Taiwan is known as the tea lover\u2019s paradise, and is Asia\u2019s best kept secret as one of the finest tea producers in the world especially in the category of Oolong.\u00a0 As the French have the wine, Taiwan has the tea! Here are some famous teas below for all the tea lovers to visit Taiwan on their next adventure.<\/p>\n
High Mountain Oolong Tea: <\/strong>This name refers to any tea that is grown over 1000m elevation, and processed as a lightly oxidized,\u00a0unroasted Oolong Tea.\u00a0There are many famous place names within this category that represent geographic growing regions.<\/p>\n These include Alishan,\u00a0Shanlinxi,\u00a0Lishan, and\u00a0Dayuling. Virtually all High Mountain Oolong Tea is made with the Qing Xin Oolong cultivar.<\/p>\n Jin Xuan ‘Milk’ Oolong Tea:<\/strong> Jin Xuan, also called Tai Cha #12, is a hybrid cultivar that has become increasingly popular since its inception in 1980’s by Taiwan’s Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES). It is a hardy, high yielding strain that is very versatile both in its cultivation and processing. Jin Xuan is mostly grown in Nantou and Chiayi Counties, but it can now be found all over Taiwan and beyond.<\/p>\n Dong Ding Oolong Tea<\/strong>: Dong Ding, or \u2018Frozen Peak\u2019 is the name of a mountain in Lugu Township, and now represents a traditional processing method, using the original Qing Xin Oolong cultivar that migrated from Mainland China.\u00a0Dong Ding\u00a0Oolong\u00a0is the most popular traditionally made tea in Taiwan. Its distinctive qualities result from medium levels of both oxidation and roasting.<\/p>\n Oriental Beauty (Bai Hao Oolong) T<\/strong>ea: Oriental Beauty is the name that was given to this type of tea by the Queen of England. Bai Hao (white fur) Oolong is the name that is locally used to refer to this tea, based on the harvesting and processing methods.<\/p>\n The leaves are harvested very young, when they still have their protective fur. The fully processed leaves are slightly curled, and multi-colored. The leaves are heavily oxidized, to the point of resembling a Black Tea in character.\u00a0 A true batch of Oriental Beauty is only produced when the new leaf growth has been affected by the Green Leafhopper.<\/p>\n Sun Moon Lake Black Tea:<\/strong> Tea cultivation in the Sun Moon Lake area dates back to the Qing Dynasty (17-1800’s) when Chinese settlers began cultivating the naturally occurring wild tea tree. In the early 1900’s, the Japanese colonists developed large scale\u00a0Black Tea\u00a0production using the Assam strain here,\u00a0following the British model in India. The pre-existing wild tea strain naturally cross-bred with an Assam strain. Taiwan’s TRES spent 50 years refining this hybridization before it\u00a0was publicly registered in 1999\u00a0as Tai Cha #18. In 2003, was given the name\u00a0Red Jade\u00a0at the 100 year anniversary of the TRES, and honoured as a Taiwanese specialty tea.<\/p>\n\r\n