It's All About Tea — high mountain tea

High Mountain Tea (Gao Shan Cha – 高山茶) is something special in the world of teas, standing out distinctly when compared to Tai Di Cha (台地茶) – Lowland Tea or Plantation Tea. High Mountain Tea, growing in challenging, high-altitude conditions, develops a character and exceptional qualities, earning it a place of honor in the tea community. These harsh, rugged terrains often appear unwelcoming, making High Mountain Tea literally fight for its life. In a long process of adaptation and evolution, the Gao Shan Tea developed a number of techniques, that helped it not only survive but thrive, drawing from the land and weather to offer flavors and aromas that are a class apart. 
 

So, let's explore more about these fascinating teas and the lands they come from. We'll discover High Mountain Tea's fight for survival and how it turns it into a top tea. (Read More)

When buying loose leaf tea, many tea enthusiasts wish to go the extra mile and ensure they purchase organic tea. Of course, this means that farmers don't use pesticides or chemicals at the tea farmers. Thus, the tea leaves are clean and pure. It's a great practice to buy certified organic teas. Still, we wish to shine a light on the world of quality tea — many teas are fully organic, even if they aren't officially certified as such. In fact, this happens more than you think! (Read more)

Tea is deeply embedded in Taiwan’s culture. Kids drink tea from a young age and can tell the difference between the different Taiwanese tea varieties. Although nowadays, bubble tea shops are taking way to the more slow habit of drinking tea - gong fu cha. (Read more)

Years before tea became a standard beverage in Europe and North America, Chinese tea merchants created the myth of "Monkey Picked Tea."

At the time, tea for westerns was a wonder. They loved the unusual and exquisite taste. However, tea took so long to make its journey from China to Europe and North America. Most people were utterly clueless about how tea was grown and processed.

One myth that did prevail and kept tea drinkers interested and craving more tea was that the tea was picked by brilliant and well-trained monkeys. (Read more)

Chinese vs. Taiwanese oolong. This is a tricky topic. And for the most part, it will depend on the specific type of oolong. Of course, oolong was originally born in China, but the growing conditions and skills of the farmers allowed for Taiwanese oolong to quickly catch up to China’s quality within a couple centuries. (Read more)