News from Taiwan + NJ
Make sure to read up on the latest harvest!
Spring Harvest 2021 Reveal
hello friends,
The time for spring harvest teas has come! Read on for the full collection, now available on the site here. They ROCK! We'll begin shipping on June 7th.
I'm starting to run low in stock with most oolongs, so I'd preface your shopping experience today by saying -- if there was a tea that you loved, you may want to stock up now before it's gone forever.
Finally, you know the deal -- all teas are hand picked, all organic, unavailable anywhere else in the world, etc. this is the good stuff!
Excited for you to enjoy this batch!
- 🤘Sam
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🏜️weather report
The past few months have been a bit rough with Taiwan experiencing severe drought in notable tea growing regions like Sun Moon Lake. As a result, overall tea yield has dropped and at one farm we began harvest a little later than usual, giving the tea plants more time to grow. This all being said, drought does not necessarily mean low quality tea, and we're exceptionally excited to be bringing you a slightly smaller, yet highly curated collection of the best spring oolongs.
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🍵spring tea collection
We have four (4) delicious teas on the menu & I think you'll have a hard time picking just one... I love them all! In general, folks prize spring harvest above other seasons and the teas are more competitive in competition and to acquire due to their nigh bombastic flavors at times :D
🥬unroasted green oolong
mmmmmmmm! High mountain greens are likely my favorite category of oolongs, especially when they lean vegetal in flavor...which also means that I'm super picky. Every harvest this is the first tea I taste, and when I tasted this one I was so excited! I brew my oolongs strong, but if you're looking for something more delicate but still possessing flavor, you'll be able to achieve it with a lighter brew here.
tasting notes: fiddlehead, gardenia, artichoke || shop unroasted green oolong
🍫black oolong This oolong is SUCH a crowd pleaser, and this season does not disappoint. This harvest's flavors are a little deeper, even a touch earthier than in previous seasons. The spring always has a slightly lighter body than it's maltier, winter sibling, making it a great tea for hot summer days & an excellent cold brew!
tasting notes: cacao, agave, plum || shop black oolong
🔥double red oolong
There's so much energy trapped in this one. You can approach this in two ways -- (1) snag some and let it rest for a few weeks and enjoy when the leaves have calmed a bit OR (2) buckle up and enjoy the ride. This is our most intense tea in the collection and not for the faint of heart. If you enjoy strong flavors or dong ding oolongs, this might be your jam.
tasting notes: grilled pomelo, papaya, cacao nibs || shop double red oolong
🧪XXPERIMENTAL NO.5
.....and of course we're messing around with teas. When are we ever not! I'm on a hunt for the perfect high mountain black tea, here's the latest attempt ⚗️
For XXPERIMENTAL NO.5 we've created a black tea created using qingxin oolong leaves from our farm on Shanlinxi. This time around we've harvested our gem of spring tea leaves and brought them to about ~80% oxidation before roasting them straight away for ~40 hours. Processed in a strip style, this black tea is smooth, a hint fruity, supremely easy to drink straight, and maybe your latest addiction?
|| shop XXPERIMENTAL NO.5
🍯💎 Bug-bitten Oolong Reveal
hello friends,
something good happened. no... something GREAT happened.
TL;DR: a rare visit from the tea jassids (bugs that are very good) has transformed (nibbled on) some of our Alishan qingxin winter harvest crop resulting in a green oolong that has a delightful & unusual honey-scented aroma.
You’ll love it 🤤
If this sounds all familiar... you're right! These are the same jassids that nibble on the tea leaves that produce both oriental beauty and gui fei oolongs. They roam around the island noshing on tasty tea plants, but don't usually make their way this high up into the mountains. However once every few years it happens and well, the resulting tea is truly something special!
Let's double-click
Our Bug-bitten Oolong is a winter harvest green oolong hailing from our farm on Alishan. To create this tea, a swarm of tea jassids, also commonly called leafhoppers, made their way to our of qingxin oolong garden and attacked a large amount of the plants. In other words, these leafhoppers were feasting on our tea leaves.
🦗 When the tea plants were attacked, they threw up a line of defense by producing a compound to repel the jassids. This compound is precisely what gives the tea it's unique honeyed aroma and flavor!
️✌️ It's important to note that the leaves are hand harvested-- it's a very slow process as we only collect leaves that have been bitten by the jassids. As you might expect, yield is tremendously lower than a regular harvest and much more labor intensive. We are so thankful we were able to snatch this small batch to enjoy!
🌱 Tea jassids only come to organic gardens, because yuck who wants to eat chemicals!
