How do we classify different teas in Taiwan?
  • Green Tea is non-fermented, to be detail
    1. Pan-fired green tea

    2. steam grean tea
  • Wen Shan Pouchong Tea, from northern part of Taiwan, is 8~10% fermented and the shaped is straight. When you drink Pouchong Tea, the natural flower aroma will fulfill your mouth, and there is also a sweet aftertaste.

  • High Mountain Oolong Tea, from middle and southern part of Taiwan, is 15~20% fermented and it shaped like a small ball. Oolong Tea has natural fruit aroma

  • Tei Kuan Yin Tea is, from Muzha (Taiwan) and Anxi (China), 15~30% fermented. The shape, not as much as Oolong Tea, is curling. The feature is natural orchid aroma and special Tei Kuan Yin aftertaste. 

  • Oriental Beauty is 45~50% fermented. The main origin is Hsinchu and Miaoli. The tea leaf looks thick and big, and has various colored, such as, red, yellow and green. The tea color is bright jacinth, and the aroma is like honey and permeating with strong fruit.

  • Black Tea is 100% fermented, more detail
    1. Orthodox

    2. C.T.C

    3. Leg Cut


The higher the fermentation, the more theaflavin and thearubigin, the darker the tea. You can distinguish Green Tea (green) from Oolong Tea (yellow), and from Oriental Beauty and Black Tea (dark red), but it is not accurate to judge tea's fermentation by it's colour, because the time and the temperature of curing can transform the tea's colour. (when we use the evaluate method to brew the tea )

茶葉如何分類?

常常問客人說茶葉要怎麼分類,有人說生茶,熟茶(和烘焙有關係);有人說阿里山、大禹嶺(產地);有人說金宣、翠玉(茶樹品種),以上都是一般人錯誤的觀念,其實茶葉是按照發酵程度的不同去區分的
 

  • 綠茶是不發酵,又分為
    1. 炒菁綠茶

    2. 蒸菁綠茶
  • 文山包種茶8~10%,屬台灣北部文山茶區的茶葉,外型為條索狀,色澤翠綠,湯色蜜綠金黃,洋溢多種自然花香,滋味清爽甘醇。

  • 高山烏龍茶15~20%,屬台灣中南部中高海拔山區的茶葉,外型彎曲緊結呈球型,湯色橙黃明亮,近似天然果香

  • 鐵觀音15~30%,主產於木柵及福建安溪,外形成半球捲曲,有天然"蘭花香"和特殊"鐵觀韻"

  • 東方美人45~50%,竹苗或石碇等茶區,外觀白毫肥大,葉呈紅、黃、綠相間,色澤艷麗,茶湯呈澄紅,水色明亮,具蜂蜜味與熟果香

  • 紅茶則是全發酵100%,分為
    1. 條型紅茶

    2. 碎型紅茶

    3. 切青紅茶

發酵程度越高,茶黃素會先釋放出來,再來是茶紅素,所以茶湯顏色會越深,從綠茶的綠色到烏龍茶的金黃色,再到東方美人、紅茶的紅黑色。不過光從顏色要來判別茶葉的發酵程度是不正確的,因為烘焙的時間以及溫度也會影響到茶湯的顏色(以鑑定方式沖泡時)。