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Just by going through the process of making tea with the master, one would feel that tea is not expensive at all.
The workers who pick the tea leaves have to schedule in advance, but sometimes nature doesn't cooperate. The tenderness and size of the tea leaves can vary by just a few days. The leaves for making Oolong tea cannot be too small, so they decided to postpone the tea picking after surveying the situation.
As a result, the boss wanted twenty workers, but only ten could come.
And then, the tea leaves that were supposed to be transported from the tea garden at 9:30 AM didn't show up until 10:00 AM, with no sign of them along the way, just a message saying they were on the way. The boss started to feel anxious and ended up driving there himself.
Following Boss Lin and Hong Lihui from "Rock Tea Hut" to Alishan, one can fully experience their seriousness in making tea and their extreme dedication to quality.
A few days before tea making at the tea factory, the boss had already thoroughly cleaned the restroom, saying, "I can't make tea if the restroom is dirty." Ha! On the day of tea picking, they found dust on the ground and urged the staff to sweep quickly.
Boss Lin, dressed casually, is an artist who knows exactly what style of tea he wants to create. Twenty years ago, he already wanted to make tea, but no tea farmers were willing to rent him a space as a nobody. After waiting and waiting, they finally came to Alishan in 2016, where they took another step forward and switched to organic farming methods, without fertilization or irrigation. The tea trees had to rely more on themselves, becoming stronger, healthier, and more energetic.
High mountain tea mostly uses conventional farming methods, and there are only a few organic tea gardens, let alone wild growth.
"The vegetables have finally arrived~"
Fortunately, the tea leaves finally arrived safely...
After weighing them, they were evenly spread out on the prepared mats. Speaking of which, the nets on the ground were specially brought from Pinglin, ensuring that only organic tea leaves were wrapped. Under the sunlight, observing the leaves turn from shiny to matte... Boss Lin felt that the withering degree was good, so they moved them indoors for further withering.
At that time, the tea factory was filled with the fresh aroma of tea leaves.
Tossing is an important process in making Oolong tea, helping the leaves to evenly lose moisture and adding unique aroma due to friction (enhancing oxidation). The first few times were done by hand, and then a tossing machine was used to increase the pressure.
Until the "greeness" of the leaves was completely gone, the tea factory was filled with aroma, but when you get close to the tea leaves, the scent turns into floral and fruity notes, and the sharp green aromas fades away.
Continue letting the tea leaves oxidise.
The next morning, Boss Lin tried the tea leaves several times and decided it was time to stop the oxidation (this process is called fixation). After that, they would roll the tea leaves, wrapping them into cute little balls. Boss Lin's wife, Hong Lihui, laughed and said that at this time, he finally relaxed, and started talking more because he could hand the tea leaves over to the tea rolling master.
The rolling process would not be completed until the evening, and each time the leaves were rolled, they had to be untied, heated again until soft, and then rolled again.
After drying, Boss Lin would refine the tea by roasting it, which is also an art. Hong Lihui said that last year, he roasted a certain batch of tea for over a hundred hours. There was a moment when the aroma disappeared, and they thought "it's over this time", but slowly, the tea came back to life.
Then it bloomed with a variety of aromas like a kaleidoscope, stimulating your brain cells and taste buds.
This is the feeling of tasting "Alishan Wild Twig Oolong" for the first time, and this tea led me here to explore further.
This year, there was drought in central Taiwan again, resulting in fewer tea leaves, but of very high quality.
The "Alisan Wild Twig" spring tea of 2024 is believed to be excellent. But it might have to wait until the end of 2025 to 2026, after Boss Lin roasts and refines it, before it hits the market.
小茶莊 Rock Tea Hut
No. 316號, Section 7, Beiyi Rd, Pinglin District, New Taipei City, 232
https://www.facebook.com/RockTeaHut
https://maps.app.goo.gl/k2qfxAMu4tbsih849
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