{"product_id":"spring-2026-ailao-high-mountain-oolong","title":"Spring 2026 Ailao High Mountain Oolong","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUnique oolong tea grown in a wild national park on Ailao Mountain\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eButtery mouthfeel, flowery and marine fragrance, good endurance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- split --\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eThis year's high mountain oolong tastes buttery and flowery, the mouthfeel feels playful, with that distinct note of amino-acids: a mix of bitterness and good acidity. You'll also get some marine notes and a fatty soup that will keep you entertained and refreshed for five to ten brews. \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eMr Huang was set up to be a sailor, he went into tea business instead. The way of the leaf was stronger than the call of the sea for him. He started trading oolong tea on his native island of Taiwan. After a few years, he realized he wanted to grow tea in a more natural environment. Oolong tea production in Taiwan relies on a lot of fertilizers and pesticides to achieve a fancy fragrance.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eHe travelled to China in the early 1990s, in search of a suitable environment for his project. At the time, mainland China was welcoming towards Taiwanese investments and technology. He visited Yunnan and found Ailao Mountain, in the middle of the province. After long negociations, he was allowed to buy land around Du Juan Lake, bordering the Ailao Forest National Park.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/DSCF6554_63d7e024-179b-4bfa-9d1f-e9ba7ebc5a51.jpg?v=1784702351\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eThe region was extremely impoverished and remote, with the nearest town hours away by driving on dangerous dirt roads. One of his friends fell off a cliff while driving there. Despite all the difficulties, Mr Huang wanted to carry out his vision of a sustainably grown high mountain oolong tea. He obtained an organic certification, which is very rare for high quality oolong tea.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/DSCF6598_1024x1024.jpg?v=1657030987\" alt=\"organic oolong tea garden\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eEstablishing the plantation and the factory was challenging, but the tea sold very well in Taiwan and received a lot of praise from the tea enthusiasts. Things ran smoothly until the China-Taiwan relations soured, and the Covid restrictions put a sudden stop to the tea trade. He quickly needed to find new customers and used his connections on the mainland. A great product can take you a long way, and he managed to save his business in the past two years.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/DSCF6201_1024x1024.jpg?v=1657031026\" alt=\"Mr Huang drinking oolong tea\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eYou’re not in control of the environment, a steady business can suddenly come to a stop, because of politics, or a nasty virus. Mr Huang understands the importance of diversifying his market, and this is where our interests met. We’re in charge of promoting his tea abroad.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/IMG_9511_1024x1024.jpg?v=1657031064\" alt=\"ailao high mountain oolong tea\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eWe visited him three times, during the harvest seasons. He makes tea twice a year, over a two-week period. This is intense work, during which he can only sleep three hours a day.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eThe making of oolong tea requires an intense monitoring. It is by far the most complicated processing path: sun-wilting, withering, shaking, oxidation, fixation, rolling, shaping and drying. Each of these steps require a constant attention, a single mistake can waste an entire batch.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eHere is the processing of high mountain oolong tea explained in more details:\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WDuN3K2HgGQ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eGrowing organic oolong tea is very hard. Indeed, unlike the assamica varietal, the qingxin oolong cultivar is highly sensitive to pest and disease. It also requires a good amount of fertilization. Mr Huang set up a composting unit with advanced treatment to satisfy the needs of his bushes. He collects a variety of local agricultural waste and manure, piles them up for fermentation, and applies a heat treatment to meet the requirements of the organic certification.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/DSCF6557_1024x1024.jpg?v=1657031397\" alt=\"oolong tea bushes\"\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eThe management of the gardens require a lot of workforce. The bushes grow tiny leaves, which take time to pick. The remote location of the gardens makes applying compost a giant undertaking. And the gardens need to be monitored for pest and disease, sometimes, insect cocoons must be plucked by hand, or specific organic treatments must be applied to keep the fungi in check.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"tea picker harvesting oolong tea\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/DSCF6547_1024x1024.jpg?v=1657031222\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eA lot of work and expertise in required to make this tea, and this is what makes this product unique.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eThe tasting profile of this tea offers a new experience to the taiwanese oolong enthusiast. You can surely enjoy the fragrance of the original qingxin cultivar, they have the exact same genetics as the ones used in Taiwan. Where it differs is in the mouthfeel.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eThis tea has a good endurance, it opens up in a different way than the taiwanese oolongs. The fragrance is not as fancy, but persists across a dozen infusions. The soup feels clean and goes down the throat easily, leaving a satisfying sweetness, and a hint of Cha Qi in the whole body.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/DSCF6785_1024x1024.jpg?v=1657031266\" alt=\"oolong tea ready to brew\"\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eThe terroir explains this difference. First, this is among the highest altitude oolong tea gardens you can find. The gardens are established at an elevation of 2400 to 2500 meters. Few gardens in Taiwan are planted so high. Second, the soil and climate are different. Ailao is far into the mainland, the closest shore, the Mekong delta, is 750 kilometers away. Finaly, the ecosystem is unique, with the Ailao National Park hosting a good number of endemic species and a distinct landscape.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"ailao national forest park\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/DSCF6656_1024x1024.jpg?v=1657031307\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003eWe hope you will enjoy a fine cup Ailao oolong, a very unique experience, better enjoyed Gongfu style.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"oolong tea gongfu brewing\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/IMG_9545_1024x1024.jpg?v=1657031346\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Farmerleaf","offers":[{"title":"120g in a tin can","offer_id":48118802022587,"sku":"26年 春 高山乌龙茶 120克","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/5_16a7ba8c-c731-4383-b104-80a30a6bf21c.jpg?v=1784634066","url":"https:\/\/farmerleaf.com\/products\/spring-2026-ailao-high-mountain-oolong","provider":"Farmerleaf","version":"1.0","type":"link"}