One of the traveller’s spouse gave her a pack of cards to be opened each day. Yesterday’s card was this one. She had researched ahead of time but did not know what a ‘leaf hopper’ was, but her version of it was enough imaginative hilarity….
Miss Lin, the super woman tea master of Taiwan Beauty says -’ for…
Miss Lin, the super woman tea master of Taiwan Beauty says -’ for almost 80 years we have all been trying to adhere to new agricultural standards- organic , etc. But all that means is that we are constantly just defending that we are clean. There is nothing about quality.’ An excellent point that I hope American consumers can hear. She has converted her farm to the motto’ Returning to Our Roots’ ( pun!) -ancient ways of communing with nature and observing and working with how the tea plants respond to nature. For example, they dig to see how deep the roots can grow (1 meter deep for these small bushes!) if they train it not to rely on irrigation. The tea bushes are super tough plants. They will grow really deep roots for water if they can’t get them on the surface. As a result , her bushes can weather draught or heavy typhoons. Overly cared for bushes with adequate irrigation? The roots do not grow deep and they die at the first sign of weather change.
I guess that’s true of people too, whether one has built one’s character to tough out all situations and adversities….
Taiwan Beauty wilting in the sunroom for 12+ hours. These are…
Taiwan Beauty wilting in the sunroom for 12+ hours. These are some guaranteed award winners as Miss Lin often does a clean sweep. If only my house can smell like baking tea leaves all day….
Food, more food, and such super duper good food at Miss Lin’s…
Food, more food, and such super duper good food at Miss Lin’s very personal Taiwanese Hakka restaurant. The tour group folks were blown away.
Taiwan Beauty. Eastern Beauty. Baihao oolong. Five Color Oolong….
Taiwan Beauty. Eastern Beauty. Baihao oolong. Five Color Oolong. But honestly, it’s called Pong Fong Cha… the BS tea. No one back then could figure out why this was such a big hit when it was made. After all, bug bitten, imperfect, runted leaves…. It went against the grain to what defines good tea.
Today, Taiwan Beauty is one of the most difficult to make, most challenging to expect, expensive, and one of the most unusual tea in the world. It is easy to appreciate and difficult to understand. The confluence of Leaf Hoppers, hot weather, perfect steamy humidity, and experienced, genius hands- a tea as beautiful as Taiwan.
The mighty periodic island typhoon continues. Over at Mr. Chen’s…
The mighty periodic island typhoon continues. Over at Mr. Chen’s Jialong GABA oolong farm, we got to finally, after persisting for 5 years, witness how his secret technique works. Oxidation without oxygen, and no wilting before ‘shaqing’. I can’t give it away on an online post, but perhaps, if we do a harvest party when I get back, we can show how it’s done!
Most of it is sold out. There is less than 40 jins made per year of the stuff anyway. So folks, we will be tasting Mr. Chen’s private stash Jialong aged 3 years at the Rare Oolong event Oct 25, and this year’s Jialong at the Harvest Party.
Full of deep sweet papaya peel notes in the finished tea without even a hint of astringency, the raw leaves being processed had an overwhelmingly distinctive mango and green apple aroma, so intense that I had a stray thought at the moment. If all the folks in the world drinking horrid scented teas thinking it’s the real stuff (Mango Raspberry Bliss Black tea!) could just have a whiff of this Jialong, they will riot and overthrow the reigning terror that is the current tea regime!
Elsewhere, I remind myself I am in Asia, where tea is real. The samsara world seems like a better version when the tea made sense.