台灣茶

 

Taiwan Tea

       In addition to the common oolong tea, there are hundreds of tea varieties in Taiwan. We often hear green tea, black tea, oolong tea, white tea, dark tea綠茶、紅茶、烏龍茶、白茶、黑茶, and even honey-flavored black tea, Baozhong tea, Tieguanyin, Dongfang Beauty蜜香紅茶、包種茶、鐵觀音、東方美人 and other tea types, coupled with new varieties developed from Taiwan’s improved tea facilities, such as Jinxuan, Hongyun, Hongyu金萱、紅韻、紅玉, etc., so many varieties must be quite complicated for those who first came into contact with Taiwanese tea. But in fact, it can be viewed from three aspects. The connotation of tea includes variety, terroir, and craftsmanship. Each tea tree has a unique aroma. Different producing areas give rise to different temperaments of tea trees. In addition, different tea production techniques such as Baking, fermentation, etc. have created so many different types of tea (learn more about tea types: the meaning of tea).

But going back to the tea styles mentioned above, what is the difference?

The more commonly heard comparison method is: "The difference in the degree of fermentation"

In terms of our most common tea types: black tea, green tea, and oolong tea

Black tea is a kind of "fully fermented" tea

Oolong tea is "partially fermented" tea

Green tea is "non-fermented" tea

In fact, internationally, according to its tea characteristics, it can be roughly divided into six categories called the "six major tea series":

There are six major teas: black tea, green tea, green tea (oolong tea), white tea, dark tea, and yellow tea.

"Six Common Tea Series"

Green tea (non-fermented tea)

Green tea is a non-fermented tea type among the six major tea series. The tea-making process will immediately kill the enzymes after picking the tea.

Taiwan’s classic green tea models such as Sanxia Biluochun and Longjing三峽碧螺春、龍井 are green tea models

Yellow tea (10%-20% fermented tea)

Yellow tea is a slightly fermented tea type among the six major tea lines, and its tea production process is the same as that of green tea

But after a lot of stuffy piles of 悶堆渥黃, fermentation operations

White tea (20%～30% fermented tea)

In the tea-making process, neither the de-greens殺青 nor the twisting is used, so that a little bit of micro-fermentation occurs when the tea is withered.

Less damage to tea cells

In addition to "white peony"白牡丹 in Taiwan, there are also many white teas made from Qingxin Oolong species, referred to as "Taiwan White Tea"

Cyan tea2(Oolong tea) (30%-60% fermented tea)青茶

Cyan tea is widely known as Oolong tea, and it is also the most common tea. Among the six major tea series, it is a partially fermented tea, and the degree of fermentation is between green tea and black tea.

It has the refreshing and freshness of green tea and the sweet taste of black tea. (Oolong tea really has more caffeine? )

Common in Taiwan such as: Dongding Oolong, Tieguanyin, Baozhong Tea, Alishan Oolong, Lishan Oolong, Oriental Beauty, Royal Tea, 凍頂烏龍、鐵觀音、包種茶、阿里山烏龍、梨山烏龍、東方美人、貴妃茶etc. are all tea types in the green tea series

Green tea, a kind of tea, has a degree of fermentation between green tea and black tea. The tea is yellow-brown and famous for its aroma. Oolong tea is the most famous among green tea, so it is also called oolong tea. In addition, Tieguanyin is also a kind of green tea, except that the degree of fermentation is different.

Black tea (80%-90% fermented tea)紅茶

Black tea is a kind of nearly fully fermented tea among the six major tea lines. The tea making process starts with withering after picking the tea, and then undergoes a fermentation process to a fully fermented state.

The common classic teas such as honey black tea, red jade, red rhyme, Assam black tea, Ceylon black tea, Darjeeling black tea,蜜香紅茶、紅玉、紅韻、阿薩姆紅茶、錫蘭紅茶、大吉嶺紅茶 etc. are all tea types of this tea series

Dark tea (post-fermented tea)黑茶

Dark tea is a 100% fermented tea in the six major tea series. After the tea is processed, it takes a long time to accumulate and ferment, making the tea appear dark brown.

