Taiwan's mountain tea production areas
The mountains of Taiwan are very widely distributed and there are many places for producing high mountain tea. However, the new tea areas with an elevation of 1,000 to 1400 meters above sea level in Chiayi County and Nantou County are still the mainstays.
(1) Chiayi County
When we talk about Chiayi County, we naturally have many equivalence terms appearing in our minds, such as Alishan Forest Railway, which is hovering in the mountains, or the sacred trees that have already retired, or are coveted. Lake Bento and so on, and then show the abundance of natural resources in Chiayi County. It is also an important production area for Taiwan's production of high mountain tea. The area for planting is mainly in four mountainous townships such as Meishan Township, Zhuqi Township, Fanlu Township and Alishan Township.
In addition to being an important source of oranges, oranges, and bamboo shoots in southern Taiwan, Meishan Township covers the Oolong and Jindai Mountain Teas in the foothills of Alishan, and its planting area accounts for half of Chiayi County. The township of Meishan Township is divided into 18 villages and 90% of them belong to the mountainous area. The tea gardens are mainly distributed in Taiping, Longyan (Longyan Linwei), Dianzi, Shushu Lake, Bihu Lake, Taixing, and Ruili in the mountains of Meishan Township. In the villages of Ruifeng, Taihe and Taixing, the current total area of ​​tea gardens is about 10,000 hectares and the elevation is between 900 and 1,400 meters. County Road 162 A Line is an important route to visit the tea garden in the township. From Taiping to Ruili, as long as it is the village area, there are tea gardens in the mountains and valleys.
It is worth mentioning that Meishan Township Longyan Village (about 1,200 meters above sea level) is the origin of Taiwan's high mountain tea. The tea trees planted here are dominated by Qingxin Oolong. Although the reputation is not as loud as it once was, the scale of the tea garden is still very spectacular. As for Zhuzaki Township, Fanlu Township and Alishan Township, the tea-producing villages are mostly located along the Taiwan-Taiyuan Line (Alishan Highway), such as Shantou, Kaiding, Shantou, Guanghua, Shitable, Cross Road, Dabang, and Lijia. And mountain tribes such as Fengshan. The tea produced by these villages is commonly known as “Ali Mountain Tea,†but there are also tea products called “Ali Shanzhulu†or “Alishan Yulu Teaâ€. Especially "Alishanzhulu tea" is most famous, it can be described as "green gold" of Zhuqi villagers, and this tea is produced at the stone table. In Shiqi Tea Region of Zhuqi Township, the tea plantation area is about 400 hectares, which is distributed at an altitude of about 1200 to 1400 meters above sea level, and is concentrated along the forest belt of Puizi Barrel. The planting varieties are mainly Qingxin Oolong, due to the Tea, rich aroma, taste of glycol, is widely loved by tea drinkers.
(2) Nantou County
Nantou County is located in the heart of Taiwan and is the only city in Taiwan that is not a coastal city. Surrounded by mountains, the territory is more hilly, and the climate changes day and night, suitable for the growth of tea. The towns and towns that mainly produce mountain teas mainly include Zhushan Town, Renai Township, Shuili Township, and Xinyi Township.
Located in the tea plantation along Da'anlin Road in Zhushan Township, Nantou County, the white scorpion is an automatic sprinkler. Through decades of development, the tea plantation in Zhushan Town has grown from a riverside to a high mountain, making it the largest single tea plantation in Taiwan.
The tea plantation is located in Dashan, Zhushan. Since most of Taiwan’s mountain tea production areas are built along the existing industrial roads of the area, they are open to the road. Therefore, if you want to visit, it is better to have a higher driving chassis and a four-wheel drive vehicle is more suitable. As for accommodation, there is no problem because the local tea growers also run the property together.
Located in a calm tea area, Jinju Tea Garden. Renai Township is the fourth largest tea production area in Nantou County, with the first being Mingjian Township, followed by Zhushan Township and Lugu Township. In 2002, throughout Nantou County, the county's annual tea output was 11,100 tons, and the harvested area was 8,075 hectares. In the year of Renai Township, the annual output of tea was 771 tons, and the harvested area was 847 hectares, accounting for approximately 6.9 percent of Nantou County.
