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Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan’s iconic black tea, is a tea that brings with it the strength of a robust, roasted cup of warmth. It’s the type of tea fit to find its place within a nice cozy comforter on the couch as we watch the snow fall outside. Excellently suited for a moment’s reflective recharge in between the demands of the day. Black teas are a great companion for colder weather with their gentle warm notes and characteristic flavor profiles.
This black tea in particular has a strong presence of warming spices impossible to miss that fade in later steeps to reveal a soft, sweet brew to compliment the festive holiday season.
A tea with a heritage in balance and harmony, the nostalgic area in which this tea is harvested is a region known for its tranquil beauty. Poets have long associated this region with a sense of place and personal introspection. How perfect of a location to raise superior tea.
Artisan Tea
Made with love.
Guaranteed Organic
Simply pure, clean tea.
Small Batch
These teas are very limited in supply.
A decade of tea research
18 Provinces, 31 Chinese cities explored in search of tea
Based in Taiwan, Yunnan, and Shandong
120+ years generational tea producing experience
Our Offering
We were familiar with Sun Moon Lake tea, having had many sessions in the past around this cup, but we wanted to push the limits of what this tea could offer by challenging our tea master to produce a truly exceptional batch. What we offer here is the result of that challenge; a tea that embodies a subtle but notable variation in what is typically sold. The first noticeable difference is in the quality standard of this tea as compared to the plethora of black tea options out there. The quality of the drink is on another level, leaving us splendidly assured that we were drinking something special. There’s something about the cooler seasons that demand a higher quality in the cup to comfort a contemplative soul during the winter months, and this tea accomplishes that.
Background of the tea
Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan’s signature black tea variation. Influenced by Japan bringing an Assamica variety of tea from India to Taiwan in the early 20th century, a concerted effort was made to create a strong black tea native to the Taiwanese. The result is a hybrid tea that shares many of the characteristics of an assam black tea from India, but uniquely characteristic of Taiwanese teas in having a natural honeyed-sweetness, along with hints of cinnamon and subtle minty undertones.
But don’t confuse the hybrid nature of this tea with a standard blended black tea. Black teas in the West are often a blend of multiple tea sources in an effort to maintain a certain flavor profile. Earl Grey, or English Breakfast would be examples of this type of processing leading to the iconic taste of those teas we’ve all come to love. Sun Moon Lake, on the other hand, is a classic example of the artistry of tea making focusing on the processing of the leaf as opposed to the artistry of the leaf blend. Sun Moon Lake focuses on what the harvest itself can produce, which means each small batch of this tea created will differ from other batches depending on the multitude of factors involved including weather, terroir, processing method, and time of year produced.
Brewing Guide
Because of this tea’s very robust, pronounced flavor we have outlined two very different methods of steeping this tea in order to bring out the best of its brew.
Western-Style Brewing:
Start with water heated to 194–203°F (90–95°C).
Use 2-3 teaspoons of leaves per 8-ounce cup.
Steep for 3-5 minutes.
Tasting: This method will emphasize the tea’s body and depth, with a sweet aroma and strong notes of spices.
This tea is wonderful to enjoy alone, though a small amount of milk can create a smooth, comforting profile.
Gongfu Brewing:
Start with water heated to 194°F (90°C).
Use 5-6 grams per 150ml pot.
Steep for 10-15 seconds for the first two infusions. Any more than this starting off and the tea can be overpowering in taste we’ve found. After the first few steeps, increase brewing time by 30-45 seconds for each additional infusion.
Tasting: The first few infusions reveal a bold, spiced brew with notes of malt, leather, and a subtle minty sensation. Subsequent brews uncover a lingering sweet smoothness as the spiced, minty notes subside.
Additional Information
Sun Moon Lake is more than a tea, it is also a place in Taiwan. It’s the place that gives the tea its name. A lake situated at an elevation of 750 meters (2,454 feet) high in the mountains of central Taiwan, it was found that this location closely resembled the climate and elevation where assamica sinenses grew most successfully in India. The match proved to be a success, as this specific black tea thrives around Sun Moon Lake where it is still produced in small batches today.
Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan’s largest natural lake, and gets its name from the shape of the lake itself. The eastern side of the lake is round, resembling the shape of the sun, while the western side is elongated like a crescent moon. The serene beauty of this lake has often been likened to great splendor and reflection. With the sun on one end and the moon on the other, the lake resting in-between signifies balance and harmony. Aspects of existence that tea culture strives to inspire.
