Hey everyone, the very first Spring tea of 2026 has officially arrived! This batch comes from the Taihe tea zone in Alishan. We’ve been tasting samples since the beginning of April, and it wasn’t until mid-month that we finally found this gem—it is, hands down, the most satisfying tea we’ve tasted all season.
The drought in Chiayi from January to March made this year incredibly tough for everyone involved, from the farmers and pickers to the tea makers. Finding quality tea was a real struggle for us merchants, too. We spent nearly ten days tasting different batches every single day before we finally felt confident enough to settle on this one.
Even though the elevation isn’t the highest—sitting at around 900 meters—the cultivation was done perfectly. The farmer used plenty of soybean meal fertilizer and timed the top-dressing just right. More importantly, they had an abundant water supply for irrigation, which allowed the fertilizer to decompose beautifully. The raw leaves were harvested at that “sweet spot” of tenderness—about two days before full maturity—with a yield ratio of roughly 4.8 catties of fresh leaves to 1 catty of dried tea. In my professional opinion, this kind of quality is absolutely top-tier for the Alishan region.
When we did a side-by-side tasting with tea from the higher-altitude Zhangshuhu, this Taihe batch really showed its strength. Despite being 400 meters lower in elevation, it performed like a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” completely outclassing the more famous “master” tea. The best part is the price point is fantastic. If you’re a drinker who prioritizes actual quality over the fame of a particular mountain peak, the value you get here will definitely impress you.
The only real downside is that we were only allocated three batches. That’s just how it is this year: there’s a surplus of mediocre tea out there that no one wants, while the high-quality batches are snapped up instantly. If you’re running low on tea or just looking for a high-performance Spring tea, you should seriously consider this one. Give it a try—if you’re not satisfied or feel the value isn’t what you expected, keep the opened bag and I’ll give you a full refund. That’s how much confidence I have in this tea! (Note: I didn’t get a chance to take new photos at the farm, so we’re using archive shots to keep things looking sharp.)
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