Introduction to Alishan Tea

It represents the standard flavor and taste of Taiwanese high mountain tea. Recommended for those who like refreshing and clean tea.

High mountain tea refers to oolong tea harvested in tea gardens located at an altitude of about 600 meters and above.
However, in reality, most oolong tea produced in Taiwan is marketed as high mountain tea regardless of altitude or location.

The taste and flavor of the tea actually differ depending on the mountain where the leaves are harvested. Among many mountains, Ali Shan is a famous oolong tea production area, and one of the high mountain teas we confidently recommend.

If you actually visit Ali Shan, you will see that it is a very deep mountain composed of many peaks. Tea gardens are distributed everywhere from the foot to the top of Ali Shan, and their location greatly affects the quality of the tea.

At HOJO, we aim to provide tea that is as clean and smooth as possible, so we source non-blended Ali Shan tea from tea gardens located at an altitude of about 1500 meters.

Also, this product is a Qing Xiang type that has not been roasted at all. Therefore, it is of a quality that emphasizes a more mellow taste.

History and Culture of Ali Shan Tea

Ali Shan is also known as a mountain of faith, and it is continuously visited by tourists from all over Taiwan.

Additionally, Ali Shan is known as Taiwan's only cedar production area, and it is also known for the construction of a trolley train during the time Taiwan was under Japanese rule.

The tea cultivated in Ali Shan was originally planted by immigrants from Fujian Province long ago, but with the recent popularity of high mountain tea, tea gardens are expanding to higher altitudes.

Ali Shan tea in Taiwan holds a similar position to sencha in Japan, characterized by a balanced taste that is not too strong or weak, making it a tea that can be enjoyed daily without getting tired of it.

Ali Shan Tea Production Area

The mist provides the ideal amount of sunlight for producing high-quality tea, as the sunlight is neither too strong nor too weak.

The tea gardens are located in the high-altitude area of Nantou County, Taiwan, at elevations above 1000 meters. At altitudes above 1000 meters, the sun shines only in the morning, and from the afternoon to the evening, the area is covered with mist over a very wide range.

This condition continues almost chronically, so the tea leaves receive sufficient sunlight only in the morning.

High-quality oolong tea has a smooth mouthfeel and a faint sweetness.

Cultivars and Harvesting of Ali Shan Tea

Basically, any tea harvested from the Ali mountain is called Ali Shan tea, but strictly speaking, the standard Ali Shan tea is made from a cultivar called Qing Xin Oolong.

Tea made from the Qing Xin Oolong cultivar has a refreshing taste and a faint aftertaste. Tea is harvested twice a year, in spring and autumn-winter. Autumn-winter harvested tea has a stronger flavor but lacks delicacy.

On the other hand, spring harvested tea has a soft taste and a mellow mouthfeel, with almost no astringency.

Unlike green tea, tea leaves are harvested when they have several leaves. However, it is not suitable to harvest at any time, and HOJO specifies only March harvested tea.

As the harvest season progresses, the grade decreases, and astringency increases while sweetness and mellowness decrease.

Processing of Ali Shan Tea

Sun Withering

After harvesting, the tea leaves are spread out on the ground under the sun to wither. This process is called sun withering. Due to the high altitude of the high mountain tea cultivation areas, the weather is usually cloudy, providing gentle sunlight to the tea leaves.

On sunny days with strong sunlight, black mesh sheets are stretched several meters above the tea leaves to soften the sunlight.

By performing sun withering, the moisture in the tea leaves evaporates, and fermentation starts slowly. The tea leaves gradually soften and begin to emit a slight refreshing flavor.

We place great importance on the location conditions of tea gardens and their factories. The location conditions of the factory and tea gardens are essential factors in producing high-quality tea.

When spreading the tea leaves, it is important to maintain a clean environment. Instead of spreading the leaves directly on the ground, white cloths that show dirt easily are used to ensure meticulous attention to prevent foreign matter from mixing in.

Indoor Withering and Fermentation

The fermentation process of oolong tea is significantly different from that of black tea. After completing the sun withering, the tea leaves are brought into an air-conditioned room and first spread out on sheets.

During this process, the tea leaves are dropped from chest height evenly, causing slight friction on the edges of the leaves.

