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Eco-Farmed Gardenia Oolong Tea
Flavor: Integrated floral and tea aroma. Substantial, mellow Oolong character with distinct flowery overtones. Heady, yet clean, vibrant aftertaste.
Garden: This source is the most innovative and progressive tea producer we know. A husband and wife team cooperate with neighboring farmers to produce an impressive array of naturally cultivated tea in the historical tea growing region of Songbolin in Nantou County. From wild and heirloom tea strains to modern hybrid cultivars of tea, they have researched and developed eclectic processing methods to make some unique styles of tea.
Garden: This source is the most innovative and progressive tea producer we know. A husband and wife team cooperate with neighboring farmers to produce an impressive array of naturally cultivated tea in the historical tea growing region of Songbolin in Nantou County. From wild and heirloom tea strains to modern hybrid cultivars of tea, they have researched and developed eclectic processing methods to make some unique styles of tea.
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Harvest: Machine harvested.
Region: Songbolin, Nantou County, Taiwan.
Elevation: 400m
Tasting Notes
This tea was made from a combination of naturally grown Tsui Yu and Four Seasons Spring tea leaves. These tea types are most commonly produced as a "green Oolong" where the leaves are lightly oxidized and left unroasted. The floral and herbal characters of these teas have been mellowed by substantial oxidation but maintain their complex aroma and smooth, palatable, refreshing character as a more traditionally made Oolong.
These leaves were infused with hand-picked Gardenia flowers in a post production process. The distinct yet compatible qualities of a flower essence combined with a rich, well oxidized Oolong character offer a very interesting and satisfying brew. We've discovered that this tea works equally well as a cold brew or a hot brew. The beauty of this tea is that you can sit down and brew it Gongfu style and marvel at the intricacies of a traditionally made Oolong combined with a flower essence to produce a heady, complex, almost magical brew. Or you can just toss some of these leaves and flowers in your water bottle and let it sit for a couple hours at room temperature or in the fridge overnight, and enjoy it all day. And it only gets better as the day goes on!
Origin
Songbolin in Nantou County has a rich history in tea production over the last several decades. Initially a source of traditional specialty tea made from heirloom strains since the 1950's, it has transitioned through a phase of large scale mechanized production, and is now returning to its historical roots. The traditional tea production was unable to compete with the development of higher elevation tea production and became a producer of lower quality tea used for the beverage industry. This in turn was phased out by foreign competition for large scale economical tea production.
As a result, we have seen a very positive reincarnation specialty tea production in the last decade. This area is a major resource for an array of hybrid strains, most prominently Jin Xuan, Four Seasons Spring, and Tsui Yu , and most recently a return of heirloom strains such as Wuyi Oolong. These diverse types of tea are now being naturally cultivated and crafted with a fusion of traditional skill and modern methods to produce teas with unique characters.