What Is Taiwanese Oolong Tea? Types and How It Is Made

Lightly Fermented Tea and High Mountain Tea

High Mountain tea in Taiwan refers to tea made in mountains at an altitude of approximately 600 meters or higher. Usually, tea from famous production areas is not referred to as High Mountain tea but rather by the name of the specific mountain.

Examples of High Mountain Tea

Li Shan Cha

Dong Ding Cha

Ali Shan Cha

Cui Feng Cha

Tea sold under the name "High Mountain Tea" in Taiwan without specifying the mountain usually comes from lesser-known production areas or semi-high mountain tea grown at altitudes of about 300-400 meters.

Lightly fermented oolong tea has green leaves and a floral or fruity fragrance, which often surprises those who have only experienced bottled oolong tea.

As it has a taste similar to green tea, it is especially recommended for beginners.

Heavily Fermented Oolong Tea

This type of tea follows the traditional methods of tea making from Fujian Province in China and is the most traditional type of oolong tea.

Larger tea leaves are harvested and fermented over a long period.

Additionally, it is roasted for a long time over charcoal or hot air at 100°C+ to draw out a sweet flavor similar to dried fruits.

Heavily fermented oolong tea in Taiwan includes well-known teas like Muzha Tie Guan Yin and traditional-style Dong Ding oolong. Oriental Beauty also falls into this category, but it will be explained in more detail below.

Muscatel Flavor Oolong Tea

Muscatel flavor oolong tea is made from tea leaves that have been bitten by leafhoppers. The bitten leaves develop a sweet flavor similar to honey or muscat, known as muscatel flavor.

Similar tea is sometimes accidentally produced in China, but it is intentionally made only in Taiwan.

Taiwanese oolong tea is classified into "light aroma type" and "roasted type" based on whether it is roasted.

The processing of typical Taiwanese oolong tea is as follows.

Sunshine Withering

After harvesting, the tea leaves are spread out on the ground under the sun to wither. This process is called sun withering. The high-altitude cultivation areas of high mountain tea usually have cloudy weather, allowing soft sunlight to shine on the tea leaves.

When the weather is good and the sunlight is strong, black mesh sheets are placed a few meters above the tea leaves to soften the sunlight.

By conducting sun withering, moisture in the tea leaves evaporates, and fermentation begins slowly. The tea leaves gradually soften and start to emit a slightly refreshing flavor.

We place great importance on the location conditions of the tea garden and its factory. The location conditions of the factory and tea garden are essential elements for producing high-quality tea.

When spreading the tea leaves, it is important to maintain a clean environment. Instead of spreading them directly on the ground, a white cloth that easily shows dirt is used to carefully prevent foreign matter from mixing in.

Indoor Withering and Fermentation

The fermentation method for oolong tea is significantly different from that of black tea. After sun withering is complete, the tea leaves are brought into an air-conditioned room and first spread on a sheet.

At this stage, the tea leaves are uniformly dropped from chest height, causing slight friction on the edges of the leaves.

The friction causes slight damage to the edges of the leaves, initiating fermentation through the action of the tea's enzymes.

The tea leaves spread on the sheet are collected again after several minutes, and the process of spreading them on the sheet is repeated.

Next, the tea leaves are spread on bamboo baskets. This promotes fermentation, and the process of lifting the tea leaves and dropping them into the slanted baskets is repeated.

The tea leaves are then stirred in a bamboo drum. Through this stirring, the leaves are lifted and dropped repeatedly, causing gradual damage to the edges and promoting enzymatic fermentation.

When fermentation progresses sufficiently, the tea leaves emit a sweet, floral flavor. The leaves processed by skilled artisans will have red discoloration only at the edges.

This indicates that only the edges of the leaves have been damaged and partially fermented, clearly distinguishing them from low-quality tea leaves that are unevenly red.

The fermented tea leaves are heated to deactivate the enzymes, halting fermentation. If fermentation is not stopped promptly, the tea leaves will continue to ferment and develop a flavor closer to black tea.

The number of times the leaves are stirred and the duration of resting are determined based on the moisture content, flavor, and color of the leaves. These subtle timings are decided by the experience of the artisans, greatly influencing the quality of the oolong tea.

The artisans follow the instructions of the "master." The quality of the oolong tea's flavor is significantly influenced by the skill of this master. To achieve consistently superior quality, one must work with an excellent master.

Rolling

At this stage, the tea leaves already have the flavor and taste of oolong tea.

However, since the cells of the leaves, except for the edges, remain intact, the flavor and aroma will not be fully extracted when brewing the tea.

On the other hand, if the tea leaves are rolled with high pressure like in black tea production, ① unwanted off-flavors will be released into the tea.

② Additionally, non-enzymatic oxidation (oxidation without enzymatic fermentation) will progress due to excessive exposure to air, altering the flavor and aroma.

To resolve these dilemmas, the method used in oolong tea production is called "bag rolling." As the name suggests, this process involves rolling the leaves after wrapping them in a cloth bag.

While the tea leaves are warm and soft, they are placed in cloth bags. Each bag contains 10-20kg of tea leaves, rolled into a basketball-sized ball.

Furthermore, the ends of the bags are twisted strongly by a machine. By twisting them tightly, the bags are compressed, and the tea leaves are subjected to strong pressure.