$ 21.00
One of our most popular teas! The leaves of the Black Honey Oolong are gorgeous, curled, first-flush tips from the Luye township in Southern Taiwan. The aroma of the dry leaves is so sweet and intoxicating, but nothing compared to the steeped honey-like fragrance and flavor. This tea is grown on a single organic farm run by a woman and her son. The region is home to a type of bug called the leaf hopper, which bites the tea plants and sucks the nectar from the leaves, causing the fermentation process to begin while the leaves are still on the plants. When these leaves are plucked and oxidized, the result is a naturally honey-like sweetness within the leaf. Several other growing regions try to replicate this process, but this is where is occurs naturally.
Process: Organic
Harvest: Summer, 2022
Origin: Luye, Taiwan
$ 58.00
We are so happy to have a small amount of this spectacular tea to share with you. Hand-crafted by Yong Hao, who has been producing award-winning tea on Chi Lai Mountain for many years. This Qing Xin cultivar is expertly roasted over charcoal and rolled several times to achieve its shape. The aroma offers notes of baked yams and burnt sugar, with essences of warm cedar. Steeped, the tea is soft but complex. The toasty notes of the firing are at the forefront and give way to a sweetly satisfying cup with honeysuckle hints. Over time, the roast flavor will settle and reveal more flavors, which we are so excited to witness. This tea is grown with organic fertilizers and tested to assure cleanliness.
Harvest: Spring, 2023
Origin: Nantou, Taiwan
$ 58.00
**We have a very limited quantity of this tea available. Once it is gone, we won't be able to get more until next year**
Large, rolled winter harvested leaves from Xi Lai Mountain in Taiwan. The Hao family are third generation tea farmers, caring for tea gardens around 6000' elevation. The aroma of the warm leaves is unique and visceral, soaking deep into the senses. Steeped, the leaves unfurl into large, intact tea tips. The flavor fills the entirety of your mouth, leaving a buttery smoothness towards the back of the throat. Notes of soft, warm bread centers lathered in butter dominate the palate, with a slight undertone of asparagus lingering at the finish. The warming sensation and flavors remain at the roof of your mouth long after each sip, inviting steep after steep. These leaves will keep steeping time after time and we have often found savory notes well into the 12th infusion. Beyond the enjoyable drinking experience, this tea has a soothing effect on both the mind and body, which can be felt long afterwards.
If you've never had GABA tea before, this is a great place to start. We've spent years searching for one that we loved and finally found it. Instead of going through the oxidation process most oolongs have, these leaves are exposed to nitrogen instead. This causes the tea to develop gamma-aminobutyric acid. These amino acids work to inhibit neurotransmissions within the primary nervous system, increasing relaxation. The after-effects are calming and long-lasting.
Harvest: Winter, 2023
Origin: Ren'ai, Taiwan
$ 15.00
This is a truly lovely oolong, high-grown in Taiwan, and very lightly oxidized. The bright green leaves unfurl, showing the slightest outline of amber around the edges and radiate an incredibly sweet jasmine-like aroma. The leaves are not scented or flavored, but are masterfully crafted to bring out the natrual floral element within the leaves themselves. The flavor is fresh and uplifting with no astringency and a lingering embrace of sweet nectar.
Harvest: 2022
Origin: Nantou, Taiwan
$ 58.00
This was an experimental tea and only 14kg was produced total. There is no guarantee it will be made again.
This is an incredible tea, high-grown in Shanlinxi and charcoal roasted in Dong Ding. This is a heavily bug-bitten tea, making it extra honeyed in flavor. The roasting was done as an experiment by the master roaster who also makes the Competition Grade Dong Ding. The leaves are mid-oxidized, rolled, oven roasted, then charcoal roasted, resulting in a tea so complex, you will have to taste it to appreciate it. Warm leaves release aromas of toasted almonds, warm stone fruit and a soft floral note. The tea itself is a perfect harmony of flavors; the longan charcoal gives the honeyed flavor a notable depth, while the oxidation level enhances the floral note of the high-mountain elevation without losing any of its freshness. The soup is the color of honey and has an apricot sweetness that lingers after each sip.
Harvest: Summer, 2023
Origin: Nantou, Taiwan
$ 16.00
Grown at the base of the Luye mountains in Southern Taiwan, this highly oxidized oolong is produced by a mother and son team who grown exceptional teas on their organic farm. The tightly rolled leaves unfurl to beautiful deep, black red and impart an aroma of sweet maple. The tea itself has notes of tangy red wine with an equalizing undertone of toasty cedar. Pro-tip: Don't miss out on the aroma of the pot when you pour the tea out, it intensifies as the ceramic cools.
Process: Organic
Harvest: 2022
Origin: Taitung, Taiwan