- New Growth, Alishan February 23, 2020
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- Alishan Garden at Tai He February 23, 2020
- Alishan - plateau at Tai He garden.jpg (250.37 KiB) Viewed 5947 times
2020 Spring Harvest
Update on the Spring 2020 harvest. The winter weather was very cool; that is good for the development of flavors and structure in the leaves. Now some rain is needed but so far things look promising.
This is good news, let it rain! Across the board I noticed reduced aromatics and depth in last winters oolong. Still tasty though, I went for more leaf and steeped slightly longer to get that depth I love.
The tea from the 2019 Spring harvest will not likely be available until June at the earliest; the teas will not be made until April and May. Things look promising but there is a long way to go yet.
How has COVID impacted availability of tea from Taiwan? Are shipping delays as bad as those in Japan and China?
@LuckyMeTo date, the coronavirus pandemic has not affected shipments from Taiwan to the US as flights are still operating between the two countries. All flights to Canada and most to Europe have been cancelled so direct shipping to those areas is a problem. As Tillerman ships all tea from Napa CA, we are able to ship to Canada and Europe. There has been no interruption in our receiving tea from our growers and producers.
@Tillermanthanks, hopefully transit between Taiwan and the US continues to not be impacted by the pandemic. Will definitely keep your store in mind once I’m ready to order.
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Ethan Kurland
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I cannot speak for all oolong from Taiwan. I write about the 3 that I have. . They are all from high altitude farms & lightly oxidized. Here is my impression.,
Generalizations:
1. This Spring small differences in steeping time makes a bigger difference than usual. The "greenness" of lightly oxidized oolong can hardly be noticed in first & second infusions if they are very quick, while 10 more seconds can make the flavor(s) of green tea definitely felt in balance while only another 10 seconds more than that may lead them to be almost all of the taste, while a minute full minute more would make all other flavors hardly noticeable.
2. Leaves are stronger. I am using 2 grams for 140 ml (4 ounces) of water).
3. Drinking more in a session than in past years seems rewarding.
4. I often drink all of 1st infusions by themselves but always combine all or some of subsequent infusions.. The stacked brews are delicious, different, & interesting.
Specific highlights:
1. Shanlinxi has long-lasting wonderful aftertaste when I quickly drink a hot first infusion that can be almost too sweet & has wonderful aromatic flavors in my mouth that I wish I could also smell while it steeps (but don't). This aftertaste goes on & on. The 2nd & 3rd infusions don't feature that sweetness & can be too bitter for me if steeped more than a minute.
2. Longfanshiu makes one think of a recent discussion on teaforum about balance. This tea is so responsive in changes to parameters. When I found the timing that worked for me, I often enjoyed 2 sessions of this in one day. (4 rounds of 140 ml = 560 x 2 = 1120 ml).
3. Dayuling makes me think about hoarding some although I don't like the idea of being a pig. With DYL's farms being under threat & this year's DYL (at least from this source) being better than most years. It's a thought.
Cheers
Generalizations:
1. This Spring small differences in steeping time makes a bigger difference than usual. The "greenness" of lightly oxidized oolong can hardly be noticed in first & second infusions if they are very quick, while 10 more seconds can make the flavor(s) of green tea definitely felt in balance while only another 10 seconds more than that may lead them to be almost all of the taste, while a minute full minute more would make all other flavors hardly noticeable.
2. Leaves are stronger. I am using 2 grams for 140 ml (4 ounces) of water).
3. Drinking more in a session than in past years seems rewarding.
4. I often drink all of 1st infusions by themselves but always combine all or some of subsequent infusions.. The stacked brews are delicious, different, & interesting.
Specific highlights:
1. Shanlinxi has long-lasting wonderful aftertaste when I quickly drink a hot first infusion that can be almost too sweet & has wonderful aromatic flavors in my mouth that I wish I could also smell while it steeps (but don't). This aftertaste goes on & on. The 2nd & 3rd infusions don't feature that sweetness & can be too bitter for me if steeped more than a minute.
2. Longfanshiu makes one think of a recent discussion on teaforum about balance. This tea is so responsive in changes to parameters. When I found the timing that worked for me, I often enjoyed 2 sessions of this in one day. (4 rounds of 140 ml = 560 x 2 = 1120 ml).
3. Dayuling makes me think about hoarding some although I don't like the idea of being a pig. With DYL's farms being under threat & this year's DYL (at least from this source) being better than most years. It's a thought.
Cheers