Customer Inquiry: What month is the Lishan Spring Tea harvested? Some tea shops on the market already have Fushou Lishan Tea in March—why isn’t yours available until May? When will your Lishan Spring Tea be released this year, and roughly how much does it cost?
Lishan Spring Tea Harvests Start as Early as April, Lasting Until June for High Altitudes
Liao Chang Xing: Lishan Spring Tea is generally harvested no earlier than mid-April, with the release usually falling in late April to early May—and that is for the lower-altitude Lishan Spring Tea. For Lishan Spring Tea grown above 2,000 meters, harvesting doesn’t begin until early May.
If tea shops are selling Lishan Spring Tea in March, it might be leftover spring tea from the previous year, but it’s more likely from a different tea region entirely. How could tea shops have ready-to-sell stock while the leaves are still growing? Generally speaking, Lishan Spring Tea is harvested from mid-April to early June. Mid-April harvests take place in lower-altitude areas like Huanshan and Hsin-chia-yang, while the highest plots—Fushoshuane, Tianchi, and HuaGung—are harvested up until early June.
An honest tea shop should only start selling Lishan Spring Tea around early May. After all, the tea acquired from farmers still needs to go through transport, sorting, and grading before it can reach consumers’ hands. Our shop’s Lishan Spring Tea goes on sale around early May. As for the price, Hsin-chia-yang and Songmao teas run around NT$3,200 per 600 g, while Fushou Lishan Tea is roughly NT$5,000 per 600 g, though prices may still be adjusted based on quality and yield.
Liao Chang Xing’s Experience: I typically head up the mountains to source Lishan Spring Tea at the beginning of May. Mid-to-late April is “a bit too early”—not only is selection limited, but the leaves are also too tender and prone to bitterness and astringency. Early May through the 20th is the prime window when both quality and yield peak, making it the easiest time to find phenomenal, monster-grade teas.