Taiwan's oolong teas-a look at the styles and characteristics

The Tea Detective
Uncovering and Exploring the Facts About Tea

Taiwan's Famous Oolongs - The Teas That
Made a Small Country a Big Deal

Taiwan is famous for its oolong teas, and with good reason. There are many words that could
be used to describe them, but with just one, they are fantastic, plain and simple.

The tea industry in Taiwan began with the arrival
of Fujian immigrants from China, who made their
way across the Taiwan Strait to the small island.
They arrived in droves, approximately two million
strong when all was said and done.

Luckily for Taiwan's aboriginal Polynesian inhabi-
tants they didn't arrive empty handed, but bearing
gifts in the form of tea seeds and tea bush cuttings
along with experience growing and producing tea.

The Fujian immigrants wasted no time in teaching
the native aboriginals how and where to plant, cul-
tivate, harvest, and manufacture what would
eventually become some of the world's best
oolong teas.

Today Taiwan has a thriving tea industry with

approximately 50,000 acres under cultivation, that is maintained and tended by over 6,000 family
owned tea farms.

There are three main tea growing regions in Taiwan; north, cen-
tral, and southern, with nearly one-third or 17,000 acres of the
nearly 50,000 total acres of tea gardens located in Nantou County,
which is also home to one of their most prized and famous teas,
Tung Ting.

Tung Ting oolong (spelled DongDing in Pinyin) is also called "Frozen Peak," named for the frozen
summit in view of where it's grown. Every spring an annual tea festival is held in Luku township,
one of the main Tung Ting growing areas, celebrating the prized tea that is at the center of a
local debate.

Some believe Tung Ting to be the first oolong tea gardens established by the Fujianese after
their arrival, while others believe Wenshan BaoZhong came first. There is much debate about
the subject.

The story behind the debate goes, that in the latter part of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), a tea
maker from Fujian Province made the short trip across the Taiwan Strait from China with twelve
tea plants which were then propagated to establish the first tea gardens planted on Tung Ting
Mountain. Without any verifying documentation I guess the debate will continue on - so which
came first - Tung Ting or BaoZhong? What do you think?

                                               Tung Ting is a ball-rolled oolong, lightly oxidized (between
                                                15-25%) with the spring-plucked teas full flavored and earthy,
                                                and the winter-plucked, light and fruity.

                                               Next comes Wenshan BaoZhong (or Paper Wrapped Oolong)
                                                another favorite and one of Taiwan's "greenest" oolongs. This
                                                sweet, light tea has the floral flavors of jasmine and gardenia.
                                                The tiny town of PingLing has produced BaoZhong for over 120
                                                years, nearly the length of Taiwan's entire tea history.

During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan during WWII, the town of PingLing sent their tea
around the Pacific Rim from Saigon, to Singapore and Manila, often wrapped in beautiful wrap-
ing papers that were decorated with lovely, elaborate stamps, hence the name "paper wrapped
oolong."

Bai Hao oolong (also called Oriental Beauty or White Tip oolong) is a northern grown tea distin-
guishable by the fine white lines or fine white hairs against the dark leaf, deliberately caused by
a little leaf hopper that starts a chemical reaction inside the leaf, helping to develop this tea's
character. Oxidized 35 to 45%, Bai Hao has a light honey, peachy flavor, sometimes marketed
to the West as Champagne Oolong.

Alishan oolong comes from the famous Alishan Mountains in southern Taiwan. This is a ball-
shaped High Mountain gao shan oolong, as is its competition, cousin Li Shan (or Pear Mountain).
Because they grow more slowly in the cool mountain climate, certain compounds develop in gao
shan oolongs, giving them a heavier, creamy body, yet delicate citrus scents and light floral,
sweet flavors. They are approximately 25% oxidized.

Formosa oolong is the tea that made Taiwan famous, developed by the
British entrepreneur, John Dodd in the mid 19th century, marketing it to
the U.S. and Europe, making Taiwan's name synonomous with quality
oolong teas. Formosa is one of Taiwan's heaviest oxidized oolongs at
75% and has a deeper, full-bodied flavor.

Other oolongs from Taiwan include Ti Guan Yin (or Tieguanyin), produced
from the same clonal varieties of Ti Kuan Yin tea bushes originally brought
from Fujian Province, China. Also look for Jin Xuan oolong, Tianhe oolong,
Fulu oolong, and Yu Shan (Jade Mountain) oolong.

Taiwan also produces and exports a small amount of sencha style green tea to Japan to supplement their demand for
iced tea and ready to drink (RTD) bottled tea drinks. They also produce small quantities of Lung Ching (Dragon Well),
Pi Lo Chun (or Bi Lo Chun, Bi Lu Chun, or Green Snail Spring) green teas.

The area of Sun Moon Lake in central Nantou county also produces black teas as their local specialty and small
amounts of smoky Lapsang Souchong teas are also made on the island.

The small island of Taiwan is surely a treasure trove of fine high-quality and flavorful teas. If you haven't tried oolong
tea yet, then any one of these teas would be a perfect place for you to start. Once you do I'm sure you'll be singing
their praises, too. Enjoy.

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