Common tea types such as "Pu'er Tea"

發酵茶可分為輕發酵茶、半發酵茶、全發酵茶和後發酵茶。 白茶和黃茶屬於輕發酵茶； 烏龍茶是半發酵茶； 紅茶是完全發酵的代表； 普洱茶和黑茶屬於後發酵茶； 而綠茶、花草茶和水果茶則是未發酵的。

就香氣而言，未發酵的茶通常具有植物香味； 輕發酵的茶會變成花香； 較深或完全發酵的茶會變成成熟的果香或糖香。

未發酵的綠茶、輕發酵的黃茶和白茶的咖啡因含量較低，而完全發酵或發酵時間較長的紅茶和普洱茶的咖啡因含量較高。 也就是說，發酵過程確實對茶葉中的咖啡因含量有一定的影響。

茶芽比葉子含有更多的咖啡因。 當然，沖泡方式也會影響咖啡因的攝入——泡茶的時間越長，它所含的咖啡因就越多。

發酵茶雖然含有較多的咖啡因，但對我們的胃有好處，對降血脂、降血壓、降血糖等也有積極作用。主要原因是在發酵過程中，茶葉中的化學物質發生了大量的變化，使得茶葉的性狀逐漸變得溫和，對胃的刺激也減少了。另一方面，未發酵的茶保留了更多的天然茶物質，如綠茶，具有抗炎(anti-inflammatory)、防腐(antiseptic)、抗衰老(anti-aging)等作用。但是，如果沒有經過發酵過程，未發酵茶中茶多酚(polyphenols)的含量比發酵茶高很多，所以它們的刺激性更大，可能會刺激我們的腸胃。

總之，茶雖然含有咖啡因，但含量遠遠低於咖啡。所以無論是發酵茶還是未發酵茶，都對我們的身體有很好的功效。我們需要根據自己的需要和身體狀況來選擇喝茶。如果我們的身體不能接受咖啡因，一些不含咖啡因的草藥和水果茶也是一個不錯的選擇。

TAIWAN'S TOP 10 MOST FAMOUS TEAS

September 14, 2018 3 Comments

Taiwan is known to make to some of the finest teas in the world, particularly in the Oolong Tea category. Yet, Taiwanese teas are not all widely recognized or understood by name. To help folks out, we've prepared the following overview of what we think is Taiwan's top ten most famous teas.

TAIWAN'S TOP 10 MOST FAMOUS TEAS

1.     High Mountain Oolong TeaTaiwan high mountain tea (Oolong): Taiwan high mountain tea means this Oolong use the fresh leaves which is from the tea garden at the 1000 meter altitude.  Taiwan high mountain tea areas are widely distributed.  The representative of high mountain tea are Alishan tea, Shanlinxi tea, Lishan tea and Yushan tea.Shanlinxi High Mountain Oolong Tea harvest.

HIGH MOUNTAIN OOLONG TEA

This name refers to any tea that is grown over 1000m elevation, and processed as a lightly oxidized, unroasted Oolong Tea. There are famous place names within this category that represent geographic growing regions. These include: Alishan, Shanlinxi, Lishan, and Dayuling. Virtually all High Mountain Oolong Tea is made with the Qing Xin Oolong cultivar.

Flavor: Fresh, floral, vegetal, and pastry notes. Smooth, substantial composition. Lasting finish. Invigorating.

2.     Jin Xuan "Milk" Oolong TeaMILKY JINXUAN OOLONG 金萱奶香阿里山烏龍茶

FROM 10.00

The true milky Jinxuan oolong tea with natural cream milk accent and luscious texture. The Alishan family farms tea trees that were bought from our family in 1990. They practice zero pesticide natural farming.

