Oolong Tea in Taiwan – The History Part 1

Oolong Tea in Taiwan

Oolong tea cultivation didn’t begin in Taiwan until the 19th century but due to local demand, excellent growing conditions, and other factors, Taiwan has become known internationly for high quality oolong tea. Taiwan oolong teas are thought to be the worlds best due to the unique growing conditions and production methods. We will now explore a little bit of the history of Taiwan oolong tea.

Taiwan, otherwise known as ‘Formosa’ (portuguese for “Beautiful Island”) was destined to become a source of the world finest oolong tea. It is said that wild tea was already growing in Taiwan since 1645 during the Chinese Ching (Qing) Dynasty. Oolong tea seedlings were brought from the Fujian province in 1810. These first oolong tea plants from Fujian came from WuYi mountain range and were the humble beginnings for Taiwanese oolong tea cultivation.

From 1895 to 1945 Taiwan was under Japanese rule. During this time, many Taipei tea shops and traders became quite successful through tea trading. One of these is Li Chun-Shen and he is now known as the father of Taiwan’s tea industry. During this time tea, sugar and camphor were the top exports due to high foreign demand.

In 1860, a Scottish merchant by the name of John Dodd traveled to Taiwan for the first time. He ended up falling in love with the natural beauty and the people, so he permanently settled in northern Taiwan, or Formosa as it was known at the time.  He realized that Formosa had the perfect conditions for tea cultivation and invested considerable money in forming Dodd and company. He later met someone from Fujian (Li) who was vital to his companies success. His new partner imported a huge amount of tea seedlings from Xiamen, brought in workers from Fuzhou and taught the local tea farmers the special cultivation, baking, and processing techniques. In 1869, John Dodds company shipped more than 200,000 kilograms of oolong tea to New York City. From this moment on, Taiwan oolong tea, or rather Formosa oolong tea became extremely popular with the upper class in both the U.S. and Great Britian. Dodd & Co, opened the doors to the next century of global oolong tea exports from Taiwan.

Taiwan oolong tea was beginning to be noticed throughout the world and the premium tea won awards in Italy, France, Panama and the United States. This was changing the nature of Taiwan exports, with oolong tea becoming an ever larger percentage. By 1880 Formosa oolong tea accounted for more than half the total Taiwan exports.

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History of Chinese Tea

The multi-functional ‘Camellia Sinensis‘ or tea plant is harvested, processed, and consumed in a wide variety of ways, but what about the history of tea cultivation? When and where was the first tea tree used by humans?

The latin name ‘Sinensis’ is translated as “Chinese” so we can already see the strong connection tea history has with China. The Camellia Sinensis or tea tree grows wild in and was discovered in China and southeast Asia. From China, tea traveled along with Buddhism and Martial arts to Japan, Korea and other nearby countries.

Shen Nong credited with discovery of Tea

Shen Nong credited with discovery of Tea

It is said that tea was discovered by the legendary Chinese ruler Shen Nong known as ‘the divine farmer’ or ‘Emporor of the five grains’ when he was out sampling and testing the effects of herbs to find possible uses as food or medicine for his people.

One day he passed out under a tree after trying what turned out to be a poisonous herb.  While he was lying there unconcious, some water happened to trickle down from the tree above over the leaves and into his mouth reviving him. From then on, he used the tea leaves to detoxify and nullify the effects of any harmful herbs he ran across. He taught people how and when to harvest the leaves and use it as medicine. The time this discovery took place, and thus the first origin of tea is believed to 2737 BC.

Tea was added in 350 A.D. to the first Chinese dictionary. The entry was basic ‘A beverage made from boiled leaves.’ The author of this entry of tea into the first dictionary was Kuo P’o. At this time, tea was mainly used as a medicine to treat digestive and nervous disorders and conditions.

In 780 A.D. Yu Lu published the famous ‘tea classic.’ This three volume tea classic contained all the knowledge of tea known at the time. It included growing and cultivation, harvesting, processing, and an exhaustive treatise on proper tea etiquette and the tea ceremony for making the best tea. The tea classic listed and explained how to use many tea utensils and the best water sources for quality tea. Yu Lu is now known as the ‘Father of Tea’ due to his tea classic and vast knowledge of tea. Yu Lu elevated tea from simple medicine to a specialized art of making the best tasting beverage possible.

Today you can visit Yunnan province in China home of Puer tea, and stand next to trees more than 1700 years old. The oldest, in Lincang, Fengching county in Jinxiu Village is said to be 3200 years old! This tea tree has a diameter of 1.8 meters, which for Americans is 5’9″ wide.

This was the beginning of the long and continually evolving history of tea.

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Dong Ding Oolong Tea – Min Xuang growing, one heart two leaves picking

On my last tea trip to Dong Ding Mountain to visit some tea farmers and factories I was reminded of the classic adage ‘one heart, two leaves’.

