Author/ The Tantalums - Han-Yi Han-Yi

Updated on 2025/05/15

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Where are the special varieties of tea trees from Taiwan?

There are many different types of tea trees, the public is currently using the highest tea industry in Taiwan academic research unit "Taiwan Tea Industry Improvement Plant" varieties of introduction, there is no more detailed information, so this first list of the general direction of the varieties of the list, to the friends who want to learn about tea for reference.

To begin to understand the tea varieties, I would like to suggest that you first refer to the following table, so that you can quickly understand how the mother and father of the main Taiwanese tea are mated and raised. The next few charts contain a variety of Taiwanese tea strains, as well as tea types that can be adapted for production, I can simply analyse the contents and consolidate them for you, at present, half of the Taiwanese tea strains from No. 1 to No. 26 can be made into black tea, and half of the strains are recommended to be adapted for production as oolong tea.

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☑ Taiwanese Tea Series

( Taiwan Tea No.1 - No.26 / 2024.06.28 Updated)

commodity species	characterisation	patrilineal ♂♂ + matriarchal ♀	suitable manufacture suffix forming noun from adjective, corresponding -ness or -ity
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 1 bugle call	Thick, full-bodied wood	Indian large-leafed speciesKyang + Green Heart ♀	redTea, bud tip tea UDragon Tea (Tree Trend: Extremely strong horizontal tension)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 2 bugle call	I've never had one.	Indian large-leafed speciesJaipuri + Oolong ♀	redTea, bud tip tea UDragon Tea
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 3 bugle call	I've never had one.	Indian large-leafed speciesManipuri + Red Heart ♀	redTea, bud tip tea
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 4 bugle call	I've never had one.	Indian large-leafed speciesManipuri + Red Heart ♀	redTea, bud tip tea
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 5 bugle call	Stone, moss	Foochow is a natural hybrid	UDragon Tea, Green Tea varietyteas
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 6 bugle call	susceptible to pests	Green Heart Oolong is a natural hybrid	Black Tea, Green Tea Oriental Beauty (Tree Strength: Strongly Erect)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 7 bugle call (Shan)	Fibre	Thailand Big LeafShan Single Strain Selection	redteas (Tree Trend: Extremely strong horizontal tension)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 8 bugle call (Assam)	Sucrose, maltose	Indian large-leafed speciesJaipuri Single Strain Selection	redteas (Tree Strength: Strongly Erect)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 9 bugle call	I've never had one.	Indian large-leafed speciesKyang + Red Heart ♀	Green Tea, Black Tea
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 10 bugle call	I've never had one.	Indian large-leafed speciesJaipuri + yellow citrus ♀	Green Tea, Black Tea
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas11 bugle call	I've never had one.	Indian large-leafed speciesJaipuri + Oolong ♀	Green Tea, Black Tea
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 12 bugle call (orange day-lily (Hemerocallis fulva))	Milk rhyme, creamy flavour	Sclerotium Red Heart + Taiwan agriculture8bugle call ♀	Highly versatile, Oolong tea (Tree Trend: Strong Horizontal Tension)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 13 bugle call (peyote (Lophophora williamsii))	betel nut flower, oil tree flower	Taiwan agriculture80bugle call + Sclerotium Red Heart ♀	UDragon Tea, Bao Seed Tea plain tea (Tree Strength：Medium Upright)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 14 bugle call (an unannotated edition of a book)	Millipore, fruity acid	white-haired monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) + Taiwan agriculture983bugle call ♀	UDragon Tea, Bao Seed Tea plain tea (Tree: Medium Horizontal)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 15 bugle call (barn swallow)	Flavourless	white-haired monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) + Taiwan agriculture983bugle call ♀	spoken lines in operaTea, Oriental Beauty (Tree: Medium Horizontal)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 16 bugle call (white crane (archaic))	Grassy, unscented	Taiwan agriculture1958bugle call + Taiwan agriculture335bugle call ♀	Longjing, Bao Seed Flower Blossom (Tree Strength: Strongly Erect)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 17 bugle call (spoken lines in operaheron)	Fine, tender bud aroma and fishy flavour	Taiwan agriculture1958bugle call + Taiwan agriculture335bugle call ♀	Shou Mei White Tea, Oriental Beauty (Tree Strength: Strongly Erect)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 18 bugle call (cornelian)	Peppermint, Cinnamon & Wood	Taiwan Wild Tea Tree(B-607) + Burmese Large Leaf Burma (B-729) ♀	Black Tea, Yellow Tea, White Tea (Tree Strength: Strongly Erect)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 19 bugle call (jasper)	Orchid, Kombu	Green Heart Oolong + Taiwan Tea12Daylily No. 1 ♀	varietyTea, Oolong Tea
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 20 bugle call (welcome fragrance)	Glorious Flower Fruiti	Green Heart Oolong + 2022strain (of a species) ♀	Bao Seed, Oolong Tea Red Oolong
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 21 bugle call (rhyme)	Citrus, Orange Blossom	Qimen prefecture level city in QinhaiKimen + IndiaKyang ♀	black tea (Tree Strength: Strongly Erect)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 22 bugle call (percolate jade)	mass-production model	Green Heart Oolong + Taiwan tea12bugle call ♀	Highly versatile Oolong tea is also available
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 23 bugle call (rhyme)	Smokey like Chinese tea.	Anhui Qimen Seed Selection “Prayer1bugle call“	black tea (Tree Strength: Strongly Erect)
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 24 bugle call "Yongkang tea–transform" (Mountain Clouds)	Mushroom flavour	Taitung Yongkang Tea Selection	Black Tea, Red Oolong
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 25 bugle call  (rhyme)	Purple Red Lemon will change the colour. There's cyanidin.	Taiwan tea13bugle call (peyote (Lophophora williamsii)) + Burmese macrophyte (Burma) ♀ “strain (of a species)84-91-3-2″	green tea black tea
classifier for heavy objects, such as machines, TVs, computers; theater performancesteas 26 bugle call  (Toyosuru)	High yield Thick flavour Gardenia, orchid	Anhui Keemun Tea Tree Selection "Strain 5313."	Black Tea, Green Tea ((Shape: tea buds upright) Mechanical harvesting available

