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If you love high mountain tea, you know Alishan, Lishan and maybe a couple of other tea mountains that are famous in Taiwan as production areas of high mountain tea. If you were asked what the highest mountain in Taiwan was would you say “Yu Shan" (Jade Mountain)? If you lived in Taiwan you would, and you would be right!

Two of many amazing things about Taiwan are its tea culture and its mountains. There is a different specialty tea grown in every region of the island and only a few are famous and therefore available outside of Taiwan. The island country of Taiwan is 75% mountains and practically each of these regions has its tea growing area. 

This medium roast oolong is grown at an elevation of 1600m on the slopes of Yu Shan, Taiwan’s highest mountain. It is called Jiao Tang Oolong which means “Carmel” Oolong. The name refers to the flavor it derives through the roasting process. This tea is quite similar to Dong Ding oolong in the level of oxidation and roasting and even its flavor approaches that of Dong Ding. Despite the similarities this tea has a smoother, cleaner flavor. Not quite as rich and robust as Dong Ding this tea is always smooth with mellow roasted flavor. 

Jiao Tang Oolong is produced from Qin Xing Oolong variety tea leaves. Its dry leaves have a lightly roasted, malty fragrance. After rinsing in hot water the fragrance becomes rich, malty, nutty with notes of buttered grain, light chocolate with just a hint of a fragrance of green leaves. The tea itself is Sweet, malty, nutty, and buttery with a hint of caramel. The mouthfeel is cleaner, lighter and smoother than Dong Ding. Jiao Tang Oolong finishes with a nice clean aftertaste in the throat. 

The farmer who grows and produces this tea continues to win many awards for best new tea as well as awards for his charity work in donating money to needy children. In my experience the tea farmers who really care about their tea, the environment and about their customers produce better tea than those big business farms. I think Jiao tang Oolong and the other teas by this grower Yu Shan Black Tea and Competition Oolong are good examples of this. Jiao Tang Oolong is not a traditional variety of Taiwanese tea, but a new tea variety based on combining the best of traditional methods in an attempt to come up with something new. 

About 120 years ago Taiwanese tea masters Zhang Nai Miao and his brothers made the journey by boat across the strait back to the mainland China to bring back Tie Guan Yin tea plants from Anxi county, Fujian province. They brought them back to their farmlands in Northern Taiwan to Muzha, a town in the low mountains on the south side of Taipei. On their return to Taiwan they continued to produce Tie Guan Yin in the traditional way. Traditionally Tie Guan Yin is a heavily roasted tea and Taiwan continues to produce Tie Guan Yin in this traditional way creating tea with a powerful fragrance, rich, warm flavor and lingering aftertaste. 

Tea made from offspring of these original Tie Guan Yin plants form Anxi China are called “Zhen Cong” Tie Guan Yin, meaning “original bush”. In an attempt to produce something new and different, many tea growers in Taiwan nowadays experiment with non traditional methods to make tea. Sometimes the results are good, however, often times the traditional method continues to produce the most fragrant tea and retains the unique characteristics of that particular tea variety.   

Zhen Cong Tie Guan Yin is grown at 300-350m on north facing slopes of Muzha. Here the plants are grown in rich soil with good drainage. The tea plants get full sun throughout the day which causes them to be high in tannin which normally makes tea bitter. It’s through the traditional oxidation and extended roasting process at medium heat that these tannins are transformed and the bitterness reduced. This transformation of the tea through oxidation and roasting makes it suitable to drink for those who are elderly or have a weak stomach.

Zheng Cong Tie Guan Yin has a rich flavor and deep aftertaste that lingers at the back of the throat. It also has floral, acidic fruit, honey and notes of incense. Subsequent brews have a subtle mineral finish. To taste the full range of flavors from this traditionally produced tea you can leave the second and third steepings too cool which will change the fragrance and flavor.