Station master Wang of the Lugu Research Institute evaluates the Ruby Red I just got. He prefers a later summer crop which has more intensity. The unique Hinoki fragrance is an anomaly and not to be expected for the Ruby Red usually. Also, in about 6 months that fragrance will disappear and settle into a more mellow Red tea taste. Well, flower arrangements last a week and the seasons change in 3 months. We will celebrate the short duration regardless.
Stationmaster Wang is crazy busy today as a huge news storm involving some chain of cafés (Stornaway)were found to have DDT in the flowers and Ceylon and Assam used in their bubble tea drinks. Then, more digging ensued and found that many bubble tea cafés use tea that were tainted also. The press is all over it and the Stationmasters of all the research institutes in Taiwan are getting nonstop requests for information on pesticide levels in Taiwan teas. The problem is, according to Wang, there is only 13,000 tons of real Taiwan teas produced. The extra 30,000 tons of tea needed, and imported, are low quality cheap teas used for beverages for bubble tea, etc. They come from Vietnam and Thailand mostly, where pesticide control is tenuous. However, the tainted shops are finished. All the farms are clamoring to get their teas tested immediately as it is Spring harvest and they are worried about customer inquiries. The lab here is overloaded and can’t get the tests done fast enough. Taiwanese teas rarely have this problem- but the island is too small to fill the demand, particularly when it comes to cheap beverage teas. Low quality teas just don’t get produced here!

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The tea gods have been kind indeed. In over a decade of tea travels, this year has the best weather, even in Taiwan. Not too hot or muggy, beautiful breezy day, a hint of typhoon but not quite. In Sun Moon Lake today.

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At Wenshan, Taiwan. Late night wilting Baochong with Mr.Lee. A good year. Mango and gardenia fragrance fill the cool refrigeration room. Fluffing the tea every two hours and picking out the older leaves, drinking the new crop and the spring honey. At this rate I am going to become immortal.

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At Wenshan, Taiwan. The 5 year aged Honey Jialong is beyond amazing- full of aged kumquat peel, honeysuckle, cooked honey, and an incredible finish. There isn’t much left, I will be getting the 2 year aged. There isn’t much production each year, but this year’s spring crop is amazing, so by the fall, Mr. Chen is confident it will have aged adequately. The difference between the young spring crop vs aged is now strikingly obvious. The young ones have a slight grass and more lemon. The aged have the cooked mandarin peel liqueur-like viscosity. There really isn’t another tea like this in the world. We are incredibly lucky!

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