• Information: Tea Industry Improvement Farm, Tanto Field Experience
• Taiwan Tea Tree Seed Magazine", "Special Issue for the 70th Anniversary of the Yuchi Branch", "Lecture Notes for Sensory Tasting Classes", "Tea Science． Taiwan Tea", "Taiwan Tea Tree Breeding".
• Date of collation 2024/06/28 (You are welcome to reprint the article with attribution)
• {Announcement} Add Taiwanese Tea No. 26 Strain 5413 Introduction and Citation Updates 

 

The answer from the official literature produced by the Taiwan Tea Improvement Institute is slightly different from the actual market operation. However, for the official setting of the Tea Industry Improvement Plant of the Agriculture and Foodstuffs Agency, Assam, Red Jade, Red Wine, Prayer Wine, and Camellia Sinensis are all aimed at black tea production, which is very close to the market demand and use.

It is mostly believed that the higher the adaptability of a tea tree variety, the more adaptable, competitive, and valuable it is to grow, but a concept can also be observed from the chart:A variety that is considered to be of high suitability does not necessarily become better known and sold in the mainstream.

The list is only a series of common Taiwanese teas that have a chance to appear on the market, since 1981 the father of Taiwanese teaNG CHUN-DORTo start naming the Taiwanese teas, some of the more famous ones that are still available for purchase are:

 

Taiwan Tea No.1 -1969

Taiwan Tea No. 6 -1973

Taiwan Tea No.7  Tea Tree in Taiwan: Shan  – 1974

Taiwan Tea No. 8 (Assam),Tea Tree in Taiwan: Assam -1973

Taiwan Tea No. 12 (Jin Xuan),Tea Tree in Taiwan: Jin Xuan -1981

Hidden Species (2028),Tea Trees in Taiwan: 2028

Taiwan Tea No. 13 (Jade),Tea Tree in Taiwan: Jade -1981

Taiwan Tea No. 14 (Pak Man),Tea Trees in Taiwan: Pak Man -1983

Hidden species (Pigeon),Tea Trees in Taiwan: 72-209

Taiwan Tea No. 15 (Baiyan),Tea Tree in Taiwan: Baiyan -1983

Taiwan Tea No.16 (White Crane), I can't write it -1983

Taiwan Tea No. 17 (White Egret),Tea Tree in Taiwan: Egret -1983

Taiwan Tea No. 18 (Red Jade),Tea Tree in Taiwan: Red Jade -1999

Taiwan Tea No. 19 (Jasper),Tea Tree in Taiwan: Jasper -2004

Taiwan Tea No. 20 (Ying Xiang),Tea Tree in Taiwan: Yingxiang -2004

Taiwan Tea No. 21 (Red Rhythm),Taiwan's Tea Trees: Hongyun -2008

Taiwan Tea 22 (Qinyu),Tea Tree in Taiwan: Qinyu -2014

Taiwan Tea No. 23 (Qi Yun),Taiwan's Tea Tree: Qiyun -2018 Published / 2019 Facebook Poll Names

