Oolong tea from Taiwan・February 2025・梨山不知春・Unsprayed
Winter sprout teas (as opposed to “winter harvest” teas, which are confusingly named and picked in the late fall) are the only oolongs picked in the winter. Unlike their spring and winter harvest counterparts, winter sprouts are decidedly finicky, requiring a series of weather factors to occur in near perfect sequence: a brief warm snap in early winter (November through early December) that triggers the leaves to bud and a subsequent, significant, temperature drop that forces the young sprouts to develop under extremely cold conditions. Together, these factors force the the tea plants to store sugar in their extremities, thus thickening the membrane of the tea leaves to protect them from winter’s cold. Because tea trees hold less water in the winter time, the flavors of winter sprout teas are extra concentrated and distinct.
This year, winter came late to the slopes of the Lishan mountains and when temperatures finally dropped, the cold weather held on long and hard. This exaggerated winter’s effect on the leaves, created a tea that brews with even more richness, thick texture, and complexity than in years past.
The result is a leaf that has all the necessary components for an extraordinary tea: one with superlative body, rich floral characteristics and sweetness, without a hint of astringency or bitterness. Withered indoors, followed by long, low-temperature oxidation over ten hours, the fresh tea leaves are then gently rolled to bruise the leaves. A second, shorter oxidation period is followed by a final round of bruising, rolling and roasting to finish the tea. Brewed, Late Winter Sprout balances the verdant green flavors of springtime with a pillowy texture and arresting viscosity, unfurling in flavor and aroma as the leaves slowly open.
