All the Tea in Taiwan
The story of tea in Taiwan is written in sev- eral splendid chapters, such as in 1916, with the Japanese colonial government's discovery of wild tea growing in the mountains of Kaohsiung's Fengshan Tropical Experimental Agriculture Area. This tea's leaves were about the same size as those of Assam tea, and it was welcomed like a precious treasure by Japanese tea masters. Using simple machinery they were able to process it, and after processing it turned out to have both a scent and color superior to northern Taiwan's tea.
In 1926, the Japanese brought in pure, large-leaved Assam tea from India, and dispatched tea specialists to inspect the Taiwanese geography, soil, and climate, finally deciding to cultivate the tea in Nantou County's Yuchih, Puli, and Shuili townships.
In 1930 the major tea producing areas of the time--India, Ceylon, and Java--together negotiated limits on tea production. As these restrictions went into place, Taiwan's tea industry seized its chance. Exports jumped to 3.29 million kilograms, and Oolong and Pouchong tea became popular. During this time, tea from Yuchih was not only offered to the Emperor of Japan as a gift, but also exported in large quantities to America, Britain, and Hong Kong. 1936 saw the establishment of a tea laboratory in Yuchih, which became the center of research into large-leafed teas in Taiwan, and a fountainhead of tea varieties in the island.
After World War II, the Kuomintang government took over the tea industry in Yuchih, handing over operations to the Taiwan Tea Company, which proceeded to get the plantations in order again after the disruption of the war. By 1961, the amount of land on which Assam tea was being grown in Taiwan had reached over 1800 hectares, with Nantou's plantations accounting for 1700 of those. In the 1980s tea plantations covered 38,000 hectares nationwide, but Assam had shown no noticeable increase, as the government had put more funding into partially-fermenting oolong teas, which were more suited to the local palate.
As the Taiwanese economy took flight and individual incomes rose, some farms started to see a drift away from farm work, leading the tea industry into a gradual downward slide. The export market was insufficient for survival, and so experts turned to research, improving oolong tea techniques, and along with an increase in the appreciation of tea preparation and drinking as an artform, a trend toward-high priced oolong tea took hold across Taiwan.
Production methods are roughly the same for oolong tea and black tea, with both going through drying, rubbing, splitting, fermenting, and drying. However, black tea produced during the summer and autumn is of better quality than oolong tea: because of the strong summer sun and high levels of catechu, the tea is stronger and more fragrant.
At the moment, over 80% of Taiwan's tea production is large-leafed hybrids. With current crops aging, if the farmers can switch to new breeds, it is forecast that production quantities and tea quality could rise noticeably.
(Teng Sue-feng/tr. by Geof Aberhart)
The unique indigo-dyed fabrics from Taipei County's Sanhsia come in shades ranging from pale to dark.