Journey to the Misty Mountains
Exploring Taiwanese Oolongs
Story & Photographs by Veerinder Chawla


Late fall is a good time to visit Taiwan. The temperature is no longer so hot, humidity is slight and the markets are full of delicious autumn vegetables. It is also a good time for tea, and in Taiwan, that means oolongs.
   Just as the mountains of Taiwan's south-central growing region are swathed in seasonal mists, the appreciation of oolongs is occluded by clouds of misunderstanding. In Taiwan alone, there are about 17 distinct oolong plant varietals. Even though approximately 80 percent of the oolong grown comes from only one varietal, the remainder provides exceptional diversity in flavor. Couple that with geographic, seasonal and processing diversity, and you have a veritable oolong universe.

Meeting The Black Dragon
   On my most recently concluded trip to Taiwan, I visited the nine oolong farmers I work with. It was one of my regular trips to Asia to source orthodox and organic teas. Specifically, I was interested in sourcing the fall and early winter harvests of green or lesser oxidized oolongs. The flavors of oolongs change dramatically with the season. Fall flavors are usually flatter and fuller, unlike the lighter, crisper winter tea, and very unlike the flowery, robust spring tea. But the trip also had a personal relevance. Two of my senior staff (both tea lovers) are Taiwanese, and this was a chance to give them a token of appreciation in the form of a trip back to their native country.
   There are four distinct tea areas in Taiwan. In the North, the township of Pinglin in Taipei County is known as the home of the aromatic Wenshan Baozhong tea, as well as for the beautiful mountain scenery. The center is home to Frozen Summit or Dong Ding tea and Jin Xuan tea, and the South is famous for its Ali San tea. The fourth area is renowned for its High Mountain teas, including the rare and prized Gao Shan Cha.
   Oolong tea varietals are native to China and Taiwan. More recently, propagation has begun in Thailand and Vietnam. In general, oolongs can also be classified into two families: the small rolled pearl-shaped leaves such as the famous Tieguanyin teas from Fujian, China, and the sideways-twisted leaves such as the Phoenix (Fenghuang) oolongs of Guangdong. Also famous are the Wuyi or "cliff" tea from Fujian, of which the old-growth varieties are especially sought-after. Da Hong Pao and Xiao Hong Pao are other legendary oolongs from China.
   Taiwan has its own oolong lore, with distinctive tastes and seductive landscapes to match the mainland. The Baozhong in the North, Tung Ting in central and Ali Shan and Li Shan from the South are highly respected varieties. Bai Hao Oolong, also known as Oriental Beauty, is another justifiably famed leaf. In Taiwan, there is a distinct affinity towards greener oolongs and lower oxidization (5 to 25 percent), whereas on the Chinese mainland, oolongs have traditionally been more heavily roasted, darker and more extensively oxidized.
   Oolong is derived from the word 'wu long' meaning 'black dragon.' In the United States, it is still a misunderstood category of teas. Most people will refer to oolongs as something "in between green and black" or as "semi-fermented" teas. This is a crude approximation of some of its characteristics, but does little to specify its essential nature. To more fully grasp and accurately describe oolongs, retailers must approach oolongs as they approach grapes. We have established red wine and white wine at the highest level of criteria. Within red, we recognize merlot, pinot noir, chianti and so on.
   In the case of oolongs, consumers need access to an understanding of how the oolong flavors differ from those of other teas, and an appreciation of how these flavors change through the seasons. If retailers can couple that process with an introduction to the rich art, culture and tradition of making oolongs, they will have helped to create a more informed tea drinker.

