Customer Inquiry: I heard there is a Taiwanese tea called TTES No. 12 that has a smooth, sweet finish with a hint of milky aroma, but I haven’t been able to find it anywhere. Could you tell me what TTES No. 12 tea is and where I can buy it?
Chang Hsing Tea: Hello! TTES No. 12 is actually JinXuan tea, also commonly known as “Er-Shi-Qi-Zai.” It is a tea tree variety bred by crossing the paternal parent “Ying Zi Hong Xin” with the maternal parent “Taiwan No. 8.” Its official name is TTES No. 12, with JinXuan as its common name. Tea farmers often call it “No. 27” (referring to its experimental code, 2027), while most tea drinkers know it simply as JinXuan tea.
Tea shops rarely label tea as “TTES No. 12”; they usually label it as JinXuan or No. 27. As mentioned earlier, TTES No. 12 is a tea tree variety that can be made into Oolong, Pouchong, Oriental Beauty, or even black tea. When buying from a tea shop, you can simply ask for JinXuan Oolong, JinXuan Pouchong, JinXuan Beauty, or JinXuan black tea, and you’ll easily find it at most tea stores.