️🕰️ We can't predict when the jassids will arrive, only that so far we've seen them make their way high up into the mountains every 2-3 years.
✨ Taiwan is also home to a few other varieties of bug bitten teas that tend to be grown at lower elevations. The most famous of which is the delicious oriental beauty tea (東方美人). Who knows, maybe we'll add more bug-bitten teas to the line-up in the future!
this is an extremely limited batch release.
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What's next? Spring harvest is still a few months away -- pending weather, harvest usually begins in mid-late April and we can hope to have the teas in hand by the end of May.
In the meantime, we have a really strong collection of delicious oolongs for you to enjoy!
Sam
Fall Harvest 2020 Reveal
hello friends!
fall has arrived along with some new teas fresh out the roaster! while you wait for these to arrive in the mail, happy mid-autumn festival 🥮 🎉
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weather report 🌤️
each year we see variation in flavor due to a number of factors including..
general temperatures
rainfall/humidity during new plant growth
rainfall/humidity leading up to harvest
and so the challenge for our tea masters is to determine just how far off the conditions are from the *ideal* and then adjust the oxidation and roasting process accordingly to give us delicious oolongs.
some harvests present a larger challenge to overcome, others are more straightforward.
for this year's fall harvest we had pretty superb weather! it rained when it needed to, we had stable levels of sun, the temperature wasn't too hot or too cold -- and the three days leading up to harvest in the beginning of September was sunny with low humidity-- ideal for tea processing!
so, what to expect flavor-wise? read on!
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introducing the fall oolongs 💫
we've produced 2 new teas this fall, both from our farm in the Shanlinxi high mountain growing region.
as many of you know, I often wax poetic about how underrated fall oolongs are. you can find some truly, truly delicious flavors at more reasonable prices than winter/spring. try these two -- they should be your daily drinkers!
green oolong // artichoke, dried lemon peel, magnolia
red oolong // brown sugar, resin, dried jujube
<-- green oolong
overall, it's quite balanced as the leaves continue transitioning from spring's floral notes to winter's vegetal body. as it's a little less bitter than last year's batch, i've been brewing it pretty hot, 210°- 212°F and enjoying it grandpa style. this tea is my personal morning wake-up 🤩
red oolong -->
we generally produce this style once per year in the fall (the batch from summer was a bonus). this batch is the best I've tasted in 3 years, no joke -- and absolutely SLAMS, especially in a gaiwan. fingers crossed we produced enough to last us all the full year 🤤
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so the million dollar question is, are you trying one or both? 😜
🖖
- Sam
p.s. we still have some xxperimental no. 3 in stock! snag it before it's gone forever 🔒
Summer Harvest 2020 Reveal
hello friends!
so summer harvest, eh? yeah, we thought it wasn't happening too.
but then we got a call from Uncle, and he was like "the summer harvest will be good this year, I'll let you have some." and well, these days we're desperate for some good surprises.
first I'll tell you a quick bit about summer harvest.
then we'll look at the two new teas you can buy.
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pt I. where I tell you about summer harvest high mountain oolongs and if they are even good.
you tell me! you've probably drank a lot of summer harvest high mountain oolong without knowing it. think about every time you've had an oolong from a shop that doesn't share harvest or producer details, or sells an oolong tea blend. in all likelihood, those teas were from a tea producer in an off-season (summer/fall).
why is that? summer teas lack nuanced flavors that colder seasons are able to achieve and tea consumers prize. on average, summer teas are more astringent or bitter, have a lighter body, and can be steeped fewer times than their winter/spring counterparts. with their more subdued flavors, they make great bases for a tea blend or tea infused with flowers. as a result, they are generally viewed as a lower quality tea. because summer teas (and to some extent fall teas) have a long tradition of not being notable, they are inexpensive... which is phenomenal for those who do enjoy these flavors.
why is this the first year we have summer harvest? easy, the weather finally cooperated! it's not rocket science :) summer harvest is highly dependent upon the weather being a bit more mild, in order to get decent flavors. this year the weather was tolerable, so I have some really solid summer oolongs to share with you!
