Shan Lin Xi 20095S09 Harvest: May 2009
Origin: Taiwan / Nantou / Zhushan / Da'an
Height: 1600 m.a.s.l
Tea plant varietal: Qing Xin Wu Long
A very beautiful High Mountain Tea (Gaoshancha) from Shanlinxi. Only slightly roasted and kept in Taiwan until 2019. Through these 10 years of keeping, the tea already shows first signs of ageing - but since the packaging was rather tightly sealed, the tea hasn't darkened so much and has kept an incredible freshness.
Character:
Light, mineral, beautifully aromatic and yet sweet, with elegant notes of dry wood and soft beeswax rounding the tea off.
Category:
High Mountain Tea Gao Shan Cha High Mountain Teas, Chinese Gao Shan Cha, are ball-shaped Oolongs from tea gardens above 1000m above sea level. Since the mid-19th century, Oolong teas were produced especially to be exported to western countries, and in the beginning of the 20th century, under the Japanese colonial rule, also black tea was being produced for export. During the 1980's tea farmers began to grow tea plants in high mountain areas. The production of High Mountain Tea was intended for Taiwanese tea connoisseurs, but nowadays, it is also seen as a status symbol. In the climate of the mountains, where mist and rain often dominate the weather, tea plants grow slower, which leads to a more intense taste of the tea. Additionally, it gets more difficult and more laborious to produce a good tea in this altitude and climate . The tea varietals used here are mostly Qingxin Oolong, and sometimes also Jinxuan. Other varietals proved not suitable for these circumstances. High Mountain Teas are very pleasing, soft and quaffable teas with surprisingly intense and diverse aromas, sometimes beautifully enhanced through roasting.
Storage:
This tea was produced in a relatively green manner, but sufficienty oxidised and then roasted. It was aged for years, which initiated a spontaneous fermentation. This tea can further be aged.