Taiwan Tea No. 24 (Mountain Clouds)Tea Trees in Taiwan: Shan Yun  -2020

Taiwan Tea No. 25 (Purple Rhythm), Tea Tree in Taiwan: Purple Rhyme -2021

Taiwan Tea No. 26 (Fung Hok),Tea Tree in Taiwan: Fenghe(strain 5313) – 2024

Tantra's collation, will refer to according to the intuitive consumers in enough to buy, species characteristics can be written as a reference to facilitate readers to identify when buying, or you can also refer to the official launch of the Improvement YardTea Flavour WheelHow about going to practice?Tips for describing flavoursThe aroma is woody, fibrous, sucrose, maltose, creamy, champagne flower, gardenia, osmanthus, orchid, cinnamon, mint, citrus, and miller's breath,flavouringThe tea tree varieties have their own characteristics.

Extended Reading:Scent World Expo: How are scents described in tea, wine, coffee and flavouring circles?

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Common Large-leaved and Small-leaved Species

The source species of the tea tree can be classified into the large-leafed sub-species from India and Yunnan, or the small-leafed species from Wuyi, Fujian Province, China, and later on, theTaiwan Native SpeciesIt does not belong to the above two categories.

 

• Large-leafed species
• Species named after representatives of Assamese species
• Camellia sinensis  var. assamica

Open leaf area (L x W x 0.7) is more than 40 square centimetres (Yip Sze Man)

Mature old leaves 10-14cm long, 4-5cm wide (Cai Rongzhang)

characterisation (1)Single-layer raster organisation (2)Thin upper skin, quick release, not resistant to bubbling (3)Easy to be sunburnt (4)Not resistant to cold (5)Rich in content, full-bodied in flavour

case (law) Assamese, Carnelian, Burmese Large Leaves

 

• Small-leafed species
• Varieties Named After Chinese Small-Seeded Representatives
• Camellia sinensis  var. sinensis

Open leaf area (L x W x 0.7) less than 20cm2 (Yip Sze Man)

If the mature leaf length is 5~10cm and the leaf width is 2~4cm, it is considered as small or medium-sized leaves (Choi Wing Cheung)

characterisation (1)Multi-layer latticework (2)Thick upper skin, slow release, foam-resistant (3)Sunlight-resistant

case (law) Four Seasons Spring, Golden Daylily, Jade, Green Heart Oolong, Big Leaf Oolong, Iron Goddess of Mercy

 

＊沒有中葉種，沒有中葉種，沒有中葉種，很重要說三次！Those who will tell you about the Middle Leaf varieties are those who use information from the last century, or those who live in the old days when China's databases were closed and there was no connection with the rest of the world.

 

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In terms of breeding methods, we can use natural hybrids, multiple crosses, artificial hybrid progeny seedlings or single plant individuals with branch variations, and use single-plant selection to select the best plants to undergo various breeding procedures to make a variety, and then take cuttings to propagate and promote the variety.

Theoretically, any tea plant can be a variety.

An outstanding tea tree variety needs to undergo a long period of selection and regional trials to prove its economic cultivation value in terms of productivity and quality before it can be established. A common scientific breeding method used today is to select tea tree progenitors with good characteristics as "parents" for crossbreeding in order to increase the chances of the emergence of good individuals. After the hybrid seeds are sown, they undergo four stages of selection and elimination before they are evaluated and named.

In the past, cross-breedingMostly use crossbreeding of small-leafed species with large-leafed species for breeding.In order to improve the quality of black tea or green tea production, the unique aroma of small-leafed varieties and the high-yield advantage of large-leafed varieties can be introduced, with Taiwan Tea No. 1 to 4, as well as Taiwan Tea No. 9, Taiwan Tea No. 10, and Taiwan Tea No. 11 as typical examples of crossbreeding between large-leafed and small-leafed varieties.

Taiwan Tea No. 12~17, on the other hand, is dominated by the small-leafed lineage. The famousTaiwan Tea No.12 Jin Xuan, andTaiwan Tea No.13 JadeIn this case, the parent is one of the four most famous trees in the province, which was honoured as the strongest mother.Sclerotium Red HeartThis is a great help in adapting the original Stiff Red Heart to the mainstream product of the time, the Bao Seed Tea.

