Alishan was the last tea producing stop on our spring sourcing trip. We setup camp in Shizou for two days and made the best of our time visiting gardens in the surrounding area, and drinking tea. We picked up teas from several different farmers that will be making it on the menu after we do several pre-ticketed cupping events. Keep an eye out on our events for page for these.
Taitung County! Located in deep southeast Taiwan, it is the birthplace of hong, or red, oolong. Red Oolong is tea style that starts its process by utilizing the famous leafhopper and then is followed by long withering and oxidation/fermenting steps, before being finished with a light roast. This results in a fantasticly complex cup of tea that leans into notes of dark fruit, milk chocolate, and caramel along with a lingering finish.
This tea style was first created in 2008 by Wu Sheng-Shun, the director of the Taitung TRES. Under his guidance Wu Chiu-Ling and her family were early adopters and began to process their tea in this way. After a few years they were able fine tune the process and create a consistent flavor profile that they have been keeping a standard of to this day.
Last year we brought back some of their very good entry level grade to serve in the shop. This trip, we will be bringing back a two lots using different cultivars of their top grade.
We are getting super excited about the start of the SPW season with the first gathering happening next weekend @snowpeakcampfield . Hope to see you there !
Every trip to Taiwan includes a few visits that we always make. One such stop is to one of our favorite aged puer vendors in Taipei. There, we bought another 90s 7542 cake and for the first time picked up a late 90s 8582, another classic sheng puer heavy hitter. Along with a few early 00s shu puer cakes, we also ended up going in on a basket of 90s Liu A from Anhui.
Special ticketed tastings coming online soon. Stay tuned!
Nothing beats unwrapping a brand new cake. Brings us back to the days when Supreme used to drop their kicks in NYC. When things were cool. When things still hit.
Many new teas coming to the shop in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!
Timing can be everything. On our annual visit to Zhu Mian, we lucked out and picked up the oldest Liu Baos we’ve ever come across, one from 1930s and the other from the 1910s. Both were pressed into bricks and were a joy to drink. They’ll be in the shop in a couple of weeks!
Yunnan! 4 of the 5 days in Xishuangbanna, to look for new puer to press into cakes, are in the books. Most of the days were spent in Menghai County drinking through a ton of tea to find the right teas for our third shu puer cake. A 2015 Bulang and Bada Shan, along with a 2023 Bulang have been the front runners.
For the sheng side of things, spring has been difficult again. The lack of rain made for reduced flushes and what was picked often lacked much fragrance or body. The best tea so far has came from Gao Shan in Mengla. We will wait for the final day tomorrow to decide on what maocha to buy.