Origin
Varietal: Jinxuan Oolong
Curator: Grandpa Lo
Location: Alishan, Jiayi County, Taiwan
Elevation: 1200-1800m
Harvest: 2019 Spring

Tea Review
"This Milky Jinxuan High Mountain Oolong from Oollo Tea is one of the very best I've tried thus far." -Sororitea Sisters

"It starts with a mineral note that is almost metallic. It quickly morphs into a smooth milky texture. It is very thick feeling. As you swallow, floral and vine notes emerge." -

Jinxuan Milky 金萱奶香阿里山烏龍茶Alishan Oolong Tea: Alishan's Jinxuan Oolong Tea has a strong creamy aroma, with a smooth, medium-fermented taste and a floral and nutty aroma. The favorite of young people in recent years. Jin Xuan Oolong | 1200-1800 meters | Spring 2019

The story behind Alishan's "Milk Fragrant Jinxuan"

Nowadays, there are many tea shops selling Taiwanese green tea (oolong tea) "Jinxuan", but few dare to call "Milk-flavored Jinxuan". What's the reason? Because high-grade authentic goods are hard to find now.

Really good Jinxuan has a natural light milk fragrance, which belongs to the variety fragrance and does not add any artificial flavors. However, it is necessary to use the high-grade tea green from a good producing area and process it with the appropriate technology to clearly show the milky fragrance.

This unique milk fragrance can hardly be found in any other varieties of tea. Therefore, the price of "Milk-Fragrant Jinxuan" tea was relatively high when it first came out.

But then the market began to over-pursue this milk fragrance, thinking that the stronger the milk fragrance, the more obvious the better, so unscrupulous tea merchants and tea farmers began to fake it and added artificial flavors to make the milk fragrance stronger and more pronounced. Later, this practice was exposed, so it collapsed, the price plummeted, and it became an entry-level price.

And this kind of price has led to fewer and fewer tea farmers using advanced tea greens, so that high-level tea masters can do it with their heart. Therefore, it is becoming harder and harder to see the authentic "Milk Fragrant Jinxuan" in the market.

There is a kind of Taiwanese tea on the market now. It smells very strong milky, but it tastes no milky smell. It belongs to "parallel imports"水貨. The honest tea merchants will call it "milk oolong" and if it is called "milk oolong". "Xiang Jinxuan", that is a lie.

For real Jin Xuan, the milk fragrance is not smelled, but drunk. It is contained in the tea soup. Moreover, with good quality Jin Xuan, this light milk fragrance will continue to bubble a lot, and it will fade with the tea flavor. .

 The Alishan Jinxuan of the "Zhengxin Teahouse" 正心茶坊can achieve this, so he dared to call it "Milk Fragrant Jinxuan".

Alishan Milk Fragrant Jinxuan, although it is an entry-level price variety in "Zhengxin Tea House", it is a very distinctive high-grade authentic product, very value-for-money, and it is also a variety that tea critics like very much.

Product Name: Alishan Jinxuan Tea

◆ Weight: 1 jin (600g)

◆ Packing: tea special bag (150gx4 bags) + 1 tea can

◆ Preservation: in a cool, odorless, dry place

◆ Best taste: please refer to the label on the package

◆ Tea Area: Alishan Tea Area, Taiwan

Faint milk fragrance. Girls favorite

[Superior Alishan Jinxuan Tea]

This is a kind of tea that has been very popular among Taiwanese and Japanese women recently, and you can see it in Japanese shops too!

The Alishan tea area is located between 1000-2300 meters above sea level, and its humidity and sunshine are suitable for the growth of tea trees.

The tea cyanine is fat and tender, green and fragrant and clean, supplemented by mountain spring water, the throat rhyme is sweet and moist.茶菁肥嫩，青翠香潔，輔以山泉水灌溉之下，喉韻甘潤。

"The biggest feature"

Elegant, elegant and unique milky fragrance, so it is called "milk-scented tea".

