It's All About Tea — oolong

Tea is deeply embedded in Taiwan’s culture. Children often start drinking tea at a young age and can distinguish between various Taiwanese tea varieties. Although nowadays, bubble tea shops are taking the way to a more slow habit of drinking tea – Gong Fu Cha.

Nevertheless, most bubble tea shops still serve decent-quality tea stocked from one of the island’s numerous tea farms. If you are at a bubble tea shop and want to experience the quality of the tea, simply order it without milk, toppings, or sugar, and you will see just how good it is, even on its own.

Taiwan is a mountainous island with high altitudes and ample rainfall. Perfect for growing high-quality tea! Tea grows everywhere on the island. You are bound to stumble upon a tea farm growing regional varieties from the north to the south. Indeed, each part of the country is known for its own distinct tea variety and takes pride in its farms and growing techniques. Let’s go over some of Taiwan’s most famous teas! (Read more)

Both Da Hong Pao and Shui Xian are highly revered Wuyi Oolong teas. They share similar qualities of yan yun, a robust mineral taste, and pleasantly lingering sweetness. Perhaps in the modern tea world, Da Hong Pao rings more bells than its cousin, Shui Xian. Nevertheless, they are both teas worth trying. So what exactly makes them different? (Read more)

In our previous blog post on Tie Guan Yin, we already discussed the brief history and processing method of this delicious oolong tea. Tie Guan Yin remains a worldwide favorite amongst tea enthusiasts. It’s in the top ten of best Chinese teas, top three best Taiwanese teas, and indeed in most if not all best oolong categories! Let’s take a more in-depth look into why this is so. (Read more)

Red Oolong is a deeply fermented and moderately roasted oolong tea. It was initially developed in Taiwan and perfected by the Wu family farm in Luye Valley of Taitung County, Taiwan. Nestled between two of Taiwan's highest mountain ranges, the valley's pristine nature and fresh air attract many for tea tourism and the annual hot air balloon festival. (Read more)

Years before tea became a standard beverage in Europe and North America, Chinese tea merchants created the myth of "Monkey Picked Tea."

At the time, tea for westerns was a wonder. They loved the unusual and exquisite taste. However, tea took so long to make its journey from China to Europe and North America. Most people were utterly clueless about how tea was grown and processed.

One myth that did prevail and kept tea drinkers interested and craving more tea was that the tea was picked by brilliant and well-trained monkeys. (Read more)