Gaoshan Peaks

Creamy, sweet, fruity, delicious. Cute, bright, energetic. There is a sheen to these small leaves grown atop the Xue Ba Shan peaks in Taiwan. What stands out the most (of its many stand out qualities), is the particular tone of its sweetness. Pure: we liken it to apple juice, but you could say cane sugar if you prefer—and then hints of something baked like an angel food cake or poppyseed muffin lingering in the aftertaste. The aroma is creamy, fruity, floral—like a rambutan or lychee dessert.  Don't worry, the roasted endive light astringency keeps things plenty sophisticated :) . It's a ball. And it steeps for days.

The energy, well, this tea is going to get you tea-tipsy. It's a lively tea, and relaxing. It loosens the tongue and brings a grin.

Peddler's note: Because the leaves are smaller, you may need to use fewer, or a little bit shorter initial steeps, than other high mountain oolongs. Enjoy! I think this one will be a fan-favorite.

Label 45

Condor

Illusory Play of Appearances

The glamorous condor sits poised to engage with the social and business guests who frequently call upon them in their alpine parlor. Casually holding their cup before a floor-to-ceiling window, they strike a pose fit for a photoshoot. Whether meeting with company, or responding to the gaze of the camera, the condor knows how to make a lasting impression—and how to set the stage to shift things in their favor.

Displaced from their birthplace in the Andean mountain peaks, the condor has made a playground of their strange new surroundings. Relocation may not have been their first choice, but they use their cunning and every inch of their beautiful plumage to make the best of their situation. Navigating their way into the upper echelons of society as if in a dream, while witnessing the vanishing of their homeland, the condor has come to understand the illusory nature of all that seems solid. Trusting their own perceptions, they’ve become a master of illusions.

The condor leverages many things to their advantage, from the fleeting trends in magazines with all their superficiality, to the totem of their ancestral home—and they know which to hold high and which can lie haphazardly on the floor. This adaptability has earned them the reputation of a trickster—admirable for their resilience, easy to love, though hard for some people to trust.

Instead of watching the sunrise, the condor lets it serve as their unparalleled backdrop. After all, at the far reaches of the hemisphere, who's to say if the sun will even set today? With their sporty teacup glimmering, it is as if the condor holds the pale sun in the palm of their hand.