Camelia Formosensis also know as SHAN CHA (mountain tea) is an endemic tea plant probably well know for millennia by Taiwan Indigenous People. Some years ago when rediscovered by Han People there was kind of gold fever for those leaves and often ancient trees has been harmed or completely cut down just for sake of one harvest and quick money. Luckily Taiwanese mountains are deep and mostly impossible to penetrate so there are many wild camellias hidden into jungles.
 
Currently this trees are under government protection and it's harvesting is punished by law.  Hope for us true tea lovers is that there are few well respected tea masters who got the special permission to harvest those often many meters high and some several hundred years old trees. This the is one of those rare cases.
 
Every year there are only two harvests and quantity is usually very small. It has very powerful wild forrest energy, spring harvest is usually more fragrant while winter tea has stronger body. Both have very beautiful and clean taste. This is recently my absolutely most favorite red tea.
 
Wild Ancient forest at 1300 meters altitude,
Liu Guei, Kaoshiung County
cultivar: Camellia Fromosensis (山茶) 
Oxidation 90 percent, Light roast 
February 2024