What Tea Variety is TTES No. 12? - Liao Chang Xing Tea

TTES No. 12, better known as JinXuan tea, is a variety bred by the Taiwan Tea Experiment Station. It was officially named TTES No. 12 by the naming committee in 1982 and is Taiwan’s second-most-produced tea plant variety.

The Origins of TTES No. 12

TTES No. 12 was created at the Taiwan Tea Experiment Station through the crossbreeding of Yingzhi Hongxin and Tainong No. 8. The director at the time, Wu Zhenduo, named it after his grandmother, “JinXuan.” The committee later officially designated it as “TTES No. 12.” Because its breeding serial number is 2027, it is also commonly referred to as “Er-Shi-Qi-Zai” (Number 27).

Characteristics of the TTES No. 12 Tea Plant

It features a spreading growth habit with strong branch and leaf extension. The leaves are elliptical and thick, with a lush, glossy green color. The tea buds have a slight purplish tint and extremely high bud density. The plants are robust with excellent disease resistance, showing outstanding tolerance to branch blight, drought, waterlogging, and cold weather. Its yield is 20% to 50% higher than that of Qingxin Oolong, and it can be harvested up to 7 times a year.

This tea plant is well-suited for making Baozhong or Oolong tea, yielding a lifting aroma and sweet floral notes. Its main drawbacks are that the tea’s finesse is not quite as refined as Qingxin Oolong, and its aftertaste (hui gan) is comparatively weaker.

Growing Regions of TTES No. 12

It is cultivated all across Taiwan from south to north, from flatlands to high mountains, making it the second most widely grown tea variety after Qingxin Oolong. It has even been transplanted to mainland China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. In Taiwan, it is mostly grown in low-to-mid elevation regions (below 1,000 meters). Because of its high yield and suitability for mechanical harvesting, its combination of high productivity and low cost has made it Taiwan’s most popular base tea for bubble tea and hand-shaken beverages.