One Island, Many Worlds
For two years now, I have had the honor to work closely with Zeng Dong, a farmer whose operation comprises three acres of high-elevation land in Taipei County, in the north of the island. This modest and hospitable man has been a farmer for over 30 years, and recently received a national prize for the artistry of his Baozhong; typically, it was only after drinking tea with him for several hours that he revealed this.
   The tea plants here are about 15 to 18 years of age. This is close to the national average and is much younger than the mainland Chinese and Indian tea plants. And yet it is remarkable, since the yield of plants of this age in Taiwan starts to decline, which may be related to the lack of fully integrated soil nourishment and organic practices in Taiwan. Although organic fertilizers are now more widespread among farmers in Taiwan, the number of fully organic-certified tea farms is miniscule. I believe that culture is the main reason. At the high mountain elevations, the farmers take a lot of pride in their environment and shun the need for certification. There is also a broad lack of understanding of the processes and limitations, due to the costs involved.
   In general, tea farms in the north are small holdings located on steep mountain slopes. Baozhong is the least oxidized of all the oolongs, and does not go through as much rolling as the central Taiwanese teas. Many farmers who may not have enough help and labor to help them through the manufacturing process sell their crop in a semi-finished manner (also referred to as 'Mao Cha') to a second entity that processes the tea to its final stage. My interest is to source tea as directly as possible. It took me quite a while to convince my farmer friend Zeng Dong to finish the processing himself and begin sending the fresh crop through my shipping contacts. It was the first time that his prized tea ever left Taiwan.
   Processing is no small matter. It accounts for much of the uniqueness of oolong teas. Although processing varies by region and the farmer, there is a loosely standard operation common to most oolongs. After the leaves are harvested, they are dried in the sun, weather permitting, for a period of several hours. Most of the processing happens indoors. The leaves are gently 'bruised' in bamboo shakers or a rolling drum. This starts the oxidization process. It is at this stage that the aroma begins to develop. The leaves are then draped in a heavy cloth into the shape of a large ball. The ball is mostly shaped by hand but also with the help of a small machine, which has become quite popular in the oolong world, replacing traditional human-powered methods. The machine has a rotating disc that spins the ball and applies pressure from both sides, making the ball of tea very tight. A second machine applies weight from the top and bottom to simulate rolling actions. After a brief rolling, the leaves are removed from the cloth ball and roasted at low heat in a rotating tunnel roaster. The process of rolling and roasting is repeated until the necessary result is obtained. This process applies mostly to the pearl shaped oolongs. For the sideways-twisted oolongs, the rolling is much more delicate and retains the leaf in an open state. For High Mountain oolongs, roasting is minimal, and generally left to the discretion of the individual farmer.
   From Taipei, I traveled towards the center of Taiwan, to Taoyuan county's Luchu township. Most of the tea in Taiwan is produced in this area. With about 2000 different tea farms, the area is sprawling with tea culture. Thankfully, a merchant friend recommended that I meet with the president of the Luchu Farmers Association. He shared his concerns about the age of Taiwan's tea plants, and the lack of a clear long-term vision that promotes sustainability, though more organic fertilizers are being employed. The status of organic growing is weak, and lags far behind what the Indian subcontinent has been able to accomplish since the 1990s. Even in China, the 30 or so certified organic tea farms are beginning to spread the word. Taiwanese farmers are indeed interested in organic cultivation, but need help. This is where tea merchants can make a difference, providing technical support, resources and demand.
   I spent most of my time on top of the higher plateau, known as Dong Ding mountain or Frozen Summit, home to the famous Dong Ding tea. This is considered to be the origin of Taiwan oolong. The oolong teas made in this area resemble the artistry of mainland Chinese oolongs in that they brew a more robust, slightly darker and stronger tea than elsewhere in Taiwan. This is due to the way it is processed. Dong Ding oolongs are oxidized up to 25 percent-about twice as much as the greener high mountain oolongs. The tea also undergoes repeated slow roastings. Each of the Dong Ding oolongs had its own nuances, but the underlying aroma, similar to lilacs, was present in all.
   Traveling farther south from Luchu, the road to Ali Shan Mountain is magical. At 3000 meters, it is among the highest peaks in Taiwan, and a popular tourist destination. Visitors to this scenic area begin the journey from Chiayi, a small but densely-populated city. Chiayi is a place of crowded streets, bustling markets, neon signs and temples. Here I was hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Huang, who have been recently entrusted with their family tea farm of five acres. Together, we set out for their farm. As we traveled eastwards, the urban landscape suddenly changed to green fields of corn and tobacco, then rice paddies, banana and other subtropical fruit plantations. The flat terrain turned into gentle foothills, then suddenly rose steeply. The climate cooled and tea plantations began to appear.
   Suddenly, we found ourselves enshrouded in a cloud of mist. In fall, the Ali Shan mountain is showered with gusts of mist during the afternoons and early evenings. Tea plants in general love mist and drizzle with bursts of sunshine. The terms High Mountain or Gao Shan Cha in Taiwan refer to oolongs grown at over 2000 meters. There is a limited amount of tea available in this category and it is priced the highest. Li shan is a prized high mountain oolong and from the highest tea-growing area in Taiwan. The texture and thickness of Li shan tea leaves is stauncher and hardier than tea leaves in any other area of Taiwan. A special characteristic of fine oolong is described in Chinese as Gan, a complex combination of bitter, sweet and astringent qualities experienced in the aftertaste.
   The Huang's farm is located in the lower region of Ali Shan. We arrived after a trek along a narrow route down one of the mountain slopes. Plucking for the new season was in progress. About 15 tea pickers were at work, plucking only the new growth, the top three leaves. The Taiwan oolong plants have a very tender tip, more so than tea plants of the Indian subcontinent and parts of mainland China. This makes it conducive to rolling, but also requires much caution.
   There are about 200 tea farmers in the tea-growing region of Ali Shan. As prized and established as oolongs from this region are, there are doubts about its survival. The most immediate concern for the farmers is Brown Spider, a mysterious disease that starts at the top of the tea plant, dries the leaves, and then spreads to the bottom. As the disease is highly virulent, the farmers have had to clear not only the plant in question, but also the surrounding plants. The Taiwan Tea Experimental Station has been unable to determine a cause for the disease. Also, recent legislation has placed restrictions on land use. Since any increase in tea cultivation involves clearing vegetation that is needed to prevent erosion of the area's steep slopes, it has become harder for tea growers to expand. Another challenge to the survival of oolongs is demographic in nature. Most of the pickers are older people who have been involved with tea for most of their lives. Younger people choose jobs in the city, or go into the professions. Thanks to the renaissance of tea drinking in Taiwan, the United States and Europe, demand for oolongs is increasing. But whether this will revitalize this region soon enough is anyone's guess.
   Descending from the misty heights of Ali Shan, I came across a small tea farm, and for some reason I stopped to pay a visit to the farmer. After a few rounds of drinking his fresh tea, I learned that he had recently been awarded first prize for the season's best Ali Shan Oolong tea. I managed to obtain a small batch of his prized Ali Shan tea. It was a moment that brought together all that is special about tea in Taiwan: the accessibility of small-scale growers, attention to handcrafted detail in growing and processing and the humility that comes from mastering an ancient art.

Making Oolongs Count
Oolongs are not only poorly understood, they are poorly marketed. For oolongs to "take off" in retail terms, tea merchants need to offer oolong teas by the season, and provide diversity in the geographic regions they offer, in order to unveil the full flavor spectrum. After retailers have introduced consumers to the notion that oolongs are a distinct varietal of the tea plant, encouraged drinkers to relate these teas to their equally distinct areas of propagation and to enjoy their flavors as the product of particular seasons, we can begin to tell the story of the specific processing technique involved in their production. Expose tea culture in its true form, and you will end up helping not only consumers, but tea farmers who make these teas for all to enjoy.