Zhushan Town is the earliest developed area in Nantou County. Since ancient times, it has been the pivot point of the entrance area to Tonghoushan, and it has the nickname of “First City of Qianshanâ€. From the 1980s onwards, Zhushan Town first planted large quantities of tea trees from the Zhaojingshan area. Currently, the town’s tea plantations are located in the areas of Zhaojingshan, Houpu, Shezheng, Ruizhu, Dashan, Rushan, Liutang, and Shanping. Top, Shanlinxi, Yanping, Yanshan, Yangtou Bend and Longfeng Gorge. As for the area of ​​mountain tea production in the township, it is dominated by the Shanlinxi and Da'anshan districts, especially the "Shanlinxi tea".
Renai Township is located in the central area of ​​Taiwan. The land belongs to the northeast of Nantou County. The territory is divided into 66 villages in 15 villages. The economic cultivation of tea in the township originated in the late 1960s. It was first introduced by Tianren Enterprises, and was promoted in areas such as Wushe and Gaofeng. The cultivated area has so far reached more than 800 hectares, with an annual output of more than 680 tons, and it has grown into Nantou. The county’s fourth largest tea production area. From Wushe to Cingjing Farm, tea shops, tea factories and bed and breakfasts can be seen everywhere. Green tea is like a contour-like tea tree. It even appears on the Provincial Highway No. 14 and Taiwan No. 14 A lines. The tea gardens in this area are located in the depths of the Central Mountain Range, with low temperatures throughout the year and large temperature differences. The tea groves in the mountains maintain excellent quality.
The Chingjing Farm Tea Garden is an alpine model tea plantation opened in the 76th year of the Republic of China. With an area of ​​6 hectares, Qingxin Oolong and Jinchao Tea are cultivated. Due to the frequent haze and cloudiness, they are known as Cebu Tea for a long time.
Located in the stone tea area in Zhonghe Village. The tea gardens in Zhuqi Township are located in four villages such as Zhonghe Village, Guanghua Village, Renshou Village, and Jinshi Village.
The tea tree of Qingxin Oolong is the oldest and most widely distributed variety in Taiwan. The current market conditions, as a single species, is only slightly inferior to Cong Tieguanyin. In addition, because of the sparsely populated land, tea production areas in this area are extremely scattered, so although most of them are called “alpine tea,†there are still a large number of place name teas, such as Tianwu Tea (Mist) and Tian Lu. Tea (Laoshan), Cebu Tea (Cingjing Farm Tea Garden), Bixixi Tea, Wudeng Tea (Hongxiang), Dongxiang Camellia (North East Eye Mountain) and other tea products. As for the villages of tea produced in Renai Township, there are Longji, Wujie, Datong Mountain, North East Eye Mountain, Aowanda, Hongxiang, Calm, Wushe, Chunyang, Lushan, Cuifeng, Cuiyu and Cingjing. The main tea varieties are Qingxin Wulong and Jinluo (Taicha No.27).
Shuili Township, formerly known as Shuili Hang, has an elevation of 250 meters or more. The Mingtan Reservoir, located in the township, is still Taiwan's largest pumped-type hydroelectric power plant. It can be seen that the local water resources are abundant. The Shuili Township also began to grow alpine tea in the 1980s. At present, the tea production villages are concentrated in three villages, namely Junkeng, Johor Bahru and Shangan. The tea produced here is best known for the tea products of Yushan Tea and Shengfeng Tea.
It is planted in Qingxin Oolong Tea Garden near Qingchi Tianchi, which is about 2,500 meters above sea level. At the time of the visit, many of the autumn teas under the mountain had been harvested. However, the area was still green and has not yet been picked. It is known that the tea grown in this environment has a slower growth rate.
Shinyi Township is the second largest township in Taiwan. It has a beautiful alias - "Home of Qingmei." Every spring in the early spring, when plum blossoms all over the hill, it always attracts many visitors to stop and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the flowers and snow. The Xinyi Township is similar to Shuili Township. It began to ruin tea gardens around 1980, so it also belongs to the new high mountain tea region. The area where local tea plantations are grown includes areas such as Thirty Jia, Lona, Tongfu, Shenmu, Shalixian, and Tataga, and they are referred to as “Mountain Mountain Tea†for sale. There are also teas named "Sari tea" and "Tatta tea".
