The 2022 spring tea harvest started from late March (low-elevation Alishan), moving to early April in Alishan and Zhushan, Nantou, mid-April in Fanzitian, Zhushan, late April in LongFengXia, ShanLinXi, early May in Malieba and Cuifeng, and early May in Biluoxi, Cuiluan, Qilai Mountain, Meifeng, and HuaGung.
Alishan spring tea conditions: Far better than the 2021 spring tea. The severe drought in the spring of 2021 caused heavy losses in the Alishan region. In contrast, 2022 has enjoyed favorable weather, with both the quality and quantity of tea returning to normal levels. This year, Alishan JinXuan spring tea is generally of very good quality. The highest-elevation Alishan tea areas (Dinghu, Zhangshuhu) are expected to finish harvesting by the end of April.
▼Store Manager’s Review: Normal levels. We are sourcing from tea factories with stricter tea garden management.
ShanLinXi spring tea conditions: Harvesting began in early April in the lower-elevation Zhushan tea area, followed by mid-April in higher-elevation spots like Ruan’an, Shitouhu, and Fanzitian, late April in Sanshengying and low-elevation Budongyu, and early May in LongFengXia. This year’s ShanLinXi tea is of exceptional quality, but because the harvesting seasons overlapped, several tea factories reported a shortage of tea-plucking labor, with quite a few even switching to machine harvesting. Additionally, due to the massive harvest volume, the processing quality at the backend of some factories has dipped slightly.
High-elevation areas like Sanshengying, LongFengXia, and Budongyu are expected to finish harvesting by mid-May.
▲Manager’s Review: Abundant and high-quality tea leaves, but a shortage of harvesting and production labor has led to a polarized quality gap. Overall, great finds are out there if you look closely, and the manager will be purchasing in large quantities this year.
Spring Tea Status in the Lishan Region: By the end of April, Cuifeng, Hongxiang, Cuiluan, DongYanShan, Malieba, and Qilai Mountain had all started harvesting. After inspecting them, the manager felt they were simply too tender and decided not to buy, planning to check again in early May. Based on the quality of the tea leaves, which looks exceptional with minimal frost damage, this year is shaping up to be a bountiful harvest.
▲Manager’s Review: Evaluation at the end of April showed good leaf growth, but those harvested at the end of time were too tender, resulting in a brew that is too bitter and astringent, so purchases are on hold. Spring tea grown at altitudes above 1,800 meters is expected to reach its prime harvesting period after May 10, which will be the right time to buy.