Maolin TeaMaolin Tea
Flavour
Taiwan native mountain tea, left to grow unmanaged
Maolin is at around 800 metres, and from November through March hundreds of thousands of purple crow butterflies overwinter in its valleys. There are only two large-scale overwintering valleys of this kind in the world; the other is in Mexico.
The butterflies act as a constraint on the gardens. Spraying here draws real attention, and the relationship between farming and conservation is closer than in most places.
For a drinker that means the district's chemical use is watched more closely than usual — no guarantee, but a signal worth something.
Oxidation two, firing two. Clear honey-green, wildflower over fresh grass.
Fair priceestimated
One jin is 600 g. Below NT$700, be sceptical.
A reasonable range is NT$1,200–2,400 per 600 g. Below NT$700, ask more questions. This range is estimated from nearby regions and elevation; it has not been verified against listed prices.
What to ask when buying this
Real honey aroma comes from insect bites and is summer-only. What you find in winter is usually old stock.
This price range is estimated from nearby regions and elevation and has not been verified, so compare for yourself.
Spring and winter lots fetch the highest prices and the best aroma; summer and autumn are a step down in both.
If they will not let you taste but want you to buy 600 g of something expensive, walk away. It is the simplest and most effective filter there is.
Specifications
About the origin
In Maolin District, Kaohsiung, part of the southern area. Limited in area.
These figures will be updated if they change.
Brewing
Why this temperature
Ball-rolled oolong is tightly wound, and the first pour only reaches the outside of the pellet, so it needs water close to boiling to open at all. If it does not open, the later steeps swing between thin and heavy. The first and second steeps often take the same time or less, because the leaf does not truly unfurl until the second.
Temperatures follow the official category guidance. Source: TRES — Effects of water quality and temperature on tea liquor
Common mistakes with this tea
95°C or above. Too cool and the roast aroma never opens, leaving it flat.
Rolled-ball leaf needs the first infusion to open up; the second is then shorter.
Best drunk within two months.
The most common beginner regret is buying 600 g on the first try. Buy a jin only after you know you like it.
What to eat with it
Glutinous rice clings and the sweetness lingers on the tongue. A tea with some astringency clears it away.
This one is Taiwan-only — not available overseas
Location accuracy: township level (22.8880, 120.6630). This marks the growing area, not one specific garden.
Southern Tea Region5
What there is to do here
1 routes Day trip Liugui・Meinong
Kaohsiung’s tea is scattered: Liugui and Namasia up in the hills, Meinong down on the plain, with Motianling, Taoyuan and Maolin each off on their own. What sets this district apart is the wild tea of Liugui — trees that were on those mountains before we were. A day can take in the plain at Meinong and the hills at Liugui.