With such a natural taste, few teas can be made. This unique quality is for other tea species  can't be imitated, so as soon as it was launched, it immediately made a resounding name among the urban working group.

"Jin Xuan Tea" Thanksgiving Story

Mr. Wu Zhenduo, a pioneer of tea, 茶葉先賢吳振鐸has experienced 30 years of systematic research and breeding, it was originally named "Tai Cha No. 12". In order to have a strong humanistic atmosphere

Tea art houses are compatible, and Mr. Wu was named after his grandmother. "Jin Xuan" is yellowish in color and has a very suitable name . Today everyone should be grateful while savoring the mellow and luscious Jin Xuan.

3. Dong Ding Oolong Tea Dongding Oolong: Dongding Oolong also called Dongding which is produced in Lugu town, Nantou.  People use the best quality “Qingxin Wulong” trees to produce Dongding.  Dongding Oolong is very famous in Taiwan.  And it is the representative of hemispherical Bau Jong.

4. Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea : Oriental Beauty Oolong is a traditional and exclusive Oolong original from Taiwan.  It is also named “Bai Hao Oolong” because its buds covered much of white tips.  It has natural sweet aroma and honey aroma because of the bite of small green insect / leaf hoppers.

White tip oolong is very fruity in taste and got the name "Oriental Beauty" from Queen Elizabeth II in the 1960s, thus "Formosa oolong" became popular in the western world for "oriental beauty" (東方美人茶). Along with Lishan oolong, it was one of the most costly exported Taiwanese teas during the 2000s. Its unique flavor originates in part from the inclusion of insect eggs and egg sacs during harvesting, contributing an element that has been described as "earthier and more robust" than Earl Grey tea. The acceptance of this flavor has led to tolerance of the presence of insects and organic growing practices for this tea.

東方美人茶以其美麗的五色舞葉而聞名。 這種傳統的美人茶常常會散發著杏子和桃子的香味，隨之而來的是令人陶醉的蘭花、麝香葡萄和蘋果的味道。

來源品種：清心烏龍/金軒烏龍  地點：台灣新北坪林 海拔：500m  採收：春季

Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea: A rich pure fragrant oolong tea with flavours of cinnamon, raisins and plums. The traditional tea of the Hakka people, the spirit of the hard neck makes the oolong tea so yummy that even the Queen of England loved.

5. Sun Moon Lake Black Tea : 1925 Taiwan Yuchi魚池, Puli started to plant Assam tea trees which was from India.  Because the black tea which is produced by the Assam tea trees has beautiful color, mellow taste, and strong fragrance plus Yuchi, Puli is very suitable for planting the Assam tea trees, the Sun-Moon Lake black tea compare favorable with India and Sri Lanka.

6. Wenshan Baozhong Tea: Wenshan Bau Jong Oolong has strong fragrance, mellow and beauty character, it is regarded as a premium tea.  Wenshan Bau Jong Oolong is peculiarity of Taiwan like the Dongding Oolong.  And Taiwan people always say “the north of Taiwan is famous for Bau Jong, the south of Taiwan is famous for Dongding Oolong ”.

7. Tieguanyin Oolong Tea Muzha : Muzha tie guan yin originated from Anxi, Fujian.  Taiwan people use the special local traditional method to make it.  1875 -1908 Muzha tea company brought tie guan yin tea trees then planted in Zhanghu, Muzha.  From then on there is Muzha tie guan yin in Taiwan.

農委會

8. Tsui Yu "Jade" Oolong Tea Flavor: Fresh, herbal aroma. Green leafy character, mildly sweet. Refreshing flowery finish.

Garden: This artisan consistently achieves high ratings in virtually every oolong tea competition in Taiwan, including the largest oolong tea competition in the world. He works with a co-op of farmers that share knowledge and resources. A prime example of sustainable methods combined with expertise.

