The History of Taiwan Tea

The tea consumed by the Taiwanese was first imported from mainland China—primarily from the provinces of southern Jiangsu and Fujian—during the Ming and Ching dynasties. At that time, the majority of Taiwan’s tea drinkers were people with wealth, power, or scholarly backgrounds. During the Japanese occupation, Uji tea began to be imported from Japan, adding influential and wealthy Japanese to the list of tea consumers in Taiwan. After Taiwan’s retrocession to the Republic of China, mainland teas were available on the market, making it a drink for the masses. However, during the early stages, local Taiwan teas were produced mainly for export purposes, and it was not until the 1970s that the tea market slowly began to be turned inward to meet local demand.

In 1906, during the Japanese occupation, black tea began to be exported alongside oolong and baozhong tea. At the same time, the Taiwan Governor’s Office began to assist private organizations, such as the Taiwan Tea Business-men’s Association, to introduce the beauty of Taiwan tea to the rest of the world through the establishment of teashops at international fairs. With the beautifully designed posters advertising Taiwan tea at those fairs, the elegant packaging of Taiwan tea products, and the refined and professional serving techniques of the salespeople, the global image of Taiwan tea was quickly elevated.

At the height of Taiwan’s tea exports, the private sector began to realize the importance of the domestic market. In 1973, the Taiwan Tea Promotion Team headed by Lin Fuquan began to advertise teas for domestic consumption, and the following year, the Taiwan Provincial Government’s Department of Agriculture and Forestry sponsored a provincial tea exhibition in Xindian. Through the collaboration of county governments in tea-producing areas, farmers’ associations, and the mass media, a stable foundation was created for promoting tea on the domestic market. On August 14, 1977, the Chinese Kung Fu Teahouse, the forerunner of Taiwan’s modern teahouses, was established. Before long, teahouses were sprouting up everywhere like bamboo shoots after a spring rain shower, and throughout the 1980s, these local teahouses slowly organized into associations devoted to the promotion of tea culture.

Under the joined efforts of the government, tea farmers’ associations, tea manufacturers’ associations, teahouse associations, teahouses, and tea scholars, domestic tea consumption was gradually transformed into a contemporary and flourishing artistic tea culture. On ordinary days, these organizations and individuals worked hard at their own respective jobs. However, when it came time to host a cultural activity on tea, they would divide the labor, cooperate with each other, and work together to portray an image of the art of Taiwan tea that fully demonstrated its elegance.

(http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/art_tea/)

茶葉的分類與製程

台灣的地理、氣候及環境非常適合茶樹生長，是有名的茶葉產區，所產製的茶葉包括綠茶、包種茶、烏龍茶及紅茶等，其中尤以包種茶及烏龍茶更是馳名世界。若將茶葉以製茶過程之發酵程度區分，可分為三種茶：
1.不發酵茶：綠茶、煎茶、碧羅春、龍井茶
2.部分發酵茶：鐵觀音、茉莉香片、文山包種、東方美人（椪風茶）、金萱、烏龍茶
3.全發酵茶：紅茶

關於茶的製造過程，流程說明如下：
一、採菁：適合製茶的葉片摘取後，稱為茶菁，準備運送到茶廠進行加工。

二、日光萎凋：將茶葉置於溫度30-40℃之日光下，使茶菁水分迅速蒸發，減少茶中水分，並使茶菁柔軟，同時催化酵素進行發酵。
三、室內萎凋：延續日光萎凋所引發之發酵作用，使茶葉繼續進行部份發酵，引發化學變化而生成特有之香氣與風味。
四、攪拌：利用攪拌機之攪動使茶菁互相碰撞，將茶菁味揮發使發酵程度加重，香味會由粗香轉為優雅之香氣。
五、炒菁：茶菁達到適合的發酵程度之後，利用高溫破壞酵素活性，讓水分大量流失便於揉捻，同時使品質趨於穩定。
六、揉捻：利用機械的力量使茶葉轉動互相摩擦，造成部份組織被破壞，汁液流出後附著在芽葉表面，乾燥凝固後便於沖泡溶解。
七、團揉：放入甲式乾燥機加溫回軟，再裝入布巾或布袋中，以布球揉捻機進行團揉。
八、乾燥：將多餘水分去除，使茶葉更緊密且不再發酵，使茶湯更加清香更容易保存。