Fresh Fall Tea And More

Mountain Stream Teas Teaducation Subscription Service

September, 2025

The late summer and fall season of tea in Taiwan is upon us and in this month’s box are some of the freshest teas we have. This season’s teas are a favorite of ours and we hope that you enjoy them as well!

What are the teas we will look at this month?

We found some great examples of Fall teas this year. Included this month are:

1. Fall Pear Mountain, 2000m elevation, 25% Oxidization, hand picked on August 20th, 2025, Lishan, Nantou County, Qinxin

Tasting notes: Balanced sweet vegetal, stone fruit, thick mouthfeel and floral perfume

1. Alpine White, 1200m elevation, 0% Oxidization, hand picked in April, 2025, Chi Lai Mountain, Nantou County, Qinxin

Tasting notes: Strong white florals, hints of grass, sweet

1. Alpine Honey Red, 1200m elevation, 85% Oxidization, hand picked in June, 2025, Chi Lai Mountain, Nantou County, Qinxin

Tasting notes: Sweet rose florals, rich red stone fruit, touch of wild honey

1. Alpine Fall Honey, 1200m elevation, 25% Oxidization, hand picked in August, 2025, Chi Lai Mountain, Nantou County, Qinxin

Tasting notes: Warm vegetal with touch of wild honey and fruit

Why are ‘fall’ teas special?

In Taiwan, fall teas, picked from August to September, are viewed as less desirable for the local market. In lower elevations the teas are markedly more bitter and harsh and in higher elevations the teas made lack the lightness and freshness of the spring or winter picks. However, if you know what you are looking for, you can find some wonderful, affordable, and great tasting teas. The fall pick in the higher elevations, for example, offers a sweet, rich and fruity tea that is often the favorite of those who grew up with a ‘western’ palate. Fall is our favorite season for Pear Mountain Oolongs for example!

An absolute favorite of this tea company and many of our customers, the Fall High Mountain oolongs teas included this month are from the same cultivar, picked and processed basically the same but at different elevations and areas. They both have the ‘Fall Tea’ characteristics of strength and warmth but are different due to the areas in which they are grown.

Introducing the ‘Alpine’ Series of Teas

Our new Alpine series of teas was named to differentiate them from our Current Chi Lai Mountain series of teas. Grown in an organic garden in the Chi Lai area, these teas are different enough that calling them ‘Chi Lai’ didn’t seem quite right. Smoother tasting with lots of bugs bites, we hope you enjoy them!

The Mystery Tea

This month’s first mystery is to see if you can tell the fall teas apart! The Pear Mountain pick is more balanced with softer flavors and a smoother vegetal with a yellow fruit aftertaste. The Chi Lai is sweet, deeper and has a more complex after taste. Both have warm flavors mirroring this year’s hot and humid summer in Taiwan. Can you tell them apart?

The October Box

The topic for next month’s box is slightly unknown at shipping time as we are still reeling from the tariff uncertainty in the US, our largest market. We tentatively have the idea of a terroir study of an area of Taiwanese tea but that may change over the coming month. In any case, we will fill up a box with some great tea for sure!