One heart two leaves dong ding oolong tea

One Heart, Two Leaves Dong Ding Oolong Tea Picking Method To Insure High Quality Tea

For me, one of the greatest things about living in Asia and particularly Taiwan is learning the culture. Taiwanese tea culture is rich and colorful taking it’s influence from China and expanding on it. There are many short sayings and famous adages related to Chinese tea and Taiwanese tea. Most westerners unfortunately miss out on these unless they can listen to and speak the local language. I have been lucky enough to have some good Taiwanese friends share a few of these with me. We will will start with the ever popular ‘one heart, two leaves’ mantra on the art of tea picking.

One heart two leaves is the classic traditional method of picking fine dong ding min xuang oolong tea. The one heart part of it refers to the new bud that often springs up between to new fresh leaves. The tea pickers will cut the stem right below this ‘one heart two leaves’ point and leave the rest of the tea tree. This method ensures that only the highest quality tea is processed and packaged. Tea picked by hand in this traditional way is quite expensive due to the limited quantity and the extensive labor involved.

One of the most famous teas from Taiwan is the dong ding min xuang oolong tea. This particular tea is picked the traditional way using the one heart two leaves method. The time consuming and labor intensive picking make it one of the most valued of all Taiwan dong ding oolong teas. The other striking difference with Taiwan dong ding oolong min xuang tea is the use of natural insects to help make a quality tea.

Dong ding oolong min xuang tea aphids

Dong Ding Mountain 'Min Xuang' Farmer Lives in Harmony With These little Guys

For many tea farmers, insects are a pest. They are often controlled with chemicals and pesticides. An insect infestation can quickly destroy a tea plantation which will cost the farmer in lost production. Dong ding min xuang oolong tea farmers take a completely different approach. They actually welcome the little green aphids that like to enjoy the tea trees.

These tea farmers actually live in harmony with the little green insects  . They serve a valuable service in that they eat off the hard bitter outer layer of the tea leaves releasing a sweet honey like flavor from within. Taiwan dong ding oolong min xuang has an unmistakable sweetness to it that other oolong teas are lacking. The taste is often described to be like honey. For me, I think it’s something like a ‘honey butter’ type of taste. It absolutely has a natural sweetness to it and is missing the common bitterness found in other teas.

The combination of ‘one heart two leaves’ picking method and min xuang organic farming, produces one of the world finest teas known as Taiwan dong ding oolong tea min xuang. A very small amount of Dong Ding Oolong Tea is ‘Min Xuang’ and for this reason it’s more expensive than other Dong Ding Mountain oolong teas.

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Dong Ding Oolong And The Famous Dong Ding Mountain Part 1

I recently took a trip to Lugu in Nan Tou Taiwan to visit some tea farms and factories. The world famous Dong Ding Oolong Tea is grown and produced here. It is such a beautiful area with a calm atmosphere and clean clear air. There is also another Famous mountain and lake nearby.  Unicorn mountain (Chi lin Shan) and Unicorn Lake (Chi lin Tan) sit across from Dong Ding Mountain (Dong Ding Shan) in a harmonious triad. A few miles or kilometers away is the magical Pheonix Mountain (Feng Huang Shan). There is no better place to enjoy a pot of fine dong ding oolong tea among friends.

One such place where you can eat some amazing food while enjoying the view is Fei Chong Tsan Ting or Philosophy Restaurant. They have some charming little dining huts or you can sit outside and take pictures while waiting for your food to arrive.

View of Dong Ding Mountain

Dining Huts With Top Of Dong Ding Mountain In The Background

One of the yummy specialties at the Philosophy restaurant is ‘bamboo rice’. They stir fry mushrooms, small shrimp, and oil in a wok and then mix with sticky rice. This is then placed inside bamboo, and the whole thing is steamed until it is ready to be served. The result is an absolute treat that is both nutritious and filling. The bamboo rice is served with soup, sweet potato, bamboo shoots, stewed pork and a wonderful asparagus salad.

Bamboo Rice with asparagus salad

Bamboo Rice with Asparagus Salad - Sweet Potatoes and Bamboo Shoots

The bamboo is pre-cut so that it can be easily split open once the the ends are untied. You can tell from the video I made, that it’s served hot. You don’t want to hold on to it very long, but it smells so good that you will be in a hurry to get it open and eat it!

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How To Break-Up Puer Brick Tea Part 1

Some Puer tea comes in a very compacted, machine pressed brick. I have seen some people simply break these bricks apart if they are very strong, but this is not the preferred method of flaking or breaking up puer brick tea. There is a specific technique and tool required if you want to retain the leaf structure and enjoy your puer brick tea to the fullest extent.

Puer tea bricks are often hard pressed. These hard pressed and tightly packed puer tea bricks are a common sight for Chinese puer tea drinkers. Puer tea is also available in loose leaf form but is not as easily stored and transported so puer tea was traditionaly packed into tight cakes for the long trip from Yunnan to Bejing or Tibet. It is actually this very technique of pressing the tea into cakes that led to the development of oxidation and fermentation that gives puer brick tea the distinctive smooth taste and health benefits. The fermentation of puer tea was discovered accidentaly through packing the tea into tightly pressed cakes and allowing it to ferment and oxidize on its long journey to its destination.

So how exactly do you break up a puer brick tea? I think the best way to answer this question is through a video since it’s something thats easier to demonstrate than to describe with words. So here is a short video I made about how to break up puer brick tea while retaining the leaf structure and doing the least amount of damage possible.

