Taiwan Old Tea Tree Black Tea

Description

Gu Shu (Aged Tree) Black Tea is crafted from 400-year-old tea trees grown in the pristine, pollution-free forests of Taiwan’s Shan Lin Xi mountain area. This hand-plucked black tea offers a familiar, light flavor that is gentle on the stomach, with mid to high caffeine levels.

Available in loose leaf or as a 100-gram black tea cake, this selection combines heritage and flavor for an exceptional tea experience.

Product Details:

• Region: Taiwan, Shan Lin Xi deep forest environments.
• Season: Spring 2022.
• Caffeine Level: Medium.
• Best Time to Drink: Morning.
• Harvest Method: Handpicked.
• Origin: Single-origin forest tea.
• Tea Quality: Gourmet grade.
• Flavor Profile: Classic black tea taste, light and smooth.
• Steeping Guidelines: Use 3-5 grams; steep for 20-30 seconds.
• Qi Strength: Low and balanced.
• Attributes: Organic, single-origin, large leaf.

If it’s allowed to grow, a tea shrub will become a towering tree. In plantations, farmers constantly prune small trees to maintain the desired height. It keeps the tea trees short and bushy, while also creating the perfect table for harvesting. In the wild, unattended tea trees can grow up to 60 feet tall.

That’s where our Taiwan Old Tea Tree Black Tea begins its journey. Harvesters pluck leaves from wild trees growing deep in the biodiverse forests of Taiwan. They begin by selecting only the topmost leaves. They then spread out the leaves on bamboo racks to wither them. This process kick-starts oxidation and removes moisture.

Tea masters then fully oxidize the tea, which develops the rich, dark colors of black tea, while also giving the leaves malty, fruity flavor notes. They roll and knead the leaves to bruise them and encourage further oxidation, and they then fire them to halt oxidation. The final step also removes most of the moisture.

It’s malty and fruity, but it’s also light and smooth. Compared to black teas from China or India, Taiwanese Black Tea is typically sweeter and brighter. It also has a slight mineral taste, which derives from the deep roots of the wild trees drawing more nutrients into the leaves.