Fresh out of celebrating 1st prize wins earlier this year in the spring, we are proud to carry the Chen family of Li Shan's Winter Oolong achievements.

Considered by many connoisseurs to be the superior time to make high mountain tea over the more popular springtime, winter is the only other timeframe a proper high mountain oolong can be grown and made in areas at this high of an elevation.  Sometimes simply referred to as 冷茶 lěng chá literally "cold tea", the weather that produced this tea during this time can be more than 10°C cooler than the spring harvest time, maximizing the adverse conditions high mountain oolong from Taiwan so famously benefits from.

While spring tea is known for its florality and brightness, expect winter cold tea iterations to highlight sweetness, vegetality, and extended resilience-to-brewing longevity. Expect long-lasting tones simultaneously connoting tropical fruit, dignified vegetation, and florality, all framed within a mineraly back-bone that keeps the sips thick, buttery, and lubracative, always beckoning for that next rip.

Auspicious occurrences this last spring unfolded to allow us to come into another completely new-to-Rivers & Lakes contact, the Chen family of Li Shan, a family originally from Zhu Shan further south.  The greater Li Shan growing area hosts the highest gardens in Taiwan, with several parts of its range eclipsing the 2000 meter mark.  Resting between 2000 and 2100 meters, this tea is from the well-aspected and emerging cult classic area called 新佳陽 Xīn Jiā Yáng.

With the Deji Reservoir below, the gardens of Xin Jia Yang benefit from the gorge's strong winds blowing mists up from below onto the tea bushes

swimming spot below in the Deji!

During our time in Li Shan in spring '23, the Chen family graciously allowed us to document and engage in tea production with them from harvest to processing to brewing.

unlike many other high mountain growing areas, sunnier Li Shan does not experience as much perpetual mist. Withering is easier, and the flavors tends towards more fruitier and floral, with more cha chi.

Young Chen's uncle, Mr. Huang, invites us to judge the fresh tea as he continues to assess at each step of the process.

When his father suddenly passed away, young Mr. Chen inherited his tea operations and with the help of his uncle and other skilled mentors is building on a legacy of excellence.

each 50 gram tea packet will come with a tea sealer, the best way to cinch the packet when not in use to retain maximum freshness!

梨山 Lí Shān (translation Pear Mountain)