Taiwan
Taiwan's oolong range is the widest of any single origin: from the barely-oxidized, delicately floral high-mountain Gao Shan styles (Ali Shan, Li Shan, Shan Lin Xi) from around 1000 m (the industry gao shan threshold) up to 2600 m at the highest Lishan gardens to the medium-roasted Dong Ding, the naturally creamy Jin Xuan (Milk Oolong), and the deeply complex, insect-bitten Oriental Beauty at the high-oxidation end. Elevation is a genuine variable here, not marketing language: the same cultivar at high altitude produces a noticeably different cup. Taiwan is also the home of the bug-bitten style built on natural terpene production, which Oriental Beauty and Honey Black Tea share.
Styles in this family
Gao Shan (High Mountain, General)
Gao shan (high mountain) is the umbrella category for Taiwanese oolong grown above roughly 1,000 m, covering named zones such as Ali Shan, Shan Lin Xi, Li Shan…
Ali Shan
Ali Shan is the flagship Taiwanese high-mountain (gao shan) oolong, grown around 1000-1600 m in the Alishan area of Chiayi. Cold nights, thick mountain cloud,…
Shan Lin Xi
Shan Lin Xi is a Taiwanese high-mountain (gao shan) oolong from a forested zone around the Nantou and Yunlin county border, with gardens commonly between…
Li Shan
Li Shan (pear mountain) is one of Taiwan's highest gao shan oolong zones, with the best gardens climbing past 2,000 m, and a peer of Da Yu Ling near the top of…
Da Yu Ling
Da Yu Ling is the highest-grown of Taiwan's gao shan (high mountain) oolongs, from gardens above roughly 2,200 m on the high cross-island ridge near the…
Dong Ding
Dong Ding (frozen summit) is the classic roasted Taiwanese oolong, from the Dong Ding area of Nantou. Where high-mountain oolongs chase floral brightness, Dong…
Jin Xuan (Milk Oolong)
Jin Xuan's milky creaminess is a cultivar characteristic, not a flavoring, and understanding that distinction separates an honest purchase from one of the most…
Si Ji Chun (Four Seasons)
Si Ji Chun ('four seasons spring') is a hardy, highly productive Taiwanese oolong cultivar that can be harvested almost year-round, which is how it got its…
Baozhong
Baozhong (pouchong) is the most lightly oxidized of the oolongs, so light it sits at the border with green tea, and it is processed as open, twisted strips…
Oriental Beauty
Oriental Beauty (Dongfang Meiren, also Bai Hao oolong or Champagne oolong) is Taiwan's most romantic tea: a heavily oxidized, unroasted oolong whose…
Gui Fei Oolong (Concubine)
Gui Fei (concubine oolong) is a Taiwanese bug-bitten oolong: leafhoppers nibble the growing leaves, the plant responds with compounds that read as honey and…