Tea From Taiwan FAQ
-
I can buy oolong tea from my local tea merchant. Why should I buy tea from you?
-
I am having trouble using your web site to buy tea. What's wrong?
How much caffeine is in oolong tea?
The caffeine levels are similar in all types of tea and are dependent on steeping time. When steeped for 5 minutes, tea has about 50-70 mg of caffeine per cup of tea. Oolong tea is usually steeped for a much shorter time (less than a minute) so there is significantly less caffeine. In addition, oolong tea leaves can be brewed multiple times, and each time the caffeine levels decrease by about 75%. By the fourth infusion there is almost no caffeine left, but a good quality oolong tea will still have plenty of flavor.
Do you sell oolong tea in tea bags?
Yes we do. We have very good quality oolong tea bags that are made with high grade high mountain tea. Although oolong tea bags may not suit the demanding tastes of the tea connoisseur, they are ideal for busy people who wish to include oolong tea in their daily diet.
Are you really in Taiwan?
Yes we are. We are based in Chia Yi city in the southern part of Taiwan, close to the Ali Shan tea growing area.
How do you name your teas?
We use a Romanization system called Wade-Giles to create phonetic equivalents of the Chinese names. Wade-Giles is the most commonly-used Romanization system in Taiwan, although it is different from the Pinyin used in Mainland China.
What the heck is Romanization?
It is a method of writing Chinese using the Roman (or western European) alphabet. The Chinese language does not have an alphabet, instead using ideograms (characters) which represent a word or syllable. Romanization systems convert these characters into spellings which non-Chinese can try to pronounce (usually with a small degree of success).
Do you sell tea pots and other utensils?
Yes we do. Please browse our selection of tea utensils.
I can buy oolong tea from my local tea merchant. Why should I buy tea from you?
Your local tea merchant is unlikely to carry the same quality oolong that we sell here. Most of the oolong tea produced in Taiwan is for local consumption, and the tea that is sold wholesale overseas is usually of inferior quality. We are offering high quality tea at very reasonable prices.
How can I pay?
We accept credit card payments on the website, or you can pay through through PayPal.
Credit card payments are handled by Stripe and we do not store any financial data on this website.
I am having trouble using your web site to buy tea. What's wrong?
Our shopping cart needs Javascript and Cookies enabled. To turn on Javascript in Internet Explorer, go the the 'Tools' menu, 'Security' 'Custom Level' and then select 'Enable Active Scripting.' To allow Cookies in Internet Explorer, go to the 'Tools' menu, 'Privacy', then click the 'Edit' button to adjust the settings for this website.
Javascript and Cookies are not used to collect personal information. Please see our Privacy Policy about this.
If you are still having problems please contact us and we will try to help.
When will I receive my tea?
We make every effort to ship orders within 24 hours of receiving them. Orders are shipped by Air Parcel Post and delivery to most parts of the world is within 10 working days.
How do I brew oolong tea?
The best way is to brew it Gong Fu style. This is the traditional method for making oolong tea and allows you to get many infusions from the tea leaves.
You can also cold brew oolong tea.
What's so special about oolong tea?
Oolong tea is a semi-oxidized tea - half way between black tea (fully oxidized) and green tea (un-oxidized). The oxidation process gives the tea more flavour than green tea but oolong is not as heavy as black tea. Oolong tea is a light, refreshing beverage that provides all the health benefits of green tea.
How is your tea packed?
Our tea is vacuum-packed in foil bags.
Where's Taiwan?
Taiwan is a sub-tropical island off the eastern coast of mainland China. Although China lays claim to it, Taiwan is an independent territory with a democratically-elected government. It functions as a de-facto country by issuing its own currency and passports which are recognized world-wide, but has not achieved wide-spread recognition as an independent country because of China's insistence otherwise.
Why is Taiwan tea so special?
Taiwan has an ideal geographic location for tea. The subtropical climate combined with high mountains provides perfect growing conditions for tea. The best tea (and the only tea sold on this website) is high-mountain tea, because the moist, cool air allows the tea to grow slowly, thereby developing its full potential.
If you are in Taiwan, why is your website in English?
Our loyal webmaster is a Canadian citizen who has been living in Taiwan for the past 20 years (sigh).
Do you sell wholesale?
Yes we do. Please use the contact form for further information.
Any further questions? Drop us a line.