Cultivar: Qingxin Ganzhong

Harvested by hand on December 3rd, 2024

Origin: San Hsia, Taiwan Process: green tea (tumbling oven dried)

Testing parameters: 2 grams, 6 minutes brew, boiling water.

1. View

Lots of white buds among the dry leaves. They show some inconsistency in size, color and appearance, because the leaves grow a little bit unevenly in this organic garden. The brew has a very clear and light green hue.

2. The scents

Extreme freshness and lightness in this last batch of the year! Taiwan's winter is starting later than usual this year. The cold nights and short daytime mean that these leaves are particularly tender and light.

3. The taste

The taste is very sweet and has a lot power. What makes this green tea exceptional is how sweet it remains even after several minutes of brewing.

Conclusion: Taiwan is known for its Oolong teas since the late 19th century. This green tea appeared after 1949 as Chiang Kai Shek's generals were longing for Chinese green tea that could not be imported from the mainland because of the hostilities between the island and the mainland. That's why farmers in SanHsia started to produce green tea to satisfy the needs of the many mainlanders who had come to Taiwan with the KMT and were used to such tea. This winter batch is similar in quality to the one I selected in spring. Here, we have the last leaves of the year, harvested on a sunny, but cool day of early December! The quality of this rare Taiwan green tea comes from the organic purity of the leaves and its extreme late harvest time. Only 5 kg were produced on that day. That's why I highly recommend it!