800px-Alishan_Forest_Staircase2.JPG

Our wonderful High Mountain Oolong, comes from the marvelous area of Alishan, Taiwan, which can be translated as "Mount Ali". This region is all about nature in all of its possible ways with beautiful vegetation. In fact, it is a wonder of nature, that has been converted into a National Park, which is the most visited in Taiwan.

Besides high altitude tea plantations, this region is about 415 km² (160 mi² ) and includes waterfalls, villages, the Alishan Forest Railways and hiking trails. There are about 200 farmers in the area. 

Alishan is not a single mountain, but a range on Taiwan's spine, averaging 2 500 meters (8 200 feet) in high. The highest peak is called Datashan (大塔山) and reaches 2 663 meters (8 735 feet). 

In this region, it is very interesting to notice the difference of vegetation from low elevation to high elevation. You can go from a tropical, to a sub-tropical region, to an alpine climate very fast. That means you will be able to see palm trees and banana trees at the bottom, followed by completely different forest trees as you climb higher and higher.

Tea is considered a very important agricultural crop in Taiwan. Taiwan’s tea products are quite famous worldwide, and among them, High Mountain tea is one of the most expensive and prized ones.  

Because of the cool weather at the high altitude, the mild sunshine caused by frequent fogging in the morning and evening, and the short average isolation duration, the quality of the tea is largely improved. However the higher the elevation, the most expensive the tea is, as the crops are smaller and harder to cultivate, and also because the workers take more time to get there.


 

Sources: Google Scholars

 

 

Alishan region is the red circle in the center

Alishan region is the red circle in the center