Alishan High Mountain Oolong — Spring Harvest

Alishan (阿里山) is the most widely known of Taiwan's high mountain tea regions, its tea gardens strung along ridges at 1,000–1,600m elevation above Chiayi County. The combination of high altitude (cold nights dramatically slow leaf development), mountain mist (natural shading), and volcanic soil produces the defining characteristics of Taiwanese gaoshan (高山, high mountain) oolong: a thick, creamy texture, vivid floral aroma, and a natural milk-like sweetness absent from lowland teas. The spring harvest (chun cha), picked in late March–April, is the prestige picking of the year. The Alishan Tea Cooperative works with over 200 small farm families to maintain traditional hand-harvesting and charcoal processing standards.