Yushan Organic High Mountain Qing Xin Oolong Tea, Lightly Baked

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This tea bears the name of Taiwan’s Highest Peak which towers the island at nearly 4000 m and sits majestically right in the middle of the central ridge of the island in our own Nantou County. On a clear day, we can see it’s peak from our own place just over the coastal range nearly directly above the Shanlinxi high mountain tea area. To reach the foot of Mount Yushan we must venture up the deep valley of the Basiang River in what was, not even 100 years ago, inaccessible aboriginal territory. Today, the alluvial soil along the river in Xinyi Township hosts plum orchards and vineyards giving the valley a strangely European allure. More recently, just above, clinging to the steep cliffs on both sides of the valley, tea gardens started appearing here and there. As this area is relatively new to tea growing and the gardens are more isolated from each other and other agricultural practices, the perfect conditions for organic farming are met. Our first encounter with Mr. Chen’s remote tea gardens goes to Fall 2021 when we were astonished by their secluded nature. To reach the garden planted with Qing Xin Oolong bushes, you need to cross forest of tall fir trees along a steep incline to reach a magnificent plateau perched at 1700 to 1750m facing Yushan. Bushes grow in completely secluded environment that is shrouded by late morning mist. The diversity of the surrounding environment is also fed by a mountain stream running at the foot of the tea garden. The setting is idyllic and the resulting tea doesn’t disappoint! We did not hesitate to pick-up a small quantity of the winter 2021 production in October 2021 to introduce to some of our wholesale customers (and drink it ourselves) but have now decided to make it accessible this Spring 2023 with a lightly baked finish executed by Yuwen. It is smooth and delicate and very we’ll balanced between the floral notes, the crisp pastoral ones and the sweet mellow finish. Clean is the word that comes to mind when you sip a cup, or many, as this tea is quite inviting to indulgence. This tea is also “clean” in the strict definition of the word. It comes from a garden that is certified to meet the new EU norm for low pesticide use: one of the most stringent norm of the kind right now. We hope you’ll like it as we commit at making this tea a regular seasonal offering.