Mingjian Mi Xiang "Shake White" - Taiwan Wulong Bai Cha

Wulong bai cha (oolong white tea) picked in January 2025, this is a winter batch of purely organic Sijichun (four seasons 四季春), a bug-bitten, pesticide-free tea. It is a second-year experiment we have worked on with the farmer, requesting different kinds of mild wulong techniques to be added into the process. The 2024 batch was shaken (yaoqing 搖青), but this year we put light rolling into the mix, which resulted in a more aromatic and pronounced mi xiang 蜜香 (honey aroma) profile, similar to dong fang mei ren 東方美人 but in the more thin, delicate frame of Sijichun bai cha.

The Mingjian terroir in south Nantou county is well suited to the rare winter pick thanks to its hot, dry and stable weather. The garden itself runs fully organic: peanut husks are the only fertilizer, and no pesticides are used at all. That cleanliness is not a side note here, it is the mechanism, since the mi xiang character depends on leafhoppers biting the leaves, and leafhoppers only thrive in a garden free of spraying. After picking, the leaves withered under the sun for 4 hours, then dried indoors from night until the next day. The last percentage of moisture was removed at low heat in a dian pei 電焙 (electric baking) oven.

A reserved batch we are very content with, continuing last year's successful batch with a new twist. An experimental tea all members of the autumn 2025 Taiwan tour fell in love with.