When people mention “Taiwan-style oolong tea,” they usually think of tea from Vietnam and Indonesia. In fact, many Taiwanese people have also gone to mainland China to grow tea. They brought seedlings and techniques over to Fujian and Sichuan, producing tea that is also Taiwan-style oolong. Because regulations do not allow it to be imported back into Taiwan, most of this “Chinese Taiwan-style oolong tea” is sold locally.
For example, a lot of the Taiwan-style tea and Taiwan-style high mountain tea on Taobao is actually just “Taiwan-style oolong tea,” sometimes even marketed as authentic Taiwanese tea. Judging by the prices, I suspect it’s Taiwan-style oolong as well. That said, I’m actually quite grateful for Taobao’s Taiwan-style oolong. Many tea lovers in China first tried Taiwan-style oolong before wanting to experience real Taiwanese tea, which led them to us and indirectly brought in quite a bit of business.
However, because Taobao’s Taiwan-style tea is so cheap, tea lovers unfamiliar with market prices in Taiwan often try to bargain using Taobao prices as a benchmark. I’m writing this post because a tea merchant came in last week discussing wholesale terms and quoted a ridiculous price of NT$600 per 600 g for my beloved Lishan tea, referencing Taobao’s “authentic Taiwanese tea” prices. It’s been breaking my heart ever since.
I’ve tried Taiwan-style high mountain tea before. It has hints of Taiwanese tea, but something is off. I suspect it’s due to the different climate or adjustments made to cater to the local market. It tastes pretty good, but it feels kind of like eating stinky tofu with corn chowder—just a bit peculiar.
