A great question from a tea lover.
Hello!
I have tasted the winter TGY and it is delicious! I love roasted oolongs and this is one of the best I have tasted. The packaging was really nice, and it was different, which I like! I love the touch of adding the Taiwan stamp in there, it was interesting and looks beautiful. The only legitimate concern I have is with the pricing. 1$ a gram is a little out of my price range, but will make for a special occasion tea. May I ask the reason you charge such an amount? I understand you get your teas from local small batch farms in Taiwan, is there something different about how the produce and make the tea?
Hi!
I am glad that you enjoy the winter TGY.
It is interesting because I also asked that very question to the farmers who supply our TGY. It turned out that we talked for hours about what makes Traditional TGY so different from other TGY.
In short, the Traditional TGY is extremely rare and the value of TGY tea usually increases after the tea has aged. The Traditional TGY, if is stored appropriately, will still preserve its unique flavors for a long time, about 30-40 years. Many tea collectors look for aged Traditional TGY. Like Pu-er Tea, the older tea is rarer. When stored in a sealed package, TGY oxidizes slowly, which will slightly change the flavor and aroma. This is why TGY should not be vacuum-packed, Vacuum-packing will make TGY cease to “breathe”. Before brewing aged TGY, you need to bake or dry the tea a bit to wake it up, like waking a sleeping beauty! By doing this you can explore the various flavors of aged TGY. Drinking aged Traditional TGY is always a surprising experience. You can even customize your own TGY by adjusting how it is baked!
In Taiwan, you can only find Traditional TGY in Mucha area, and only the Zhang family is still making it using the traditional methods. So, the Traditional TGY is very scarce. The farmer harvested only about 500 kg of Traditional TGY in 2014 winter and only 5 kg were left when I purchased. Many tea drinkers say once you drink the Traditional TGY, you won’t be satisfied with others.
Considering the price, the cost of the traditional TGY itself is twice that of other teas. I, as a tea lover, enjoy the tea very much, and passionately want to sell it to those who truly appreciate the value Traditional TGY. Therefore, the price reflects the supply, demand and the true value of the Traditional TGY.
If you are interested in how the farmer makes his tea, you can visit the tea page on our website. I will post more detailed information soon.
Thank you for your asking!