If you had any friends who recently returned from Taiwan with a gift, odds are they might have brought with them a box or 2 of “Taiwanese High Mountain Tea” (台湾高山茶). Notwithstanding the fact that a great deal of such teas are either
i) from Vietnam or Northern Thailand
- or
ii) Grown at elevations below 1,000 meter- the Taiwan benchmark for high mountain tea
The fame of Taiwanese High Mountain Tea cannot be denied.
The first name that springs to mind is probably Alishan, followed by Lishan. This is at least in part attributable to their fame as tourist spots.
One name you should probably keep an eye on is Shan Lin Xi.
But let’s begin at the beginning.
The Beginnings of Taiwanese High Mountain Tea
Alishan- probably the best known mountain in Taiwan
Famous Taiwanese tea expert Ji Yuan believed that the earliest cultivation of Taiwanese High Mountain teas begun in the 70s.
At that time, the tea industry in Taiwan was having a sort of resurgence led by Professor Wu Zhen Ze- the creator of a number of Taiwanese cultivars including Cuiyu and Jinxuan. Professor Wu was a big advocate of planting tea trees at elevations of 1,000m and above. This was in consideration of Taiwan’s tropical climate that enables tea plants to thrive at those altitudes to produce teas that were lower in catechins (which causes astringency) and higher in L-Theanine (that results in a sweet, brisk taste).
The first area earmarked for development was in Meishan area (in Jiayi, Taiwan not the one in Anhui, China). It became the first birthplace of Taiwanese High Mountain tea.
Seeing the success, Taiwan’s largest tea chain- Tian Ren Group (known as Tian Fu elsewhere)- opened up new plantations in Wuse and Lushan (both in Nantou district) in the early 80s. That sparked the growth of the Taiwanese High Mountain tea craze.
The economic yields and popularity of these teas emboldened tea producers others to invest in new plantations in Alishan, Shan Lin Xi, Yushan and many of the other mountains in Taiwan. No small feat considering quite a fair bit of deforestation and infrastructural development was needed to render it practical. Also the cost of relocating factories and workers to the mountainous areas was not cheap.
But the results were beyond dispute, at least from an economic standpoint. Taiwanese High Mountain teas began to elevate its standing in the tea world, converting many new tea drinkers with its brand of smooth mouth feel and brisk aftertaste. It lent itself particularly well to the Qingxin and Jinxuan cultivars with their higher amino acid content that gave its sweetness.
Shan Lin Xi- the Oft Overlooked High Mountain Tea
While Alishan and Lishan are the first mountains that spring to mind, Shan Lin Xi (杉林溪) in Nantou province is another lesser known High Mountain Tea that has been gaining traction with tea lovers.
Nantou province produces over 40% of all the teas in Taiwan and is the only non-coastal Taiwanese province. This led some tea writers to speculate that it probably explains why Dong Ding and Shan Lin Xi have a stronger woody feel compared to many of the other Taiwanese Oolongs, even when grown with the same Qingxin cultivar or grown at a similar elevation.
The tea producing areas also have a mythical feel about it- Dragon Phoenix Gorge (龙凤峡), Lion Head’s Lake (狮头湖), Gentle Saddle (软鞍),，Three Tiered Plane (三層坪)- where our Shan Lin Xi are grown- and the impossibly named Pig’s High Hut(猪高寮). (I kid you not)
The majority of all teas grown in Shan Lin Xi are of the Qingxin cultivar and typically are only harvested 3 times a year- spring, autumn and winter unlike Sijichun for example which is harvested 6-7 times a year.
If asked to sum up how Shan Lin Xi tastes like in a word, I reckon “bittersweet” would the best description. The initial attack is a hint of bitterness that is quickly obscured and replaced by the sweetness that wells up in the throat and lingers.
The 10-15% level of oxidation also maintains much of the briskness of this tea, a definite characteristic of Taiwanese High Mountain Teas.
So the next time you are looking for Taiwanese High Mountain Teas, don’t just seek for Alishan (though you shouldn’t ignore it, we do sell Alishan Oolong and Alishan Jinxuan :p) or Lishan, give Shan Lin Xi a try. You won’t regret it.
Shan Lin Xi is one of our featured teas in June/July.
See here for other articles related to varieties of oolong tea.