller feeling, while the other is lighter, crisper and juicier. Cool to see how vastly different the two are in profile. While their website does not list the cultivar for their other Alishan, I believe it’s safe to assume it is Qing Xin, as the majority of Taiwanese high mountain oolongs are made with that cultivar. And these two teas are from the same area and (I think) made by the same farmer, so the only significantly different variable is cultivar. This tea is like a bold, buttery chardonnay, while the other is akin to a juicy, light gewürtztraminer.

No bitterness or astringency. Medium sweetness (a bit more than generic version). Longevity is 10 infusions.

This was my last sample from Eco-Cha, and they have become one of my favorite vendors, along with Farmerleaf, Verdant, and Yunomi. My ONLY complaint is that they would provide the same detailed information on cultivar and location for ALL of their teas on their website and indicate the harvest on the bag (I bought right before/as the Spring 2023 teas were coming out).

Harvest: Winter 2022
Location: Ruili Village, Meishan Township, Chiayi County (1000 m elevation).

Dry Leaf: Floral, cream.
Wet Leaf: Floral, vegetal.
Flavor: Cream, butter, floral, sweet, vanilla.

I’m giving this 90 points not because it deserves it by the flavor, but because it achieves that flavor at $0.07/g, which is outstanding! This is incredibly smooth, thick, and flavorful at that price point. Definitely more refined and complex than What-cha’s Mei Shan JX.

No bitterness or astringency. Medium-low sweetness. Mouthfeel is buttery and pretty thick. Longevity is 8-9 infusions.

Harvest: Winter 2022?
Location: Songboling (elevation 400 m).

Dry Leaf: Cream, butter.
Wet Leaf: Same.
Flavor: Butter, cream, honey, sweet, fruit, vegetal.

Another great tea from Eco-Cha. At this price point, it’s wonderful.

No bitterness or astringency. Flavor is very floral, but not overwhelmingly so. Aftertaste and mouthfeel are fairly thick and very fragrant, floral, and perfumey. Minimal sweetness.

Harvest: Spring 2022
Location: Songboling (400 m elevation)
Cultivar: Si Ji Chun (Four Seasons)

Dry Leaf: Floral.
Wet Leaf: Spinach.
Flavors: Floral, rose, green apple, cream.

This is a high quality tea and was either not cheap, or was a great value if so. Impossible to know as it is sold out on their website. Glad I got a free sample anyways :).

This is a blend of leaves from six large trees from the mountain Ba Da Ye just north of Little Jinggu. The man who sourced and processed the tea is Luo Kai Yin.

Unlike their 2022 Gulan from yesterday, this one had arms wide open from the start. William’s description on the website is spot on. Only a twinkle of bitterness with no astringency. Mouthfeel is medium-thick. Mild sweetness. Hou yun is long and vaporous like a cloud in your throat. Flavor is mild, but incredibly pleasant, soothing, and most noticeable in the aftertaste. Longevity is 16+ infusions.

Wish they still had cakes left…

Dry Leaf: Vegetal.
Wet Leaf: Dried apricots.
Flavors: Bitter, sweet, cream, white grapes.