Green tea (includes Longjing, Biluochun, Sencha … etc. )

Wenshan Baozhong tea is a semi-fermented tea; the appearance is chainlike and the color of the tea is a dark green. Wenshan Baozhong tea stresses that the aroma of the tea needs to be light and the taste sweet and lively. After drinking Wenshan Baozhong tea, it causes a joyful lively feeling. There is no other tea in the world that values the quality of smell like Wenshan Baozhong tea, this type of tea is known as the category of tea in this world that most values aroma quality. During the processing of Wenshan Baozhong tea, in terms of the level of processing or processing methods, seldom are there teas like Wenshan Baozhong tea that require such light movements and careful protection. Because it is semi-fermented tea, most of the Wenshan Baozhong tea is not oxidized, so the taste is more similar to green tea, it is in the level between green tea and Dongding Oolong tea. 

For classic Wenshan Baozhong tea, the main characteristics are: first the aroma needs to be light and have an obvious flower smell, second the taste needs to be lively and sweet, and third the tea needs to be a bright green yellow color. 

Dongding Oolong tea is currently the most well known and most widely accepted tea category in Taiwan . Dongding Oolong tea is also a type of semi-fermented tea, actually it is a type of “semi-curled Baozhong tea,” but many wrongly believe that Dongding Oolong tea is a type of “Oolong tea.” Other teas similar to Dongding Oolong tea that belong in the “semi-curled Baozhong tea” category are teas such as Songbo Evergreen tea, Jhushan（or Shanlinxi）Oolong tea, Meishan Oolong tea, Jade Mountain Oolong tea, Alishang Luju, Alishan Oolong tea, Longchuan tea, Jinxuan tea, Jade Oolong, Sijichun, High mountain tea …etc., they all belong in the category of semi-fermented, semi-curled Baozhong tea. This type of tea is currently the most produced tea category in Taiwan, the fermentation level is slightly higher then Wenshan Baozhong tea (mature), the appearance is tight, semi-curled, and dark green, the processing steps are complicated and delicate, and require a lot of manual labor. Compared to green tea and Wenshan Baozhong tea, green tea maintains the most fresh and original flavor, Wenshan Baozhong tea is slightly fermented (around 10 % fermentation level), and Dongding Oolong tea is fermented around 30%. The classic characteristics of Dongding Oolong tea are the deep flavor in the throat, and obvious taste and aroma of artificial roasting. 

Strictly speaking, in the categories of tea, only Baihao Oolong tea is considered real “Oolong tea.” Baihao Oolong tea (a.k.a. Formosa tea, Oriental Beauty, or Champaign Oolong tea) can also be called the world’s most expensive tea. It is a highly fermented semi-fermented tea, the characteristics of this tea is not only the delicate processing, the biggest characteristic is for general teas, making a kilogram (600 grams) only requires 1 thousand to 2 thousand tea buds, but Baihao Oolong tea needs at least 3 thousand to 4 thousand tea buds. Baihao Oolong tea needs to be produced almost entirely from fresh tea buds; it is limited to the summer, and is only produced in Taiwan Hsinchu County Beipu, Emei, and Toufen in Miaoli County . It is produced from the Qingxin Dapan species, the tea shoots can only be hand picked, and only shoots infected by Jacobiasca formosana can produce better quality Baihao Oolong tea, the above limitations are what create Baihao Oolong tea, it is not only very rare, but it is considered the king of famous specialty teas in Taiwan. There is no other tea like it in the world, and it is only produced in Hsinchu and Miaoli in Taiwan . 

The characteristics of Baihao Oolong tea are it is a highly fermented semi-fermented tea, so it will not have the unpleasant “fresh bud smell” or “smelly bud flavor,” and because during processing it is pan-roasted in low temperature and dried, it will not have the pan-roasting flavor of Dongding Oolong tea. Only young tea buds are used to produce it so Baihao Oolong tea is rich in amino acids and the tea has an obvious sweetness and freshness. Also because it is highly fermented, almost half of the catechins are oxidized, so it is not bitter. The classic characteristics of Baihao Oolong tea quality are: the aroma has an obvious and natural fruit aroma; the taste is like honey, first sweet with a flavorful aftertaste; the appearance is between bright red, white, yellow, brown, or green; the shape is naturally curled like a flower; and the tea is a beautiful amber color. It has a quality closer to black tea, and it is at a level between Dongding Oolong tea and black tea. Drinking Baihao Oolong tea allows you to have an air of an aristocrat, which is why in the past when Baihao Oolong tea was exported to England , after Queen Victoria tasted it, she thought it was so delightful she gave it the name “Oriental Beauty.” 

Black tea is a fully fermented tea; its chemicals are almost entirely oxidized. Black tea is not only the most produced tea category in the world, it is also the most widely consumed tea. The global tea production rate is around 2.5 million tons; around 80% is black tea, allowing us to see the vast production and consumption level of black tea. Black tea is the cheapest tea among the various categories, compared to other teas, especially with Baozhong tea or Oolong tea; the prices differ by several times. Currently in Taiwan only Puli in Nantou County and Yuchih produce black tea, the quality of imported black teas cannot compare with the high-quality of domestic black tea. Actually the black tea produced in Sun Moon Lake had excellent quality; unfortunately the production costs were too high, so it could not compete with imported black tea. 

The quality characteristics of black tea, because it is mostly oxidized, it is rich in catechins produced oxidation products, such as theaflavins and thearubigings compounds, the higher the content of theaflavins, the better the black tea quality, the tea is bright red and the taste has an “active” quality that is mentioned by tea tasting experts. So the amount of theaflavins is an important indicator of the black tea quality. The appearance of good black tea leaves is dark and shiny, the tea is clear and bright red, and the aroma has a caramel or sweet smell. High quality black tea will often display “emulsion” affects after cooling, this is also an important indicator when evaluating black tea. The greatest difference from other types of tea, black tea is an inclusive tea that has a lot of variety, it can be cold or hot, and it can be drunk alone or with other additives to create a unique flavor. The aroma of other teas are very specific, and not easily combined with other aromas, only black tea is an exception, so different ingredients can be added to produce various flavored black teas, such as the famous lemon black tea, barley flavored black tea, rose black tea, luoshen black tea, pearl milk tea, coffee black tea … and the most popular in Taiwan: “Bubble black tea.”