High Mountain Organic Oolongs

Before ‘organic’, there were mass produced, chemically sprayed crops. Before such industrialized production of our crops however, was traditional farming. Traditional farming means utilizing nature, planning, and symbiotic usage of other plants to improve the conditions needed to bolster crop health. The term ‘organic’ has varying definitions, and often, such conditions as aerial pollution, run offs from surrounding industries and crops, are not accounted for when determining a tea’s organic status.

 

As far as tea is concerned, the best conditions for tea growing is on top of the mountain, away from any aerial pollution or industrial run off, where cool wind and misty fog cover to prevent pest attacks, on steep slopes to prevent pooling water. In fact, most certified organic teas do not have the best taste, because organic is a relatively new label, and traditional tea farms occupying the highest mountain peaks have been spoken for for centuries. Most organic teas are not only not from original terroir nor high mountains, they are rarely hand made such as they are in traditional farms. The best of all these conditions would be extremely rare. But fortunately, a wild mountain was recently cleared out at Anxi, and Tieguanyin plants were planted on its peak some 5 years ago. At 800 meters, there is no sight of other industries, and no fear of pooling water or pollution. Anxi is the original indigenous area from which Tieguanyin originates, and along with such high mountain status, the tea from this mountain was carefully planted according to the organic certification requirements of the EU, the JAS, and the USDA. This makes for a confluence of the best of world conditions.

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