Gentle Treeman № 13 (Black Tea)

Treeman - Life and Teamaking in the Wild

For Wild Tea Master Cho (or Treeman as we call him) nature is where he belongs. Living in the wild, he has shed tears, sweat and even blood, surviving snake bites, bee stings and a bear attack. What sounds like scenes from an adventure movie is Treeman’s life for most of the time. Experiencing wilderness has enabled him to strengthen his intuition and sharpen his senses. In a way he has learned to speak the language of the forest, communicating with all its animals and plants. His mind has gradually transitioned from societal desires to a state of silence, of oneness with the Taiwanese mountains.

He could stay away and live a secluded life for the most part. However, he choses to share. Through the tea he grows and makes he passes on his wisdom and energy obtained by mother nature.

"You must have absolute love for tea, absolute love for people, absolute love for the land." - Wild Tea Master Cho / Treeman

All for the Sake of Protecting the Environment

Treeman has an extremely high standard and clear vision for growing the best tea possible: wild farming. All of his actions are aimed at protecting the environment, the mountains, animals, water streams and the tea itself. Here are some of his preconditions:

The growing environment has to be as natural and untouched as possible. It has never been developed or cultivated in the past. When the land is pure and well cared for by loving people, it will emit a strong healing energy. This will result in healthy thick tea leaves, rich in substance and flavor, transforming the tea into natural medicine.

The tea garden has to be separated from its neighbours by at least one kilometre to ensure that there is no cross contamination of air or water sources.

The tea trees don’t get pruned – even though this is a common practice on conventional tea farms to increase tea leaf growth / harvest output. Instead the tea plants are allowed to develop naturally reaching heights of 2,5 to 4 m. This means the roots reach into the soil to about the same depth. In comparison to other types of tea, natural and wild farmed tea can therefore absorb much more nutrients and energy from the soil.

Conventional tea farming methods aim to squeeze out as many harvests as possible. Four to six times a year is the norm. Treeman harvests his tea only once a year. This is his way of showing respect to mother nature, staying as humble as he can. It allows the tea trees to recuperate as much as possible and keeps the environment in balance.

In order to deliver the best loose leaf teas, they are entirely processed by hand. Even the extremely cumbersome and time-consuming ball-shaped and charcoal-roasted oolong teas. Their making takes at least three days of sleepless work. And now at least try to grasp that Treeman is not driven by money but by an almost child-like intention of wanting to share his creations with you; to deliver nature’s message, to heal, to relax, to give energy, to connect.

"All the thoughts of the tea maker's mind at the moment will remain in the tea. If the tea is made by machine, there is no heart. We say that tea is the unity of the universe, earth and mankind. Whether the heart is good or not is the most important thing.”
- Wild Tea Master Cho / Treeman

Path to Health and Inner Peace

"This is not the taste of tea, this is the taste of the forest. Including many kinds of trees, unique local herbs and flowers and all types of medicinal herbs. The aroma is stored in this land along with the fragrance of this terroir. Now it's all concentrated in the cup of tea in your hand.” - Wild Tea Master Cho / Treeman

Instead of being contaminated by chemical fertilizers, pesticides or heavy metals, his wild farmed tea trees draw from the soil a wealth of micronutrients. It is rich in antioxidants and natural ingredients that can help regulate the body, boost the immune system and relieve stress. What makes this natural tea so special is not only its purity and origin but also its ability to satisfy our deepest needs in an ever faster moving society: moments of tranquillity, real connection and the rebalancing of mind and body.

Portrait

An all natural Assam black tea from a wild farmed tea garden located in the mountains of Nantou in Taiwan. Old tea trees, originally planted by the Japanese during the colonial period, are now aged up to eighty years old. The slope of the tea farm differs from that of regular flatland plantations: it is extremely steep. Due to the terrain, water easily drains away, causing the tea trees to switch to survival mode by rooting deeper into the soil to absorb moisture. Consequently, they also absorb a richer array of nutrients. The unique yellow rock soil (黃岩土）in this mountain area is the most suitable type for Assam tea trees, resulting in a loose leaf tea with a particularly sweet and soft mouthfeel. Only during the dry season the tea garden is irrigated with water from the cleanest spring source at the mountaintop.

Gentle Treeman no. 13 has a gentle (hence the name) and uplifting character with a fragrant sweetness and a hint of honey aroma. The natural energy of this tea has a soothing effect on both body and mind. One is able to experience deep relaxation and expansion of consciousness. During tea processing, variations in conditions throughout the years, such as temperature and humidity levels, transform each tea into distinctly different flavors despite being the same variety. We recommended to experiment and combine tea no. 13 with no. 14 to create your own blend. The uplifting energy of Gentle Treeman combined with the grounding power of Earthy Treeman creates a third delicious flavor profile. It offers a complete tea experience that tunes in multiple aspects simultaneously.

Information

Cultivar • Assam

Type • black tea, loose leaf

Origin • Nantou, Taiwan

Elevation • 750 m

Farming method • wild

Harvest • summer 2021, hand-picked

Oxidation • heavy

Refinement • none

Brewing Suggestion

• porcelain tea ware

• 90 - 95 °C

• 2,8 g | 100 ml

• 45 s - 55 s - 75 s -120 s …