What Type of Tea Is Taiwan Lishan Tea? A Detailed Guide

Taiwan possesses a unique climate and topography, and many distinctive teas are produced locally, of which Lishan tea is one. What type of tea is Taiwan Lishan tea?

1. What Type of Tea Is Taiwan Lishan Tea

Taiwan Lishan tea belongs to oolong tea and is a semi-fermented tea. The tea leaves are thick and fleshy with a light aroma. After brewing, it has a rich fruity fragrance, and the tea liquor is clear and translucent, showing a pale yellow-green color, with a sweet and mellow taste that is not bitter or astringent.

2. Characteristics of Taiwan Lishan Tea

The tea leaves of Taiwan Lishan tea are relatively soft, with thick leaf flesh and a high pectin content, giving it a fragrant scent. Grown in Lishan at an altitude of over 2000 m, where the temperature difference between day and night is large and the high-mountain climate is pronounced, the tea leaves produced rarely have the raw, astringent, and grassy-green taste caused by insufficient withering.

Lishan tea is resistant to repeated brewing and does not become bitter or astringent even after long steeping, and the brewed tea carries a natural fruity aroma. It has a good taste, and when cooled it even better retains its sweet fragrance.

3. Brewing Methods for Taiwan Lishan Tea

1. Regular brewing

After warming the cup with warm water, add 3 g of tea leaves and steep in boiling water for 1 minute before drinking. When the tea has been drunk down to 1/3 of the cup, more water can be added, and it can be brewed continuously for 4-5 rounds.

2. Gongfu brewing

A gaiwan or a purple clay teapot can be used. Add 5-7 g of tea leaves and brew with boiling water. After rinsing the tea, the steeping time for the first infusion ranges from 15 seconds to 1 minute. For each subsequent infusion, extend the time by 10-30 seconds.

3. Cold brewing

Use a cold-brew bottle filled with cool boiled water or mineral water. Add 3 to 5 g of tea to 500 ml of water and steep for more than 3-4 hours. Once the tea liquor has formed, it is ready to drink, and it can also be refrigerated before drinking.

Taiwan Lishan tea is light and refreshing, and can generally be drunk by most people. Drinking tea in moderation also has certain benefits for the human body, and those who are interested can buy some to taste.