Alishan Vintage Qingxin

Description

Qingxin means green heart. It is the cultivar with the longest history of cultivation in Taiwan, the most popular among tea farmers and tea drinkers alike, and by far the most widely cultivated. When people talk about Wulong in Taiwan, they usually refer to it as “Qingxin-Wulong“. It is the cultivar from which the traditional, genuine Dongding is made. Since the beginning of the 80s, more and more tea cultivation areas have been developed in the highlands. There it has also found by far its widest distribution. Due to the strong temperature fluctuations and the frequent fog in the highlands, these teas are naturally much finer, milder and sweeter in terms of their ingredients and were therefore also intended as a suitable alternative to Dongding or to teas from the lowlands. Today, the whole market is oriented only towards the highlands and the variety of processing methods has greatly decreased. Also the highland teas themselves are increasingly greener, i.e. less oxidized, so that the actual character of a wulong tea is often lost.

This Qingxin from Alishan is a traditional and very well processed highland tea. A rarity among the amount of hardly oxidized modern highland teas today. Due to the very solid oxidation, the substances in the tea leave have been completely transformed into a wealth of pleasant aromatic flavours. Thus it has clearly less red leaf edges whereby a warm, strong yellow in the cup appears. The tea does not become bitter or unpleasant in taste, even if left to infuse for a long time. The aroma is clearly floral with notes of osmanthus and blossom honey. The reverberation in the mouth can be felt even over a longer period of time and it is a pleasure to continue to trace the character of the tea in meditative tranquillity and to fathom its complex character.

The tea is only lightly roasted but well oxidized. Thus the character of highland teas is clearly visible. Due to the traditional processing it can be stored without any problems and without losing its aroma. With increasing age, the aroma changes and develops its very own charm.

Harvest time: spring 2014
Aroma: floral, with notes of osmanthus and honey
Oxidation: approx. 40%
Roasting: light
Origin: Alishan, Nantou, Taiwan
Temperature: 95-100°C
Preparation: In this blogpost you will find a description of how to brew Oolong tea
Tip: The aroma in the mouth unfolds best when the tea is not drunk too hot, but waits briefly until it has cooled down a little in the cup.
This tea is also particularly suitable for infusion in a large cup or a larger pot as it does not become bitter and is very productive. It does not have to be poured off, but simply lets the tea leaves sink to the bottom.