2008 Songboling Aged Oolong | oolong tea

Songboling lies at the southern end of the Baguashan hills in Nantou County, where tea growing has been part of local life for generations. Its gently elevated gardens are home to several of Taiwan’s familiar oolong cultivars. This aged tea brings together three of them—Qing Xin, Jin Xuan, and Cui Yu—in a blend harvested in 2008 and set aside for long-term maturation.

Produced by Chen Yuwen, this tea comes from a family whose experience in baking and roasting spans three generations. The leaves were blended at the beginning, deeply baked, and stored together as a single reserve, allowing the blend to mature as a whole. On 26 December 2025, the tea was gently re-baked in an oven to refresh its aromas while preserving the depth developed during years of ageing.

In the cup, a pronounced roasted warmth is layered with dried tropical fruit, toasted nuts, and a rich, jam-like sweetness. Subtle spice notes and a gently tangy hint of dried tobacco give the tea a more complex edge. The texture is full and velvety, carrying its sweetness into a long, mellow finish.

This is an oolong for those who enjoy the depth of roasted tea and the quieter complexity of age. Successive infusions offer time to explore the balance between fruit, roast, and mature aromas, with a rounded texture that invites unhurried drinking.

Profile: Dried tropical fruit, roasted nuts, jam-like sweetness, subtle spice, dried tobacco
Origin: Songboling, Baguashan, Nantou County, Taiwan
Elevation: 400 m
Harvest: 2008
Farmer: Chen Yuwen
Cultivars: Qing Xin, Jin Xuan (TTES No. 12), Cui Yu (TTES No. 13)
Oxidation: Medium
Roasting: Deep baking and drum roasting
Last re-baked: 26 December 2025
Brewing suggestion: 95–100 °C | 5 g per 100 ml | 30–45 s for the first infusion, adjusting subsequent infusions to taste