Taiwan
Most of the tea made in Taiwan is oolong. The gardens spread across mountains above 1,000 meters, and the wide swing between day and night temperatures, together with frequent fog, gives Taiwanese oolong its clear sweetness.
Three types of Taiwanese oolong
Taiwanese oolong falls into three broad types. There are lightly fermented teas such as Wenshan Baozhong and high mountain oolong, heavily fermented teas such as Muzha Tie Guan Yin, and honey-scented teas such as Oriental Beauty and honey fragrance high mountain tea, where leafhoppers feeding on the leaf produce a honey-like flavor. Each type comes in a barely roasted, fresh fragrance version and a roasted version where firing works the flavor up.
The high mountain areas
The gardens at Alishan, Lishan, Cuifeng and Dayuling sit between 1,500 and 2,600 meters. The higher the garden, the slower the growth and the longer the finish. At lower altitude, Dongding oolong from Lugu and the teas of Zhushan are well known.
Black tea is made here too
Besides oolong, Taiwan produces Ruby black tea (Taicha No. 18) around Sun Moon Lake. It has a strong menthol flavor and is the country's best known black tea.
Taiwan
Tian Chi Li Shan Cha Special 天池梨山茶 Special
