I wanted to give you a quick update: the situation for this year’s Alishan Spring Tea isn’t looking very promising. We faced a severe drought through January and February. Although we finally got a heavy downpour on April 4th, the damage was already done. Many gardens are suffering from what we call “multi-generational buds” (uneven maturity)—basically, the tea leaves are growing at completely different rates, with old and young leaves mixed together. For gardens without irrigation, the growth is extremely sparse. 😟😟
It’s clear that 2026 won’t be a bumper crop for Alishan. We’d be lucky to see only a 20% drop in volume; some farmers are looking at losses of nearly 40%. It feels a lot like 2023, but the only silver lining is that the situation is slightly better—at least we aren’t seeing as many dead tea bushes this time.
Our Sourcing Strategy:
For mid-altitude Spring Tea this year, we are prioritizing tea gardens with reliable irrigation systems.
On a Brighter Note:
The tea trees in Ren’ai and Lishan didn’t start budding until late March. Thanks to their later start and generally better irrigation systems at higher altitudes, those crops are looking quite healthy so far! 😊😊
