The art of making Taiwanese tea traces its roots back to Chinese tea traditions, when early settlers brought Fujian tea plants to Taiwan. Adapting to the local terrain, climate, and culture, they refined these plants to create uniquely Taiwanese teas. Today, alongside replicas of Tieguanyin, Longjing, and Biluochun, Taiwan has developed its own distinctive line of signature teas.
| Taiwanese Tea Characteristics | |
| Tea Type | Characteristics |
| Strip-style Pouchong Tea |
A unique specialty tea exclusive to Taiwan, mainly produced in northern Taiwan’s tea regions. A lightly fermented tea with a strip-like appearance, offering a fragrant and sweet taste.
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| Oriental Beauty Tea (Baihao Oolong) |
One of Taiwan’s most distinctive and unique teas. Harvested in the summer, it is characterized by being bitten by tea green leaf hoppers, resulting in a mellow flavor with ripe fruit notes. It is a medium-fermented oolong tea.
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| Tightly Rolled Pouchong Tea |
commonly known as oolong tea, with Lugu in Nantou being one of its birthplaces. It is crafted by wrapping the leaves in cloth and rolling them into spherical shapes. With a higher fermentation level than strip-style Pouchong, it offers a richer, more mellow taste.
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| High Mountain Tea (Gaoshan Tea) |
Generally refers to tightly rolled Pouchong tea grown at altitudes above 1,000 meters. Compared to lowland ball-shaped Pouchong, High Mountain Tea is lighter in fermentation and roasting. Its main characteristic is its distinct “mountain breath” (Shan Tou Qi) aroma from the specific high-altitude region.
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| Honey-scented Oolong |
Like Oriental Beauty, this is a summer harvest tea, but fully oxidized as a black tea. It also undergoes insect feeding, yielding a mellow brew with ripe fruit aromas.
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| SunMoon Lake Black Tea |
Primarily produced around the SunMoon Lake area in Nantou County, this fully oxidized black tea is mainly made from TTES No. 18 (Red Jade) and Assam cultivars. It features a sweet, aromatic flavor and is a premium choice for iced teas and milk teas.
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| Taiwanese Green Tea |
Mainly produced in northern Taiwan, with Sanxia District in New Taipei City being most famous for its Longjing and Biluochun teas. The biggest difference from Chinese Longjing and Biluochun is that it is made from Taiwan’s local “Qingxin Ganzai” cultivar, giving the brewed tea a distinct varietal aroma.
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The characteristics of Taiwan tea have shifted from black and green teas, which were primarily exported in the early days, to lightly fermented Pouchong tea and high mountain tea in recent years. Wenshan Pouchong tea, high mountain tea, and Oriental Beauty tea are the most representative Taiwanese specialty teas in recent years.