Super Diva High Mountain Oolong 2025 Spring
Just like the normal Diva, this tea is from a garden near the indigenous Atayal people's village Smangus, a remote village in Northern Taiwan known for virgin old growth forests and ancient cypress trees. But it is further up the mountain near the peak, at 2000 meters above sea level! Further north than other high elevation regions like Lishan, it often snows there, and the tea harvest is late in the season.
From the moment hot water hits the leaves, this tea just sings! I’m honestly having a hard time calming down enough to parse the notes because the harmony coming off this tea is just stunning. I just want to enjoy the full picture. It’s got a rich sweet base, something like sugarcane and pastry, and the reliable ‘Diva’ note of pineapple rings out loud and clear, but, owing to the super high elevation, this tea really stretches out far into the high notes. It’s like a big, juicy bouquet of sweet springtime flowers. It’s myriad and complex, just a huge amount of fun.
This mountain makes Divas, singers with talent and attitude. However this one has such a richness from the bottom all the way into the harmonic stratosphere that I keep hearing Ella Fitzgerald’s voice when I drink it. Once, a reviewer was comparing our tea to another vendor, and said our high mountain was like Ella and the other vendor’s was like Howlin’ Wolf; he said ours was more elegant but the other tea had more booty. If you don’t think Ella Fitzgerald has booty, you haven’t been really listening to her sing (and you probably haven’t seen her photo either). This tea has booty in spades. So I’m nicknaming it ‘Lady Ella’.
Broth is sweet and full, with a buttery texture that reaches into every corner. A nice gold leaning into jade color, and visibly thick. Slippery and lively, it spreads out over the tongue and produces a strong salivation, leaving behind a potent lingering sweetness. Reaches effortlessly into the throat and has a comforting presence in the belly.
Facts
- Harvest Location : Smangus, Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan
- Harvest Date : Spring 2025
- Cultivar : Qing Xin Oolong
- Farming Method : Conventional, From a garden regularly tested by SGS as having 0% pesticide residues
- Altitude : 2000 meters