Harvest: Machine harvested in medium batches. Spring 2020. Nantou, Taiwan.

Elevation: 400m

9. Four Seasons Spring Oolong Tea 

Introduction to Four Seasons Spring Tea and Four Seasons Spring Oolong Tea Many people mistake Sijichun(Four Seasons Spring) tea as the name of the tea, which is wrong. Sijichun is a variety of tea trees that can be used to make Baozhong tea, Oolong tea, Tieguanyin, etc. The oolong tea made in Sijichun has the characteristics of obvious floral fragrance, sweetness and good throat. It is very suitable for office workers, students, and friends to drink at gatherings.

Sijichun tea is planted in a wide area in Taiwan, both in the north, middle and south. Among them, Sijichun tea and Sijichun oolong tea are introduced with the best quality of Sijichun oolong tea in the Alishan tea area. The climate here is suitable, the variety of Sijichun tea produced here is fragrant, coupled with the unique tea charm of the local area, making Alishan Sijichun Oolong tea very popular, and the supply can be said to be in short supply.

Local variety, selected and bred by farmers in Mucha木柵. The tree is medium-large and open. The branches and leaves and tea buds are dense, and the young buds are lavender in the early stage of germination. Sharp, light green leaves, fine and pointed serrations, thick and shiny leaf flesh. The budding period is early, the number of flowers is large, the vitality is strong, and it is almost non-dormant. It can be produced in all seasons. The picking period is extremely long and the yield is high, which is very popular in the consumer market.

"Flavour"

The scent of four seasons spring is particularly coquettish妖艷. Depending on the production method, there are different scents such as wild ginger flower and jasmine flower.

Flavor: Bold, floral/garden fresh aroma. Savory, flowery flavors. Pleasant sweet/spicy lingering perfume aftertaste.

Garden: This tea comes from a young farmer who inherited his family farm and transitioned to organic farming methods 13 years ago. He processes his crops of the Four Seasons Spring cultivar as lightly oxidized, unroasted Oolong, as well as Black Tea and White Tea. The combination of organic raw produce and local expertise from this historical tea growing region offer consistent quality specialty teas year-round.

Harvest: Machine harvested, medium batch, winter 2020.

Elevation: 400m

10. Sanxia Bi Luo Chun Green Tea Flavor: 三峽​

Fresh baby greens aroma. Balanced, creamy, delicate notes of arugula.  Clean, vegetal, full-bodied finish.

Garden: Taiwanese Bi Luo Chun Green Tea is only produced in the Sanxia (Three Gorges) District, on the south side of New Taipei City. Sanxia is the only region in Taiwan that has maintained the pre-modern system of tea farmers selling their fresh produce to centralized tea factories. Dozens of farms supply only a few factories. This is a relatively sustainable method that dates back to the Qing Dynasty.

Another sustainable and safe farming practice in Bi Luo Chun Green Tea production is that zero pesticides are used throughout the entire growing season. This is because very young, tender leaves are picked every 7-10 days for making this type of tea, so the harvest is basically ongoing. The only time pesticides are used at all on these farms is when the trees are pruned, which typically in once every 2-3 years.

Harvest: Hand-picked, small batch, Early Spring 2020.

Elevation:  ​300-500m

The Three Gorges District is currently the most important Biluochun green tea producing area in Taiwan. The tea plantations cover a wide area of ​​about 88 hectares. According to statistics, the mountainous area has a cool climate, clouds and mist, and good soil quality, which is very suitable for the growth of tea trees. "Xin Gan Zi" mainly, Qing Xin Gan Zi’s「青心柑仔」

The tea tree has strong vigor and strong budding power, which is the characteristic variety of this area.

