A netizen asks: How are high mountain tea grades classified? I want to buy the best quality Taiwanese high mountain tea. I heard that Dayuling tea gardens are at the highest altitude, does that mean Dayuling tea is the highest grade of high mountain tea?
How Are High Mountain Tea Grades Classified? There Is No Official Standard
Currently, Taiwan has no official certification standard for high mountain tea grades. If you are looking for the best Taiwanese high mountain tea, we recommend visiting a few different tea shops, trying various samples, and finding one that suits your personal taste. Alternatively, you can purchase award-winning teas from competitions hosted by official organizations, such as Renai Township Competition Tea and the Taichung City Heping District Competition Tea. These two events feature the highest-caliber high mountain tea competitions in all of Taiwan, and every award-winning tea is a masterpiece selected from thousands.
Which is the Highest Grade of High Mountain Tea?
Altitude is indeed one of the standards for evaluating high mountain tea grades. If graded strictly by altitude, Dayuling is no longer the highest tea region since 2015 (due to soil and water conservation, many tea gardens there were heavily removed). Currently, HuaGung and Fushoushan Farm are the highest, followed by the Dayuling tea region, and then Biluxi, areas outside Fushoushan Farm, and the Cingjing tea region. These are the highest high mountain tea regions in Taiwan.
If you factor in the seasons, spring and winter teas are the two seasons with the highest ratings for high mountain oolong, followed by autumn tea. Summer tea tends to be more astringent and is generally of lower quality.
High altitude is a plus, but it doesn’t automatically mean better tea quality. Ultimately, the quality of tea depends on tea garden management, tea-making craftsmanship, and weather conditions. When looking for the finest high-mountain tea, there’s no need to obsess over famous mountain names—just visit a tea shop, taste for yourself, and find the flavor profile that suits you. If you’re not confident in picking a good tea on your own, feel free to buy from Liao Chang Xing. 😂