Among them, Taiwan Tea No. 14, Taiwan Tea No. 15, Taiwan Tea No. 16, and Taiwan Tea No. 17 have introduced the characteristics of early growth, robustness, and high yield of the large-leafed varieties with the goal of facilitating the production of partially fermented teas and green teas, but the result is that there are better alternatives for these varieties in the subsequent market level, and so these varieties are now mostly made into white teas and Oriental beauties.

Taiwan Tea No. 19, Taiwan Tea No. 20, and Taiwan Tea No. 22 have a very high proportion of green heart oolong blood, and are highly regarded as the target for oolong tea and packet seeded tea varieties, with outstanding results in terms of both production volume and variety aroma.

Taiwan Tea No. 18 is a cross between Big Leaf and Taiwan Camellia sinensis, which is suitable for the production of high-grade black tea; and the later launch of Taiwan Tea No. 21, Taiwan Tea No. 23, and Taiwan Tea No. 25 are all high-quality varieties suitable for the production of black tea for the commercial market.

Extended Reading:Tea Tree Varieties (cf. Right Hon Chen 1995), Breeding of Tea Trees in Taiwan (Right Hon Chen 2006).

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Famous and speciality varieties

Varieties obtained from other places in Taiwan, self-breeding, special variations, etc.

Sexual reproduction: Seeds are used for reproduction, and the resulting seedlings are called living seedlings.

Asexual reproduction: Using part of the nutrients of the tea tree plant, such as roots or branches, to cultivate new individuals, but the branches are the most used.

The table below lists the common varieties that are currently available in Taiwan, none of which are considered to be part of the Taiwanese tea system, but all of which are the mainstay of Taiwan's current tea product offerings. Includeshigh mountain teaThe hegemonic Greenheart Oolong, a low altitude stabilising drink base Four Seasons Spring.

 

Most of the popular varieties were brought from the coastal areas of China and planted in Taiwan for a few years to become localised varieties adapted to Taiwan's local terroir. Some of them are similar to those grown in Fujian, China, or localised in Taiwan. The following is a list of easy to find species that have been sold in Taiwan:

• │ white-haired monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)
• │ Sclerotium Red Heart
• │ Cinnamon
• │ Wuyi county in Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture, Yunnan
• │ Kieran
• │ Slow (Big Slow)
• │ yellow citrus
• │ Buddha's hand
• │ Oolong
• │ Green Heart Oolong
• │ Dwarf Oolong
• │ Wulong Morning
• │ Oolong
• │ Green Heart
• │ Green Heart Mandarin
• │ four seasons
• │ Golden Orchid
• │ Green Heart Tieguanyin
• │ Tetsukunin-Uncle (Seed) - Dill Selection
• │ Wong Kam Kwai
• │ Golden Guanyin
• │ Udan
• │ Hairy Crab
• │ Bunsen
• │ Narcissus (leaflet version)
• │ Mui Jim
• │ The Eight Immortals
• │ Yellow Branch Fragrance
• │ Zijuan
• │ Silver Dragon (Private Breeding Green Heart Oolong + Taiwan Tea No. 17)
• │ Taiwan Camellia

Common, easy to produce, relevantFragranceAs below, you can compare it with the Taiwan Tea System:

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Species Suitability

Different tea tree varieties, some are suitable for green tea, some are suitable for black tea, and some are suitable for oolong tea, and which tea trees are suitable for what type of tea, which is more in line with the market's expectation, we call it variety suitability.

• The scientific name Camellia sinensis, belongs to the Theaceae, the genus Camellia, and most of the tea produced economically comes from two cultivated varieties  
• Camellia sinensis var. sinensis  
• Camellia sinensis var. Asamica 
• In Taiwan, there is a specific type calledCamellia formosensis
• (L.) O. Ktze. forma formosensis Kitamura. 

Tea trees with different leaf shapes have different adaptability. It is common to say that large-leafed tea trees tend to have strong and astringent flavours, while small-leafed tea trees have high aroma, layered sensation, and unique and versatile flavour characteristics.

1. Large-leafed speciesA representative variety is Assam, which has more polyphenols, strong bitterness and quick release, so it is often made into heavily fermented and oxidised black tea.
2. Small-leafed speciesMostly concentrated in the coastal areas of southeastern China, the trees are often short shrubs with an excellent sense of freshness, so they are often used to make green tea, oolong tea and other types of tea.
3. Taiwan Camellia Seed Taiwan Special.