There is one tool that you will need for breaking up puer brick tea, or for flaking puer cakes. This tool is simply called a puer knife. It resembles a letter opener but is often quite sharp. In Chinese it is called a “Puer Cha Dao” which is simply puer tea knife.

Since the preperation of puer brick tea and puer cake tea is an important part of the experience, many prefer to have authentic tools. If a puer tea knife is not available you can use a letter opener in it’s place. For tea cakes and puer tea bricks that aren’t packed too tightly I have also used the flat wooden tea tool that comes in most tea tool sets. A sharper puer tea knife is actually the preferred tool since this will inflict less damage on the puer tea leaves.  It is also good to have a well made strong puer tea knife that doesn’t bend or break under pressure.

Puer Tea Knife

Puer Tea knife

For me, the tea tray, tea tools, tea strainer, tea pot and tea cups are half the fun of drinking a nice puer tea. I really enjoy taking a break from my day,  and the focus that comes from properly making a cup of kung fu  puer cha.

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Buy Puer Tea Brick From Yunnan China

Relax with the smooth full bodied taste of high quality puer tea from Yunnan China. You will not be able to drink just a few cups. This particular puer tea has a heady, aftertaste with a hint of sweetness.

Puer Tea Brick for Yunnan China

Premium Puer Tea Brick Waiting Patiently

This Puer tea is:

  • 250 Grams (8.8 ounces – .55 pounds) Just over half a pound per brick
  • 1 year old
  • Great for daily drinking or long term storage/investment
  • Brews into a nice bright orange color

This puer tea brews quickly, with only a few seconds required for the first 2-3 infusions. After that, it’s best brewed for about 10-15 seconds before pouring into your tea  pitcher. Due to the high quality of this particular puer tea, you can easily get around ten infusions of smooth and tasty tea from each pot.

I recommend a strainer with a fine mesh screen for this puer tea since it tends to release smaller particles than other puer tea. You will also need a good puer tea knife – (puer cha dao) or other similar tool to break up these tightly packed bricks.

Enjoy this excellent puer tea before the supply runs out. When I run across a high quality puer tea like this I don’t hesitate to buy as much as I can, but unfortunately all good things come to an end. Enjoy it while you can, I know I sure am.

I am presently selling this puer tea for  $35 per 250 gram brick. Shipping directly from Taiwan is a flat rate of $30 with 100% free shipping on orders $70 and over.

Buy Now

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Taiwan Dong Ding Oolong – The World Famous Nectar of The Gods

Taiwan high mountain dong ding oolong tea is for many, the oolong tea that all others are judged against. The optimal growing conditions, climate, and methods used in making dong ding oolong bring out the fragrant aroma of this heavenly tea. For most tea connisuers, Taiwan dong ding oolong is the top of the line oolong tea.

Taiwan Dong Ding Oolong Tea

Taiwan Dong Ding Oolong Tea

A whole tea culture has developed, and matured in Taiwan around oolong tea. The proper handling, and making of oolong tea in Taiwan has evolved into a kung fu tea ceremony. Kung fu, means mastery, or literaly time and energy or effort. Tea is treated with the utmost respect and care, and there is a whole ceremony in making a simple cup of tea. One who has mastered this, and can brew a perfect cup of tea, or kung fu Cha has the power to unite people and bring peace and enjoyment in this busy world. In Taiwan, making new friends is often done over a shared pot of tea. Kung fu cha, or kung fu tea, is like the grease or oil that reduces friction between people and allows people to relax and have an open heart.

Taiwan oolong tea is often lighter, and more aromatic than Chinese oolong tea. It is usually a lighter bake and has an almost sweet or honey like flavor. The types of Taiwan oolong tea are quite varied and while I like most of them, there are always a few that stand out. For me, Taiwan high mountain dong ding oolong will always be a favorite. Keep in mind though, that many varieties of dong ding oolong tea taste nothing alike. Just because someone tells you a tea is dong ding oolong tea, don’t think for a second that it will neccessarily taste like the last dong ding oolong tea that you sampled. Even dong ding oolong tea from the same exact field, same processing, fermenting, baking etc.. will vary from harvest to harvest and year to year. I absolutely love dong ding oolong, so I really don’t mind trying out all I can find in order to pick out the best ones! When I do find a winner, I don’t hesitate to buy as much as I can since I know that next time I may not be so lucky.

Taiwan high mountain dong ding oolong tea is a roasted or baked tea. This roasting has a few important functions that lead to the unique flavor and quality of taiwan dong ding oolong tea. Roasting the tea stabilizes and gives a uniform qualtiy to the finished oolong tea. The baking of dong ding oolong also brings out the flavor hidden away in the leaves to release that unique dong ding oolong taste and aroma. Roasting the tea leaves also removes any bitterness  and mellows the leaves so the infused dong ding oolong tea has a smooth flavor and aftertaste. Some also claim that it’s the special roasting techniques that give dong ding oolong it’s natural sweetness.

300 Grams of Premium Taiwan Dong Ding Oolong $75 Buy Now

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