{"id":301,"date":"2019-11-13T16:53:12","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T23:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kuchatea.com\/blog\/?p=301"},"modified":"2023-09-05T17:24:02","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T23:24:02","slug":"mountain-teas-perfect-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kuchatea.com\/blog\/mountain-teas-perfect-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Teas A Perfect High Altitude Fit for Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Some of the world\u2019s greatest teas grow around mountain ranges across Asia<\/em>
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If there\u2019s one thing most Coloradans understand, it\u2019s mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We claim far more peaks higher than 14,000 feet than any other state in the Lower 48. In fact, mountains at that elevation rise only in Washington and California. Between them, 14 mountains count as 14ers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Colorado boasts 53 of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t grow mountain teas in Colorado \u2014 our mountains are too high and dry. But mountainous regions around the world do. Some of the world\u2019s finest teas flourish at rocky elevation.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Tea can grow at high elevation, as in Nepal. But it needs mist to thrive.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Tea bushes grow at between 3,000 and 7,000 feet elevation in Nepal. In Tibet, farmers grow tea at 12,000 feet elevation, where summer weather involves mist \u2014 a key difference between those mountains and Colorado\u2019s. Farmers across the Indian subcontinent harvest tea in mountainous regions. And in China, mountains support some of the country\u2019s most prized teas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our broad selection of teas from around the world involves plenty grown in mountainous regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the season of snowy treks into groomed or wild backcountry begins, let\u2019s honor our wintertime mountain pursuits with sips of mountain tea from three different regions of China. We carry all of these teas, which we carefully source from China\u2019s premier tea farmers.
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Pu-erh tea grows in the mountains of China’s Yunnan Province.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Mountain Tea Tiger Mountain Raw Pu-erh<\/mark><\/a>: Yunnan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We thrill to pu-erh teas, which count as some of the most unusual teas produced in China. If fermentation interests \u2014 and this being beer- and kombucha-crazy Boulder, chances are it does \u2014 then pu-erh is the tea for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oxidized, fermented, formed into cakes and often aged, sometimes for decades, pu-erh offers immense complexity and depth. We carry a broad selection of pu-erhs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But not all pu-erhs get fermented. One style, called \u201craw\u201d (fermented pu-erhs are called \u201cripe\u201d) gets packaged and sold prior to fermentation. We recently received a shipment of raw pu-erh from Tiger Mountain<\/a>, and are delighted with the tea. It\u2019s young by pu-erh standards (harvested in 2017), fresh and bright. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All pu-erhs come from China\u2019s Yunnan Province, which borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar in the country\u2019s far south. Parts of Yunnan are mountainous, and this is where pe-erh is grown and crafted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are interested in exploring mountain teas, pu-erh is a winning place to begin the journey. You can\u2019t go wrong \u2014 all pu-erhs are grown in and around mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will offer much more about pu-erhs in coming newsletters and blogs. You can always visit the store, too, for free samples and plenty of assistance guiding you through the world of pu-erh.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Taiwan is the most mountainous island in the world, and a center for tea growing.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Mountain Tea Dong Ding<\/mark><\/a>: Taiwan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This Taiwanese tea is so rooted to mountains that its very name is evocative of the higher places. Translated, Dong Ding<\/a> means \u201cfrozen summit\u201d or \u201cicy peak.\u201d In fact, Dong Ding itself is a mountain. Farmers grew Taiwan\u2019s first teas around Dong Ding, and today it stands as the country\u2019s most famous peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most tea grown in Taiwan is mountain tea. No island contains as many high peaks as Taiwan, which has 286 mountain summits higher than 9,800 feet. The highest, Mount Yu Shan, rises to 12,966 feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dong Ding tea first arrived on the island in 1841, when Taiwanese scholar Lin Feng Chi returned from studies in China with 12 tea plants. The plants came from another mountainous region, the Wu Yi Mountains, which support some of China\u2019s best teas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tea thrived in Taiwanese mountains’ cool, misty climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dong Ding is famously sweet, due in part to the hand-picked leaves that are combined with some stems still attached. The combination of leaf and stem produces a tea with a pronounced honey character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tea farmers roast the tea to stop fermentation, something all tea artisans perform with oolongs. Sometimes they use charcoalto roast the tea, adding a complex flavor involving elements of toast and woods.<\/p>\n\n\n

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China’s Qinling Mountains, in the Henan Province, are home to giant pandas, the longest amphibian in the world, and one of China’s Top 10 teas: Xinyang Maojian.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Mountain Tea Xinyang Maojian<\/mark><\/a>: Henan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

China\u2019s Qinling Mountains, sometimes referred to as the \u201cSzechuan Alps,\u201d stretch east to west across central China, and serve as a major divide between the northern and southern regions of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A wide range of rare animals and plants call the Qinlings home, including Qinling pandas, Golden takin, golden pheasant, golden snub-nosed monkey, Temminck\u2019s tragopan, crested ibis, golden eagle, the blackthroat bird, and the clouded leopard. In addition, the world\u2019s largest amphibian, the Chinese giant salamader lives in Qinling. It stretches to six feet in length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tea from this diverse patch of China is just as rich. Xinyang Maojian<\/a>, one of our favorites, remains one of China\u2019s Top 10 Famous Teas, the only Top 10 tea from northern China. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This green tea, with a history dating back 2,300 years, comes from China\u2019s Henan Province, known as one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Translated, the name of the tea means \u201cfurry tips,\u201d an accurate description of its appearance: needle-like green leaves decorated with furry white stripes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We find the flavors and aroma highly nuanced, with elements of pine and grass. It is wonderful tea for relaxation and contemplation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three mountainous regions \u2014 Yunnan, Taiwan and Henan \u2014 and three mountain teas. We carry many more teas grown on the sides of peaks, as they are perfect environments for fine teas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If only we could grow them in Colorado!
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