QX Oolong 2019

The Garden

Hidden high up on Jade Mountain, in the tree covered mountains of central Taiwan, is the organic Huang family garden. This little garden produces just 1.5T of tea each year; a production so small it would probably fit in your kitchen. The garden is organic and full of life.

The Batch

QX stands for Qing Xin (roughly pronounced ‘chin-shin’), which is the name of the varietal of tea plant used to make this batch. Qing Xin is a highly prized varietal, producing a lower yield but superior flavour. To make this tea, the pickers head out early in the morning, picking three leaves and a bud. The leaves then sit in the sun for a short time before being placed onto these trays inside where they sit for the rest of the day.

After this the main oxidation process is done by tumbling the leaves, followed by heating which kills the enzyme. Once the enzyme is killed, the leaves can no longer oxidise.  The leaves are then rolled and dried a few times into small pearls (below).

Tasting Notes

Think of flowers, roasted spiced peaches, and cream. Qing Xin is the highest quality varietal in Taiwan. It has all the creamy texture and low tannins of a Taiwanese tea, with added layers of garden florals and stone-fruit notes. The final stage for this tea is a light roasting which adds depth to the sweetness and gives notes of sweet wood, spice, and honey tobacco to the later infusions.

Infuse at 90°C for 1 minute. Infuses 7 times or more.

Storing and Ageing

Remeber, like wine, every tea ages in its own way. Roasted oolongs from Taiwan can become exquisite over the years, developing spectacular depth of character. You can age the QX 2019 for 10 to 30 years. If you’re a keen tea drinker, we would really recommend buying a few jars of the QX: Drink some now and put a few away to age in a dark cool place. If you have any questions, you can always email us for advice here.