(3) Other counties
In addition, Fushoushan Farm in Heping Township, Taichung County, and Lishan Mountain in Hualien County are the highest tea areas in Taiwan. Of course, tea prices are also extraordinary and noble. Located in Dashanlin Road, Zhushan Township, Nantou County. Although the tea areas here are scattered, the planting area of ​​each single tea plantation is extremely large.
In recent years, although Taiwan's mountain tea production area has a slight decrease, it is still like the mountain fruits and vegetables and is still widely enjoyed by the general public. In fact, most of Taiwan's mountain tea production areas have the advantage of being developed into a sightseeing tea area. For example, Meishan Township Longyan Linwei, Zhuqi Township Ruili, Shi Table and Shantou, Renai Township, calm and Hongxiang, etc. are all amazing. The beauty of tea gardens is worth driving. However, if we say this, we still need everyone's attention and favor. Just like the problem of soil and water conservation, we need to be more careful to maintain and pay attention. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to go to Taiwan’s alpine tea area, it’s definitely worth your choice.
The villages in the map are Shantou, located along the Alishan Highway. At present, mountain tea varieties produced in Taiwan are mainly oolong tea and golden tea. In order to distinguish it from plain tea or to facilitate marketing, local tea traders usually use the word “mountain†in front of the word “teaâ€, such as “high mountain oolong tea†or “alpine golden teaâ€. If only "high mountain tea" is called, it is almost exclusively referring to tea made from Qingxin oolong tea.
Tang Quan's Taiwan High Mountain Tea
At present, mountain tea varieties produced in Taiwan are mainly oolong tea and golden tea. In order to distinguish it from plain tea or to facilitate marketing, local tea traders usually use the word “mountain†in front of the word “teaâ€, such as “high mountain oolong tea†or “alpine golden teaâ€. If only the "high mountain tea" is called, it is almost exclusively referring to tea made from Qingxin oolong tea.
Oolong tea is the earliest tea produced in Taiwan. It can be said to be the ancestor of Taiwan tea, and it is also Taiwan's most famous tea in the world. According to the degree of tea fermentation in China and the color of tea soup, it can be divided into six categories: green tea, white tea, yellow tea, green tea, black tea, and black tea. Commonly known as oolong tea is green tea.
The European and American countries are divided according to the degree of fermentation. The non-fermented green teas are called full-fermented black teas, while the intermediate semi-fermented teas are regarded as oolong teas. However, regardless of countries and countries, the oolong tea argument should refer to semi-fermented tea made according to certain practices and does not refer to specific tea varieties. However, in Taiwan, what the locals call “Oolong Tea†is not only tea that is semi-fermented, but also tea that must be made from the varieties of Oolong. It is called Oolong tea. More famous teas will be added with local names such as "Frozen Top Oolong Tea" and "Yushan Oolong Tea" which are familiar to the general public. Most of the teas grown in Taiwan are oolong varieties, especially high-grade wolfberry teas. As a result, over time, the term "oolong tea" was replaced by "tea from oolong varieties."
Tea farmers in Shantou tea region harvested autumn tea. Shantou is located in Gongtian Village, Fanlu Township, Chiayi County, with an altitude of about 1,200 meters. In addition, according to Taiwan’s tea regulatory authorities’ introduction of Taiwan’s tea, it is divided into two major categories, tea and oolong tea, according to the tea production method. Oolong tea refers to the re-fermented white tea. However, the name "oolong tea" now stands for many in Taiwan. It is not as rigorous as the mainland. Due to the institutional differences between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan’s advancement in tea making technology, it is gradually different from the mainland, and there are even many new varieties. In addition, in recent years, there are many new tea producing areas in Taiwan. In order to promote their own local tea, many places will be named by their own methods. So oolong tea is the same, and its method of naming is more diverse.
Therefore, if you think of Taiwanese people, talking about Oolong tea must refer to tea made from Oolong varieties. The degree of fermentation is 15% ~ 25%, the shape is hemispherical or spherical, tea soup is golden yellow or light brown, the fragrance is slightly sweet-scented with sweet-scented osmanthus or light honey, taste is mellow and sweetness is good.