Apparently, Tung Ting stock grown in Anxi by a Taiwanese merchant who will sell these back to Taiwan, or elsewhere, as authentic Tung Ting. The mountain is huge here and lots of space is available. The culture and people are basically the same, so why not- right?!
As often said, good teas come from high mountains. How high is high, and for that matter, how steep? Here in Taiwan, San Lin She, things are taken to extremes! At 2000 meters with 60 degree inclines,so steep that mere vertigo does not approach how scary it can make one feel, amidst blind white cloud, one might wonder, did I pay the right price for these teas? Just how much effort does this High Mountain oolong really take? Someone planted these on the 60 degree hills. Someone carried up equipment to prune and weed and fertilizer, at 2000 meters. A lot of 70 and 80 year olds harvested the leaves all by hand, in the blinding fog. And that’s all just raw leaves. Here, we were merely tourists.
It’s a beautiful day at Pingling, Wenshan, Baochong farm of Mr. Lee. The typhoon did not make its way here. Aside from some stunning clouds, most of the harvest had been done the day before and we got to taste a very deeply floral and satisfying batch of Baochong today. Still, one of my favorite teas of all time.
Arrival into Taipei at 5 am. Darius and I had 2 breakfasts consecutively back to back. Why not- that’s what Asians live for. Without even a hint of aggression, oppression, or even irony, this surrealistic place that speaks Mandarin, and is the last free place on earth for the Chinese, live on in its own insular fantasy of green forests, fabulous tea and fruits, and pink Hello Kitty lounges. Hopefully, China will never bother to touch this island of relative utopia. Why not- even I would sign up to live in Hello Kitty land if it means no war and oppression……
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.
A Hakka temple in one of the old Hakka neighborhoods. These are nomadic settlers, moving about China and ending up in Taiwan, where they were not only responsible for some of the most outstanding culinary delights, but also, the founders of Taiwan Beauty. Today, the Hakka people live near the Shinjhu and Miaoli areas, producing some of the most amazing oolongs in the world.