In August, our store manager headed up to Xinjiayang and Fushoushan Farm in Lishan to source autumn tea. Have a look at the photos of the tea leaves yourself—would you ever be able to tell this is autumn tea?
This year’s Lishan Hsin-Jia-Yang autumn tea is also “exceptional in both quality and quantity.” If the Cuifeng we looked at a few days ago scores a 90, Lishan Hsin-Jia-Yang easily hits around 85—definitely an exceptionally high standard for autumn tea.
The store manager spent the entire day visiting Hsin-Jia-Yang and the areas around the farm, primarily targeting a few tea gardens with outstanding management. These gardens provided their autumn tea with ample fertilizer and proper pruning. With the management work done right, the tea leaves grow beautifully, and the quality is practically guaranteed. In the end, all that’s left is to pray for good weather.
Another thing worth mentioning is that there are many vegetable farms near the Fushoushan Farm area in Hsin-Jia-Yang, so you need to pay attention to recent pesticide spraying.
August is the peak harvest season for high-mountain cabbage. Right after harvesting, a new round of seedlings is planted, which naturally calls for plenty of fertilizer. Organic fertilizers are used here, and they tend to attract a lot of flies. As a result, in August and September, Lishan, Hsin-Jia-Yang, HuaGung, and Cuiluan are practically swarming with flies.
That’s why, besides making good tea, having proper fly-prevention equipment is crucial for local tea factories. A few years ago, the store manager visited a tea factory in Lishan where flies were buzzing everywhere while the tea master was still rushing to process tea right beside them. We didn’t even feel like tasting the tea that day.
Harvesting around the farm area begins in late July, and Hsin-Jia-Yang’s production will peak in early August. We’ll share more good news as soon as we have it!
