Taiwan’s tea culture originated from Fujian, China. Over a century of refining techniques, Taiwan has cultivated its own distinct world-class teas. Among the most iconic are Baozhong, Dongding Oolong, Oriental Beauty, High Mountain Oolong, Honey-Scented Black Tea, Ruby Black Tea, Red Oolong, Tieguanyin, Longjing, and High Mountain Small-Leaf Black Tea. Here is a closer look at these top ten teas and their origins:
Top 10 Famous Taiwanese Teas: The Most Popular Varieties
| Baozhong Tea | A strip-style Baozhong tea belonging to the lightly fermented oolong category. Main production areas include Pinglin, Shiding, Xizhi, and Xindian in New Taipei City, as well as Mucha and Nangang in Taipei City. It features twisted, strip-like leaves, a vibrant green color, and a light, elegant floral aroma. The primary tea cultivars used are Qingxin Oolong and Taicha No. 12 (Jinxuan). Baozhong is the most iconic tea of northern Taiwan. |
| Dongding Oolong | A semi-spherical Baozhong and a roasted-style oolong tea. Originally from Mount Dongding in Lugu, Nantou, its production area has expanded across Nantou and Chiayi. Characterized by tightly rolled leaves, it undergoes an additional roasting process after initial crafting, giving it a deeper, lingering sweet finish (hou yun). Common cultivars include Qingxin Oolong, Taicha No. 12, Taicha No. 13, and Sijichun. |
| Oriental Beauty Tea | Produced across Taiwan, with the highest yields in New Taipei City, Hsinchu, and Miaoli. Featuring a strip-like appearance, its defining characteristic is that the leaves must be bitten by green leafhoppers before they can be crafted into Oriental Beauty tea. It offers a smooth, sweet flavor, with top-tier grades delivering a rich, ripe-fruity aroma. Common cultivars include Qingxin Damao, Qingxin Oolong, Taicha No. 12, Baimao Hou, and Manzhong. |
| High Mountain Oolong | Mainly grown in high-altitude areas above 1,000 meters in Nantou, Taichung, and Chiayi. It is a lightly fermented, unroasted, semi-spherical Baozhong tea. The leaves are tightly rolled, and the high-mountain environment imparts a signature alpine freshness (gao shan qi). The primary cultivar is Qingxin Oolong. Generally, Lishan teas from higher altitudes command superior quality. It stands as Taiwan’s primary mainstream tea today. Key cultivars include Qingxin Oolong, Taicha No. 12, and Tieguanyin. |
| Honey-Scented Black Tea | A fully fermented black tea primarily produced in Taitung, Hualien, and New Taipei City. Harvested mainly during the summer, it is made into fully fermented black tea. Like Oriental Beauty, the leaves are bitten by green leafhoppers, causing them to emit a distinct sweet honey and fruity aroma—the signature feature of this tea. |
| Ruby Black Tea | A fully fermented black tea made from the Taicha No. 18 cultivar (Ruby), primarily grown around Sun Moon Lake in Yuchi Township, Nantou County. Its most prominent trait is a unique, natural aroma of mint and cinnamon. The tea liquor is brilliant, clear red, offering a smooth, rich body with a subtle sweetness and lasting fragrance upon tasting. It is currently the leading black tea variety in Taiwan. |
| High Mountain Small-Leaf Black Tea | Grown in high-altitude regions above 1,000 meters, this tea retains the prized high-mountain essence. Because the plants are mostly small-leaf cultivars, it yields a more delicate and refined profile compared to traditional, full-bodied large-leaf black teas. |
| Tieguanyin | A traditional roasted oolong crafted specifically from the Tieguanyin tea plant cultivar. The main production area is the Mucha district in Taipei City. |
| Longjing Tea | A rare unfermented green tea in Taiwan, primarily produced in the Sanxia district of New Taipei City using the Qingxin Ganzai cultivar. It is renowned for its crisp, fresh, and elegant taste. |
| Red Oolong | A highly popular tea developed after 2010. Rolled into tight spheres, it undergoes heavy fermentation—combining oolong processing methods with a flavor profile close to black tea, giving it both the richness of black tea and the delicate floral aroma of oolong. |
A relatively new creation developed around 2010. Rolled into tight spheres, it undergoes heavy fermentation—combining classic oolong processing techniques with a flavor profile close to black tea. This gives it both the richness of a black tea and the subtle floral aroma of an oolong.
Based on market observations over the past decade, these are Taiwan’s ten most popular teas. High Mountain Oolong currently leads the market in popularity, followed closely by Oriental Beauty, Baozhong, Dongding Oolong, and Ruby Black Tea. Additionally, white tea and Puerh tea have been steadily gaining traction in recent years.