Head up to Lishan a few days ago to check on the 2024 Lishan Spring Tea. First stop: Xinjiayang settlement and the surrounding Fushoushan Farm. The spring tea is looking great this year—looks like the late April rain really did wonders for it.
A Lucky Season for 2024 Lishan Spring Tea
Unlike Alishan, where insufficient spring rain led to subpar tea growth, the later-growing Lishan Spring Tea has been truly favored by nature. The heavy downpour in late April came at the absolute perfect time—right during the golden growth period for Lishan Spring Tea. The rain stopped just in time on April 29th, allowing the tea leaves to be harvested right as the main spring harvest kicked off. We really caught a lucky break.
With plenty of rainfall, the tea trees are thriving. Both the Xinjiayang tea area and the surroundings of Fushoushan Farm are looking lush and healthy. The tea leaf condition easily scores a solid 80 points, so it looks like Lishan tea farmers are in for a fantastic harvest this year.
Harvesting in the Xinjiayang tea area began in late April and is expected to run through mid-May. The tea plants around Fushoushan Farm and the Biluxi River section are still quite tender, with harvesting starting around May 10th and some sections extending into late May.
From May 2nd until today (May 8th), there hasn’t been any rain around the Xinjiayang tea area and Fushoushan Farm—at worst, it’s been overcast, and overall harvesting has been running very smoothly. Now it all comes down to whether this 80-point tea leaf quality can be translated into exceptional craftsmanship. If the results turn out ideal, this year will be the time to stock up on Lishan tea!