2026 Taiwan Collection

You guys know the drill by now. Each year a nice Formosa round up takes place and teas from all pockets of the island is curated. Most years there's at least one switch-up, but by and large the lineup doesn't deviate from a returning lineup of some very select farmers and terroirs. The big switch this year is there's no Dong Ding (there's this Dong Ding still available from years' past and is still bumpin) — the roasted oolong this year is this spring Eastern Beauty "Braggart's Tea" (an homage to an older name for Eastern Beauty, a translation of 膨風茶 Peng Feng Cha). Of all the roasted oolongs from Taiwan I've tried, this one is a contender for the best. The rains in April gave us a more affordable Baozhong this year, and is now set at a daily drinker pricepoint. Expect that lovely green apple sweetness with a bit more complexity in the mouthfeel and aroma. Speaking of fruit, Mr. Chan's Dinghu Mountain tea from the Ali Shan area is exceptionally fruit-forward this year. While the Yung family of Shan Lin Xi's Long Feng Xia is the most thick, cooling, and umami as usual. Last year's premiere of Fu Shou Shan from the Chen family may have just sealed the deal that it will be the flagship greater Li Shan area tea moving forward. It's a bit pricier, but well worth the mature natural garden tea that's grown at an impressive 2300 meters and processed with obvious skill. Let's see how it does this year.