This year’s spring tea season in Alishan was plagued by gloom and doom, but the winter tea is making a strong comeback, reaching about 90% of normal yields with great tea leaf growth. The winter harvest here in Zhangshuhu, Taihe, Meishan already kicked into full swing in late October.
Between October 20 and November 5, there were only 3 rainy days, making the winter tea harvest extremely smooth in Ruifeng and Taihe, Meishan Zhangshuhu. Tea gardens above 1,200 meters have already harvested over half of their crops, and the harvesting teams are now moving down toward the 1,000-meter altitude gardens. As long as we avoid heavy downpours, the harvest should wrap up by mid-November.
However, the main issue in the Alishan tea region this year is that “it’s not cold enough” and “the growing period for the tea leaves is shorter,” which has resulted in earlier harvested batches lacking typical winter tea characteristics and tasting a bit mild. We still haven’t found any standout lots from the October winter harvest. Since November has brought cooler weather and the later-harvested leaves have had more time to grow, the quality of subsequent winter tea should still have room to improve.
November 8 is the Beginning of Winter (Lidong). In past years, Alishan often produced exceptional teas during this period, and with a cold front arriving right on cue, we might just see some phenomenal teas pop up between the 8th and 15th. Planning to drop by for another look in a few days~