In the late winter and early spring, tea farmers will manually pick the sprouts of one heart and two leaves to make Biluochun green tea. Since green tea is a "non-fermented tea", the picked young leaves are directly killed without fermentation (oxidation) ( The aroma is set), kneaded (molded) and dried, and the appearance is fresh and green. The sprouts have pekoe白毫, and the shape is slender and curved like a spiral shape. The hot soaking is like mung bean fragrance, and the cold soaking is like grass fragrance. Fresh, refreshing and healthy.

"Biluochun" has four superb beauty in color, fragrance, taste, and form. It can be said that it is the best product of Taiwan green tea. When hot brewed, it has a fresh, bean-like fragrance, which is also a bit like seaweed. Cold brew has a fresh, pasture-like fragrance. The tea soup has a delicate and delicate fragrance. It is fresh and pleasant and refreshing after the mouth.

About 100ml of water, take 7 grams of tea leaves, pick about 80 degrees of water temperature, brew the first 40 seconds. The first tea infusion is the sweetest, and will extract the theanine and tea polyphenols that are rich in tea. Because the strips of tea are not resistant to brewing, it will be bitter and astringent for long-term soaking at high temperature, so if you want to brew green tea well, you need to control the temperature and time of brewing.

Green tea can be brewed for about 4-5 brews. The second brew will be the strongest and can be brewed in 30 seconds. After that, each brew will become lighter and lighter, so add 10 seconds for each brew.

Cold brew recommendations

About 1 gram of tea leaves: 100ml of water, put the tea leaves in cold water and let the tea stand still. After about 2-3 hours, it will release the tea color and you can drink it, and it can even be shaken to speed up the melting of the tea soup.

11. Songbai Changqing Cha (Oolong): 松柏坑山

Songbai Changqing Cha is produced in Songbailing, Nantou.  Jiang jingguo praised it in Songbailing because of its strong fragrance and named it “Songbai Changqing Cha” in 1975.  The famous Songbai Changqing Cha includes Jinxuan and Siji Chun cha.

Alishan Zhulucha (Oolong)珠露茶: Wulong tea tree and Jinxuan tea tree are used to produce Alishan Zhulucha. The tea area is in Shizhuo, Alishan and the altitude is 1000-1700 meter.

https://dragonteahouse.biz/song-bai-chang-qing/

青心烏龍

Introduced from the mainland. Also known as Qingxin, Oolong (Zhudong), Zhongzai, Zhengjia,種仔、正欉、軟枝烏龍 Soft Branch Oolong, and Tea Species. The main distribution areas are Wenshan, Haishan, Zhongli, Nantou and Mingjian文山、海山、中壢、南投、名間. It is a late-growing species and is the main cultivated species in Taiwan. The tree body is slightly smaller, with many branches and leaves. 

The leaves are long oval or lanceolate, gradually spreading from the base of the leaf to the widest point at 6/10 of the total length. The base is obtuse, the whole edge is small, and the upper part has small serrations. The tip is slightly obtuse and triangular. The top is recessed. The main veins are slightly curved inward, and the leaves are slightly curved downwards after opening. Because the main veins are slightly curved, the leaves are mostly curved. The mesophyll is slightly thicker, and the texture is soft and flexible. The leaf color is darker and brighter than other varieties. , The color of the main vein and lateral vein is light and obvious, the angle between the main lateral veins is 35º~45º, which is the smallest angle of the main lateral vein among the varieties currently collected in this site. 

There are many young buds, and the budding period is late. The color of tea buds is green. The flower is purple, with 5 sepals and 6-7 petals; the outer part is small, and the inner part is slightly larger and triangular in shape. The pistil is short, with about 250 stamens, and the tree is slightly weaker. It is planted in barren land or newly cultivated land. It has a low survival rate and is prone to termites and branch blight. It has weak resistance to diseases and insect pests and weak drought tolerance. Both oolong tea and Baozhong tea are good, especially Baozhong tea is especially good.

青心烏龍的緣鋸齒小、葉片像羽毛The margin of the green heart oolong is small and the leaves are like feathers.