Taihe tea is celebrated as one of the highest-quality tea origins in Alishan. Besides the elevated Zhangshuhu, there are numerous excellent tea gardens along County Highway 162-1, among which Dafengcheng Sunrise Peak is especially well-known. The primary tea cultivars grown here are Qingxin Oolong and JinXuan, mainly producing lightly fermented oolong tea, along with small amounts of black tea and heavily fermented oolong tea.
Exceptional Quality Tea from Meishan's Taihe
Taihe’s tea gardens sit at elevations ranging from 700 to 1,600 meters. Among them, Zhangshuhu sits at 1,300–1,600 meters, serving as the highest-altitude origin for Taihe tea. Beyond Zhangshuhu, tea gardens situated between County Highway 162-1 and County Highway 169 sit at elevations of 700–1,300 meters; the tea quality from this area is similarly superb, with tea from Dafengcheng Sunrise Peak being the most celebrated. In addition to output, the area hosts dozens of tea factories, four of which are award-winning facilities renowned for their exceptional equipment and tea garden management, frequently topping the podium at Alishan tea competitions year after year.
Read more: Introduction to Zhangshuhu Tea Region
Market Prices for Taihe Tea
Retail prices for spring and winter Zhangshuhu tea range from NT$1,600 to NT$2,600 per 600 g, while summer and autumn teas fall between NT$900 and NT$1,500 per 600 g. Tea from gardens at elevations of 700–1,300 meters generally averages around NT$200 less. Taihe’s JinXuan Oolong is also of remarkably high quality, with spring and winter retail prices ranging from NT$1,000 to NT$1,800 per 600 g.
Liao Chang Xing's Review of Taihe Tea
A quality origin scoring an overall 70 with a ceiling of 85, Taihe stands among the top-tier tea-producing regions in Alishan. With substantial production volume and high tea-making standards, the chances of yielding exceptional tea here are quite high. The downside of Taihe tea lies in its unstable water supply, having been hit harder by droughts in recent years, though supplemental irrigation water is trucked in from the nearby Alishan River. Additionally, some tea trees are planted beneath betel nut trees, which compromises quality. Fertilizer quality still lags a bit behind Renai Township and Lishan. All in all, Taihe tea remains one of the finest origins in Alishan.