“TTES No. 8” is a black tea cultivar bred by the Yuchi Branch of the Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES) in Taiwan. Developed through single-plant selection from the Indian Assam Jaipuri strain, it was officially released in 1973. As an improved Assam variety, TTES No. 8 Assam black tea features distinct cane sugar and caramel notes compared to Indian Assam. Before the introduction of TTES No. 18 Ruby, it remained Taiwan’s most representative black tea cultivar.
TTES No. 8 Assam Tea: An Enhanced Assam Cultivar
Taiwan began researching and developing black tea cultivars during the Japanese colonial period, successfully selecting the 796 strain as early as 1941. After more than two decades of culling and selection, today’s improved Assam was finally bred in the 1960s and officially released in 1973 as TTES No. 8.
Compared to traditional Indian Assam, TTES No. 8 boasts a stronger constitution and better environmental adaptability. Flavor-wise, Indian Assam features prominent woody and maltose aromas, whereas TTES No. 8 Assam exhibits distinct cane sugar and caramel notes with a strong astringency and robust body. During the 1960s and 1970s, TTES No. 8 Assam was the primary black tea variety in the Yuchi area. Taiwanese black tea made from it was exported in large quantities, earning significant foreign exchange for Taiwan.
Decline and Revival
By the 1980s, rising tea production costs in Taiwan caused black tea exports to gradually lose their competitiveness. As a result, many of the Taiwan Tea No. 8 plantations in the Yuchi area were abandoned, and numerous Assam tea fields were converted to betel nut trees. However, around 2000, the black tea industry around SunMoon Lake began to revive, and the production of Taiwan Tea No. 8 gradually rebounded, remaining one of the region’s four major varieties today. In recent years, Yuchi Township has held an annual black tea competition where the Assam variety plays a prominent role, with award-winning champion teas commanding high prices of NT$50,000 per 600 g.