Shan Lin Xi

Shan Lin Xi is a boisterous Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong bursting with juicy flavor—and still has the artful nuance that delights the oolong lovers of this world.

It guides you on a splendid gongfu cha journey—the kind that makes tea appreciation such a joy: surprises around every turn; nuance, depth and movement even in a single sip. Elegance and flash, small flourishes, and big acrobatics.

You’ll encounter an initial swell of bold herbaceous waves, followed by winter melon sweetness, and unexpected frothed milk arriving strong in later steeps. 

Peddler’s Note:

When I enjoy a pot, first I feel energy moving up, restoring circulation in my eyes. Then, the softening of the front part of the body—jaw, throat, chest. It is not technically warming, and yet I feel warmth throughout when circulation is allowed to move freely. Even my belly relaxes. 

Label 30

Koala

Naturalness

This groovy koala enjoys the good life, taking pleasure in the gifts provided by the sun and the earth. He appreciates nothing more than his delicious tea made through marvelous elemental coordination. Fire heats the water, water saturates leaves, his beautiful clay yunomi cup holds it all together, and air wafts the aroma to his ecstatic nose. He cradles a hand over his belly, showing love and care for his original connection to life and everything that proliferates from that start.

The koala lives a life like wandering steam, like a vining plant, moving this way and that without holding on to grudges or anything that would weigh him down. When he’s feeling blue, he basks in the sun and lets his worries disappear. Occasionally, he partakes in recreational eucalyptus and enjoys a long snooze.

Feeling philosophical, he wonders how anyone ever thought there could be a divide between koalas and nature. What a strange thought! Where would the koala end and nature begin? This scruffy elder feels so comfortable in a tree, it’s as if he is growing from the trunk. 

Awakening the forest inside of you, the easy-going koala invites you to wander whichever way your vining life leads, never parting from your nature, and questioning if such a thing would even be possible. As he likes to quip, there is no dark side of the sun.