Of course, there are also well-established varieties, most of which meet the expectations of the general public and can be used as a reference rule for the characteristics of the appropriate tea models.

• Tea trees with more fluffy buds. Intuitively, it is more suitable for making beautiful dried tea, such as Biluochun and Baihao Oolong.
• A tea tree with thin and pointed leaves. Suitable for needle tea, the dried tea tree has a distinctive appearance and will be made into silver needles and pine needles.
• Tea trees with oval leaf tips and less fuzz. Suitable for making flat teas, such as Longjing, Cui Ya, and Da Fang.

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Reproduce asexually as follows

(i) Strip propagation:
Choose a good tea tree species as the mother tree, lead the branches of the mother tree to the ground and fix them, then bury them with soil, and after the branches have developed roots, cut them off from the mother plant one year later, so that they become independent plants.

(ii) Propagation by cuttings:
Cut thick and sturdy branches of the current year without infections of diseases and pests, take the brown, yellow or hardened branches as scion, about 6~8cm long, cut the top branch flat, leave one leaf about 0.5~1.0cm down, remove the other leaves from the branch, and insert the scion directly into the soil or medium, and then allow it to grow roots and buds after proper management.

(iii) Grafting:
Grafting, also known as grafting, is the method of attaching branches or buds of a tea tree to a different plant, or connecting mature buds to another cutting so that they can be combined to form a new entity. A common combination is to use Taiwan Tea No. 12 as the rootstock.Green Heart OolongHowever, more work is needed to remove the adventitious buds on the stronger rootstocks, thus adding a lot of work to the tea plantation.

If a tea tree is cultivated through heterosexual propagation (cross-pollination), the seedling obtained by seed sowing will be different from its parents in terms of growth habit, yield and tea production quality, and will also be affected by the localised adaptation of the terroir. Therefore, asexual reproduction is currently used to maintain the good characteristics of the parent trees and to make the fertility status of the whole plantation consistent, so as to facilitate management and production.

 

 

(a) By bloodline: There are two major categories: large-leaved species and small-leaved species.

Varieties often used for breeding include: Tainung No. 8 (Green Heart), Tainung No. 80 (Hankow), Tainung Tea No. 12, Green Heart Da Nai, Green Heart Oolong, Big Leaf Oolong, Hard Branch Red Heart.

(b) By suitability:

• For Green Tea: Green Heart Da Nai, Green Heart Mandarin, Taiwanese Tea No. 6, Jin Xuan, Taiwanese Tea No. 16.
• For Oolong tea:Green Heart Oolong, andGreen HeartThe most popular of these are the Sclerocarpus, Red Heart, Four Seasons Spring, Wuyi, Golden Daylily, Jade, Tieguanyin, Yingxiang, and Qinyu.
• For black tea: Assam Seed, Taicha No. 1-4, Taicha No. 7-11, Taicha No. 18, Taicha No. 21, Taicha No. 23, Yellow Citrus, Taicha No. 24.

(c) Spring tea production period: can be divided into three categories: early, middle and late.

• Early varieties include Four Seasons Spring, Stiff Red Heart, and Taiwan Tea No. 17.
• Medium-grown varieties include Green Heart Da Nai, Taicha No. 14, Taicha No. 12, Taicha No. 13.
• Late-growing species include Green Heart Oolong and Tieguanyin.

The harvesting period of each of the three types of tea varieties differs by about one week. At present, due to the serious shortage of labour in the tea area, if only one variety is planted in the same tea plantation, the demand for spring tea labour will be too concentrated, which will easily lead to a delay in production due to the difficulty in hiring workers or a significant increase in costs due to high wages; therefore, if different varieties with different harvesting periods can be appropriately selected in the tea plantation, then the harvesting period can be staggered by as much as one month, and the demand for labour for the spring tea can be effectively relieved.

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To see the appearance of various kinds of tea leaves, you can visit Shan Xiang Gallery.

 

 

 

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Invitation to courses, tea shopping

Breeding Course 1-to-1, 1-to-2 Enrolment

00:00 -00:30 Introduction to Species

00:30 - 00:45 Tea Varieties Distinction

00:45 - 01:00 Scent and flavour experience

01:00 -01:30 Tea Variety Memory and Interpretation

01:30 -02:00 Brewing Practice and Q&A

Welcome to write to us: hanyi2016tea@hanyitea.tw
The series of tea courses kicked off with instructor HAN-YI arranging a series of experiential tea courses in professional fields, from understanding tea leaves, choosing utensils, brewing methods, analysing and adjusting, and staff skills, and so on.

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