Harvest Date: Winter 2025
Growing Region: Bei Shan, Nantou county
Elevation: 1,000m 
Tea Bush/Varietal:  Jin Xuan (TRES 12)
 
Jin Xuan, also known as Nai Xiang (“Milk Aroma”), Golden Lily, or Milk Oolong—is one of Taiwan’s most beloved oolong cultivars. Unlike artificially flavored “milk oolong” teas, authentic Jin Xuan naturally produces a delicate milky fragrance and a smooth, buttery character when carefully grown and processed.
 
This tea is organically cultivated in the mountain gardens of Nantou County, Taiwan.  The tea is certified organic under Taiwan’s MOA organic standards and reflects the clean cultivation practices and careful hand-harvesting typical of the region.
 
Jin Xuan was developed after more than two decades of research by Taiwanese tea scientists and officially released in 1981 by the Taiwan Tea Research and Extension Station under the leadership of renowned tea researcher Wu Zhen‑Zhe. Known as cultivar TRES No. 12, it quickly became one of Taiwan’s most widely planted tea varieties thanks to its distinctive aroma, resilient plants, and rich mouthfeel.
 
The thick, supple leaves produce a cup that is soft and creamy with notes of sweet cream, fresh orchid, and warm butter. The liquor is smooth and full-bodied with a lingering sweetness that develops beautifully across multiple infusions in gongfu preparation.
 
This particular lot comes from higher elevation gardens in the Bei Shan area of Nantou, where cooler mountain conditions help concentrate the tea’s signature aroma and produce a refined, balanced cup.