The areas where friction occurs, i.e., the slightly damaged areas, begin to ferment due to the action of enzymes contained in the tea.

The tea leaves spread on the sheets are collected again after a few tens of minutes, and the process of spreading them on the sheets is repeated.

Next, the tea leaves are spread out on bamboo sieves. By spreading them on the sieves, fermentation is promoted, and the process of "dropping the tea leaves into an angled sieve" and "allowing them to ferment" is repeated.

Next, the tea leaves are stirred in a bamboo drum. By this stirring, the tea leaves are lifted and dropped repeatedly, gradually causing damage to the edges and progressing enzymatic fermentation.

When the fermentation progresses sufficiently, the tea leaves emit a sweet, floral flavor. The tea leaves processed by skilled craftsmen have only the edges turning red.

This indicates that only the edges of the tea leaves were damaged and partially fermented, clearly different from low-quality tea leaves that are unevenly red.

The fermented tea leaves are heated to inactivate the enzymes with heat, stopping the fermentation. If the fermentation is not stopped promptly, the tea leaves will continue to ferment, resulting in a flavor close to black tea.

The number of times the tea leaves are stirred and the duration of static fermentation are decided based on the moisture content, flavor, and color of the tea leaves. This subtle timing is determined by the craftsmen's experience, which greatly influences the quality of oolong tea.

The craftsmen work under the guidance of a "Master." The quality of oolong tea is greatly influenced by the skill of the Master. To consistently obtain superior quality, it is essential to work with an excellent Master.

Rolling

At this point, the flavor and taste of oolong tea can already be felt from the tea leaves.

However, because the cells of the tea leaves are mostly intact except for the edges, the flavor and aroma cannot be sufficiently extracted when brewing tea.

On the other hand, if the leaves were subjected to high-pressure rolling as in the production of black tea, it would:

1. Release unnecessary off-flavors into the tea.
2. Expose the ingredients excessively to air, leading to non-enzymatic oxidation, which changes the flavor and aroma.

To resolve these dilemmas, a method called "Bao Zong" is used in the production of oolong tea. Bao Zong literally means wrapping and then rolling.

The tea leaves are placed in a cloth bag while they are still warm and soft. Each bag is filled with 10-20kg of tea leaves, forming a basketball-sized ball.

Additionally, the ends of the bag are twisted tightly with a machine, compressing the bag and applying strong pressure to the tea leaves.

Next, the ball-shaped tea leaves are placed in a disc-shaped device. The ball of tea leaves is sandwiched between two plates.

The upper plate is fixed and does not move, while only the lower plate rotates. The ball of tea leaves is rolled while rotating. After rolling for a while, the tea leaves are gently heated again.

As the tea leaves cool, they harden and break, so they are periodically heated to keep them soft.

The tea leaves gradually become compact and shaped into a ball.

The higher the quality of the tea leaves, the more compact they become, and they feel heavier. High-quality tea leaves have a glossy surface.

These series of operations are repeated many times. The number of times, the rolling method, and the way of applying heat vary depending on the condition of the tea leaves. For example, tea leaves harvested from gardens with relatively low nutrition or water content contain relatively less moisture.

If such tea leaves are rolled in the same way, the lack of moisture will cause the leaves to break or discolor due to heating.

It is important to adjust the conditions of these operations in a timely manner, considering the state of the tea leaves, the weather of the day, and other factors, and this is the skill of the "Master."

The rolled tea leaves are dried in a dryer to reduce the moisture content to below 5%, completing the process.

As the tea leaves cool, they harden and break, so they are periodically heated in a drum to keep them soft.

These series of operations are repeated many times while observing the condition of the tea leaves.

Raw Tea and Firing

The tea leaves that have completed rolling and drying are referred to as "raw tea" in Japanese. Raw tea has a fresh green flavor (called "Qing Xiang" in Chinese) and a very refreshing taste.

In Taiwan, raw tea is often enjoyed. Indeed, raw tea has a very refreshing finish as if the flavor of the tea garden is sealed in it.

However, raw tea does not last long. Additionally, some types of tea require a further process called firing.

For example, the famous Dong Ding Oolong tea brings out its unique aroma and flavor by roasting the raw tea with heat. By performing firing, the ingredients are stabilized, making the tea last longer.

However, the necessity of firing depends on the tea and the buyer's preference.