Sanxia Haishan Baozhong TeaSanxia Haishan Baozhong Tea
Flavour
Delicate aroma, mellow and sweet
Sanxia makes two kinds of tea side by side: unoxidised Biluochun and Longjing, and Baozhong at twenty per cent. Same hillside, same leaf — change the oxidation and you change the category.
That is the cheapest ruler for understanding Taiwanese tea: zero for green, twenty for Baozhong, fifty for Dong Ding, seventy-five for Oriental Beauty, ninety-five for black.
Baozhong stays in twisted strands rather than pellets, so it gives its flavour on the first steep.
Haishan Baozhong runs oxidation two, firing two, and pours honey-green. Water at 90 °C.
Fair priceverified
One jin is 600 g. Below NT$500, be sceptical.
A reasonable range is NT$800–2,000 per 600 g. Below NT$500, ask more questions. Competition-grade lots command a large premium. Ask which association ran the competition, which year, and for the seal.
What to ask when buying this
Grading standards differ between associations, so awards are not comparable across competitions. Genuine lots come with a seal and certificate.
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.
A scannable producer record beats any verbal assurance.
Specifications
About the origin
Made the same way as Wenshan Baozhong, picked as a bud with two or three leaves. The name dates from 1991, when the Taipei County magistrate You Ching visited the district, tasted what was being made, and named it Haishan — "from the sea to the mountain top, tea for everyone's health". Sanxia has been growing tea for over two hundred years; there were 430 hectares in 1997.
These figures will be updated if they change.
Brewing
Why this temperature
Baozhong is oxidised only about twenty per cent and barely fired, so it keeps the most floral aroma. The leaf stays in strands, so it opens fast and gives its flavour on the first steep — no need for a long one. The water can be hot, but pour it down the side of the vessel rather than straight onto the leaf.
Temperatures follow the official category guidance. Source: TRES — Effects of water quality and temperature on tea liquor
Common mistakes with this tea
90°C or above. Too cool and the roast aroma never opens, leaving it flat.
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 (24.9400, 121.3770). This marks the growing area, not one specific garden.
New Taipei Tea Region6
What there is to do here
4 routes Day trip Pinglin・Shiding・Sanxia
You can be standing in pouchong country a little over an hour after leaving Taipei Main Station. Pinglin has the museum, the river and trails you can finish in an afternoon; Shiding’s old street is built out over the water; Sanxia makes a green tea unlike anywhere else. All three work as day trips.