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pt II. the part when we look at the teas you can buy
I was going to release 4 teas this harvest, but alas DHL has lost half my shipment. I don't even want to mention what those other teas were, or you'll be super upset if they never arrive. so for now you'll have access to two delicious oolongs, both from our farm in Shanlinxi. what is that in baseball, batting 1000? go sports!
what to expect from our 2020 summer harvest oolongs:
these teas have a light body. high humidity and high temperatures prior to harvest are going to cause the leaves to grow fast and with fewer opportunity to store up extra nutrients aka. flavor.
these teas taste great! consider them your new daily drinkers.
these teas aren't in the same echelon as our spring/winter oolongs. but who cares! they taste good and that's all that matters. they are straightforward, mellow, and extremely relaxing on a hot summer day (or if you're me, night).
they are also cheaper. that's right, no qualms tellin' it like it is. so stock up because once they're gone, they're gone.
the green oolong. it's unroasted, it's very balanced, it's refreshing. it's not too bitter, I think it should be steeped pretty heavy, and it reminds me of the tenderest baby spinach with a light floral aroma.
the red oolong. it's our standard 20 hr roast that we usually make once a year in the fall. it reminds me of brown sugar boba tea with a touch of toasted hay. 🤤 drooling here. do i need to say more?
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in conclusion, don't write off summer teas entirely until you've tried these. they're quite good! if you have any questions please reach out!
can't wait to hear which oolong you like more! 🖖
<3 Sam
Spring Harvest 2020 Reveal
hello my friends,
good news! our first tea harvest of 2020 was 🤩🤩🤩. keep reading, I'm going to pack this letter with as much good news as possible.
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weather report 🌤️
direct from the tea masters mouth, this year's harvest had perfect conditions.
cooler weather in the weeks leading up to harvest caused the plants to develop thicker leaves, resulting in more flavor in the brew. the rains also held off, giving us the ideal temperatures and humidity for tea harvest and subsequent processing.
spring is widely regarded as the most highly anticipated tea harvest of the year, so without further adieu, let me introduce the line-up ;)
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new teas 🍾
I promised you 3 teas, and I'm delivering you 4. underpromise and overdeliver, that's what they say 😘
green oolong // spunky, tastes like candy, snap peas, spruce tips \\
milk oolong // subtle, tastes like sweet cream, bartlett pears, wildflowers \\
black oolong // robust, tastes like cacao, red plum, tupelo honey \\
double red oolong // intense, tastes like cognac, burnt caramel, tropical fruits \\
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...but which tea is the best? 🤨
c'mon, that's an impossible question to answer. the teas are all so different! guarantee you're going to dig them, so stock up.
if you're into the double red oolong, i'll give you my usual advise and say that you may want to let it rest for a few months before drinking, it ages fabulously. it always has a bit of a bark right after roasting, and will settle into its flavors nicely. that being said, if you need a thrill right now, throw down your gaiwan and get after it-- this one can handle 8+ steepings.
the black oolong is down right insane this season. i really enjoyed the winter harvest, but with a fuller body to the liquor I struggled to drink it in large quantities. the spring is just slightly more floral and will melt your face it's so good.
and if you're like me and you love your green oolongs, plz give a round of applause to Uncle, the tea master responsible for nailing it yet again. this oolong literally smells like candy 🍭
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what's a "milk" oolong? 🥛
commonly referred to as 'milk' oolong in foreign markets for it's creamy, buttery texture and flavor reminiscent of milk, this oolong is a cultivar developed by the Taiwanese tea research entity (TRES) and called jin1xuan1. if that sounds familiar, it is! this is the same cultivar/farm/tea plants that we use to produce our famed black oolong.
both our milk oolong and black oolong are harvested at the same time and roasted at the same temperatures + duration, yet their appearance and flavors are wildly different. how? it's all in the oxidation process. we let the milk oolong oxidize for ~25% and the black oolong hit ~90%. the oxidation process breaks down the cell walls in the tea leaf causing flavor change and making the leaf more pliable and susceptible to heat. outcome? the milk oolong tastes more floral and vegetal, whereas the black oolong is malty and chocolatey. delicious!
finally, it's important to note that there's a bit of a counterfeit market for milk oolongs. because the milky characteristics are so highly desired, many tea producers and distributors will add fake flavors to the teas. so here's a tip, if you ever find yourself smelling a milk oolong and it's fragrance is a little too good to be true, do some digging into the supply chain - you may not be drinking just tea leaves. and while you all know it, it's worth sharing again here, all my teas are organic and tested within Taiwan. this stuff is pure 💎
i have a small amount in stock right now, but don't worry, a larger shipment is en route. i'll ping everyone when it arrives ✈️
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virtual tea anyone? 📞
it's been an absolute blast getting to meet many of you over the past few months. if you ever want to hang and talk tea, just drop me an email and we'll get it on the books!
Until the next update 🖖
_Sam
p.s. here's a pic of the black oolong fresh out the roaster
