Taiwan is an island situated off the south-east coast of China. It has an elongated, leaf-like shape running roughly north-south. The west coast of the island has fertile plains which support a wide range of agriculture, and the central and eastern areas are mountainous. Tea is grown throughout Taiwan but the best quality tea comes from the mountainous regions.
The climate of the mountain regions is much cooler than the plains. There can be a temperature difference of up to 20 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit) between the plains and the high mountains. As well as having cool air, the mountains are often enshrouded in fog which produces an ideal environment for growing tea.
There are five distinct tea producing regions of Taiwan:
Each of these regions has a unique micro-climate that makes them suitable for particular types of tea. In particular, the high-mountain region is ideal for oolong tea and the region has developed a unique processing method that produces tightly rolled balls of tea.
The island of Taiwan is divided into 15 counties and tea is grown in all of them. There are also three island counties (Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu) which don't produce tea.
Of the 15 tea-producing counties the most important in terms of production are Nantou, Taipei, Hsinchu, Chiayi, Miaoli, and Taoyuan. Each of these counties has more than 1000 hectares of tea plantations with Nantou County leading the pack with more than 8,000 hectares.
Nantou is the only land-locked county in Taiwan. It is famous as the home of Dong Ding (Ice Peak) oolong tea. The area around Luku town in Nantou County has been planted commercially since the mid-19th century. Despite being devastated by the 1999 earthquake, Nantou tea production is stronger than ever and consistently produces first grade tea.
Type of Tea |
Area of Production |
Dong Ding Tea |
Luku Town |
Song Bo Chang Ching Tea (Bu Chong) |
Mingchien Town |
Tzushan Oolong, Tzushan Jin Xuan, Shan Ling Xi Oolong |
Tzushan Township
|
Er Jien Tea |
Chungliao Town |
Yushan Oolong |
Shueli, Hsinyi Town |
Ching Shan Tea |
Nantou City |
Sun Moon Black Tea |
Yutse Town |
Wu Se LuShan Oolong Tea |
Renai Town |
Taipei City is a huge, congested, modern city, but the surrounding Taipei county is a reminder of why the Portuguese called this island "Isla Formosa" (beautiful island). Taipei county has fresh air, picturesque mountain scenery, and plenty of tea plantations.
Type of Tea |
Area of Production |
Mucha Tie Kuanyin |
Mucha, Taipei |
Nankang BaoChung |
Nankang, Taipei |
Wenshan BaoChung |
Pinglin, Shihding, Hsintien, Hsichih, Shenkeng |
Shihmen Tie Kuanyin |
Shihmen Town |
HaiShan LongJing, |
Sanshia Township |
LongShou Tea |
Linkou Town |
Hsinchu county is situated on the north-west coast of Taiwan. Hsinchu city is center of Taiwan's thriving high-tech industry (Taiwan's Silicon Valley). The terrain of Hsinchu county ranges from coastal plains to high mountains. Tea is grown primarily in the Hill area at elevations between 500 and 1000 meters.
Type of Tea |
Area of Production |
LioFu Tea |
Guanshi Township |
Chang An Tea |
Houkou Town |
Oriental Beauty (Bai Hao Oolong) |
Beipu Town, O-mei Town, Hengshan Town |
One of the most famous areas of Taiwan is Alishan (Ali Mountain) which is located in Chiayi County. Besides being a popular tourist resort, Alishan is also renowned for its high mountain oolong tea. Chiayi County straddles the Tropic of Cancer - combine this with the mountainous terrain and you get ideal conditions for growing tea.
Type of Tea |
Area of Production |
Meishan Oolong Tea |
Meishan Town |
Alishan Chu Lu Tea, Tzuchi Kaoshan Tea |
Tzuchi Town |
Alishan Oolong Tea |
Panlu, Alishan Town |
Miaoli County is situated just south of Hsinchu County. Its economy is agriculture-based and most of the people are of Hakka descent. It is a coastal county with terrain ranging from plains to mountains.
Type of Tea |
Area of Production |
MiaoLi Oolong |
Chaochiao Town, Shihtan Town, Dahu Town |
MiaoLi Feng Tea |
Touwu, Toufen, Sanwan |
The CKI International Airport is located in Taoyuan County, so anyone who has visited Taiwan has been to this county. It is on the north-west coast of Taiwan between Hsinchu and Taipei counties. Taoyuan County extends into the central mountains and there are many tea plantations on the plateaus leading up to the mountain peaks.
Type of Tea |
Area of Production |
Long Chuan |
Longtan Town |
Hsio Tsai |
Yangmei Township |
Shou Shan |
Kueishan Town |
LuFeng Oolong Tea |
Lutzu Town |
Mei Tai Tea |
Fushing Town |
Jin Hu Tea |
Pingchen City |
Taiwan's Nantou county has a variety of terrains, each producing distinctive teas.
Taiwan's Lu Gu Township has been producing tea commercially since the mid 19th century.
Dà wǎn pào chá (大碗泡茶 – Big Bowl Tea) is a way of brewing tea that comes from the rural traditions of Taiwan.
The best oolong tea is grown in the mountainous areas of central Taiwan.
The Shan Ling Xi Tea Growing Region of Taiwan
The Shan Ling Xi tea region of Taiwan is famous for its scenic beauty and high-quality tea.