My take on the spring 2026 Oolongs and Baozhong from Taiwan

Wenshan Baozhong

This is the 21st year I have selected teas in Taiwan. Each year there are new challenges that make this process interesting and necessary if you have accustomed your palate to the pleasure of fine teas. As tea is the product of soil, weather and human skill, there are plenty of factors that require our attention.

1. Soil

This is the factor where change is slowest. New plantations in new regions are quite rare. And if a farmer wants to farm his fields with more organic and less intensive methods, the soil needs time to absorb and reflect these changes. This is why, once I have found a tea plantation that does a good job in the management of the plantation, I tend to stick to them. This year, for instance, my farmer in YangKeng (Shan Lin Xi) had some health issues that prevented him to manage his plantation and prepare it for the spring harvest. During the harvest season, I've check on him and the plantation. He was getting better and he enjoyed the video I made of his plantation. Despite the neglect and the dry winter, the trees have grown very healthily. He feels that letting the plants rest for almost a year is very beneficial. He might be projecting his own state of mind and health experience, but I think he's right! In order to help him financially, I selected his spring 2021 Oolong from his inventory, a tea that exudes wonderful fragrances, a powerful clean taste and proves that good high mountain Oolong can improve with time. I'm very much looking forward tasting his next batch, after the good rest. Good soil and then managing it well is essential!

Resting Yang Keng plantation in Shan Lin Xi

The popular interest for high mountain Oolongs continues. This year, I witnessed it firsthand as I spent a night in ChangShuHu in AliShan. Taiwanese tea merchants kept visiting the farm and brought samples of semi-finished Oolongs from other farmers nearby. They would brew these samples and compare them with the semi-finished leaves being made at the farm. And they would repeat this comparison at other farms, late in the night and for several days, until they found enough good tea for their business. I understand that Alishan is popular, because this is a large mountainous region where fields aren't too small and they are located high enough above sea level that you can taste the mountain freshness at a reasonable price. One reason I like Chang Shu Hu and RuiFeng, because they are not located on the very touristy road that leads to the Alishan National Park. The farmers there can't count on foolable tourists, but must make good quality tea for the professional buyers. 

ChangShuHu, Alishan

The most sought after soil/location is located in the Lishan region. This is the region for experts and connoisseurs. The 1000 meters mark separates low elevation from high mountain. The 2000+ meters mark separate the high mountain Oolong from the stars! As we approach the highest elevation of 2580 meters for an Oolong plantation, there are fewer and fewer trees that grow at these altitudes. Supply is limited, demand is high (especially with Taiwanese high tech stocks soaring 100% since last year!), so prices react accordingly. My job is to select those that deserve these sky high prices. This year, the 3 Oolongs that stand out are FuShou Shan, DaYuLing 101K and Da Yu Ling 104K

Yong Long, Dong Ding

In the lower elevation, the organic farm that stood out this year is in Yong Lung, Dong Ding area. The fresh Oolong from this farm is very enjoyable even without the charcoal roasting! 

2. Weather

The winter was cold and dry all over Taiwan and tea plantation suffered from a lack of rainfall. Farms with their own water retention and irrigation did better. In the early spring, the rain first came to the north of Taiwan. And there was a lot of alternating rain in the north while the temperatures remained comfortable and rarely were too hot. 

Wenshan Baozhong

This explains why spring 2026 was a good season for Wenshan and Haishan Baozhongs. Good yields and bright flavors. 

Jinxuan is a cultivar that typically grows earlier than Qingxin Oolong. This year, its growth cycle coincided with a dry and hot couple of weeks that destroyed most leaves. That's why I don't have a spring 2026 Jinxuan (check my 2025 batch instead!).

Water is the mother of tea! In the center, rain came in sufficient quantity at the end of April and in early May. The cold and drought had delayed the harvests. Now, farmers had to plan their harvests around the scheduled rain. I saw the harvesters stop at noon in Alishan on April 24th, because it started to pour cats and dogs! And in FuShou Shan, my farmer harvested early on May 10th to avoid the rain. And in Long Feng Xia, my pictures and video show lots of fog, because I arrived in the early afternoon (and the sun only shone until noon).

Long Feng Xi, Shan Lin Xi

3. Tea processing.

Last year, I reported that more and more Wenshan Baozhong is machine harvested. The north of Taiwan lacks manpower for tea harvesting and the economic boom ( GDP is up 14.6 % in Q1 2026) isn't helping. Haishan Baozhong, though, is still picked by hand. Being organic also explains why its price is higher. This farmer is one of the most skilled in Taiwan: he produces green tea in early spring, Baozhong after Qingmin festival, jassid bitten OB in June, red tea in the summer and osmanthus scented Baozhong in winter!

San Hsia

In the north, tea farmers don't benefit from the popularity of high mountain Oolong. They have to innovate to attract new customers. One of my producers has learned to make Dancong with his locally grown Shui Xian! Another important skill is roasting. While I'm still waiting for the 2026 Dong Ding charcoal roast, I have selected 2 roasted Baozhongs from 2025: a Qingxin Oolong based and the RouGui based Bazohong. Their roast manages to preserve the fresh energy of the leaves.

Conclusion: A long winter rest was beneficial for the spring 2026 teas. Rain was necessary, but made the harvest season a little bit tricky for the farmers. Baozhongs had a stellar season. Alishan continues to deliver the best value for high mountain Oolong drinkers. Long Feng Xia's high elevation comes close to the lower elevations of Lishan. These are teas that boost the energy and freshness. Fushou Shan and Da Yu Ling are teas for presidents and emperors! They are teas for special occasions. 

Fushou Shan Chaxi