Serendipity: The Story Behind Our Yushan High Mountain Oolong

Not on my itinerary

The monastery was not on my itinerary. In fact, I almost drove past it. Something about its placement, tucked into the mountainside and modest in appearance, caught my attention just enough to make me stop. After hours on the road, I figured it would be a good place to stretch, reset, and take in the surroundings.

The Warm Welcome

What I didn’t expect was to be greeted. A man welcomed me in with a quiet warmth that immediately stood out. There was no sense of transaction and no pressure, only genuine hospitality. After a long journey, he offered me tea.

At that point, I accepted more out of appreciation for the gesture than expectation for the tea itself.

But the tea was exceptional.

It had a clarity and depth that felt distinctly tied to the environment around us. It was clean, high-grown, and layered in a way that only comes from careful cultivation. It wasn’t just good mountain tea. It had character.

Naturally, that led to conversation.

As we talked, I learned that this man wasn’t simply serving tea. He was the one growing it. A local farmer, quietly dedicating both his time and his harvest to the monastery and its visitors.

What stood out even more was why.

He was deeply religious, and much of his presence there was rooted in service. He donated his time, shared his tea freely, and saw the act of offering tea not as a business, but as a form of giving.

In that context, the tea became something more than a product. It became an extension of his values.

As our conversation continued, I asked how he came into tea farming. His answer was simple but carried weight. He is a third-generation tea farmer. That lineage shows.

There is a quiet confidence in the way he approaches his craft. There is no need for branding or explanation. The quality speaks for itself, but behind that quality is decades of accumulated knowledge, passed down and refined over time.

High-mountain tea already requires discipline. The growing seasons are shorter, the conditions are harsher, and yields are more limited. What I found in his tea was not just technical execution. It was intention.

That encounter changed the way I think about sourcing.

In many cases, finding great tea involves research, introductions, and careful vetting. Sometimes, the most meaningful connections happen by chance, when you step slightly off your path and remain open to what you find.

Chance meeting - this was one of those times

Our Yushan tea comes from that meeting, from a mountainside monastery I almost passed, from a farmer who sees tea as both craft and service, and from a moment that reminded me why origin matters as much as outcome.

When you drink this tea, you are not just experiencing high-elevation Taiwanese oolong.

You are experiencing a place, a lineage, and a philosophy rooted in patience, generosity, and quiet excellence.

Bringing this tea back to Living Roots USA was not a straightforward decision. Teas like this are not produced at scale, and they are not intended to be. The farmer’s focus has always been on quality, tradition, and service rather than volume. Because of that, what we are able to offer is limited.

Small batch, handcrafted

This is a small-batch Yushan tea sourced directly from the farmer I met at the monastery. Each harvest reflects not only the conditions of the mountain, but the care and experience behind it. There is no attempt to standardize or over-process. What you taste is a direct expression of origin.

For us, carrying this tea is less about expanding a catalog and more about sharing a story that felt too meaningful to leave behind.

It is a reminder that some of the most exceptional teas are not found through supply chains, but through moments of connection.

And sometimes, the teas worth sharing are the ones you never planned to find.

Tasting Notes

This Yushan oolong reflects its high-elevation origin with a clean, focused profile and a lingering finish.

Aroma: Light florals with hints of fresh cream and mountain air

Liquor: Pale gold, clear and bright

Taste: Delicate sweetness up front, followed by notes of alpine flowers, soft stone fruit, and a subtle creaminess

Finish: Smooth, lingering, and slightly cooling with no bitterness

Each infusion opens differently, revealing more depth and structure as the leaves fully unfurl.

Brewing Guide

To fully experience the character of this tea, we recommend a gongfu-style approach, though it also performs well with Western brewing.

Gongfu Style:

• Leaf to water ratio: 5g per 100ml
• Water temperature: 185–195°F
• Rinse: Quick rinse to awaken the leaves
• Steeping: Start with 15–20 seconds, gradually increasing with each infusion
• Infusions: 6–8+ steeps

Western Style:

• Leaf to water ratio: 2.5–3g per 8 oz
• Water temperature: 185–195°F
• Steep time: 2.5–3 minutes
• Re-steep: 2–3 additional infusions