ethan wrote:
I have been told the government totally controls FSS. I do not understand how it would matter whom it is bought from as long as one is not getting counterfeit tins, if what I was told is true.
I have also been told that only 1 of the 2 mountains where the tea is grown will be used for tea after this year which might make next year's FSS exceedingly expensive.
Not the government, but the KMT (Kuomintang) party, which had ruled Taiwan with an iron fist for decades, before slowly handing it over to democracy. They appropriated a lot of property and land, a large part they still do not return to the public. The farm was originally given to soldiers of their army. Long story short, that also explains why this tea is hard to come by (apart from the quantity) - a large part is never for the open market, only for KMT and connected. Worth noting that FS has more than one quality of leaves and the top grades are not available unless connected.
Anyway, better not to think of what amazing teas are out there, if they are out of reach, just drink what makes us happy and what we can afford!