Disco

This beautiful and well-aged Taiwanese oolong has wonderful storage, a fruity, delicious cup and powerful energy at a very affordable price for what it is. Back in the day, most all Taiwanese oolong was made of Wuyi varietals brought here by settlers from Fujian. To this day, the main varietal in Taiwan is Qing Shin (“Gentle Heart”), which was once a Wuyi varietal that has since been lost in Wuyi itself, surviving only in Taiwan. There was another Wuyi varietal that was very common throughout the north of Taiwan because it was hearty and grew well. These days it is just called “Wuyi Varietal.” There is a version (or perhaps versions) of this varietal around today, but farmers stopped using it on a large scale because it was too bitter when processed. As the market began to grow in the late 70s and early 80s, and quality improved, this varietal was slowly replaced and some versions of it vanished. Having more than one varietal with the same name is common, though confusing. Sometimes this confusion is resolved with numbering. The version(s) in existence now aren’t the same as this one, and they aren’t processed the same nor grown in the same location(s). The important point is that this varietal, in the location that this tea is from, and with this type of processing, ended in the late 70s or early 80s, allowing us to date this tea a bit more accurately than most loose-leaf teas.