In the early
morning, we all arrived at the Nangang Farmer’s Association, we went to the
second floor meeting room; Factory Manager Ms. Li-Chung Yang and Section Chief
Mr. Ming-Yuan Lin were already waiting for us. In the three hour period, Mr.
Lin of the Promotion Section gave us a detailed description of Nangang tea; we
organized 18 important points, and separated it into two major parts:
1. Basic information
1.
Tea was discovered in the Shannong period, Shannong tried hundreds of
herbs, but it was still very different from modern tea.
2.
Currently there are around a dozen teas grown in
Taiwan
, the
production of Qingxin Oolong is around 70%, and it is most widely used.
3.
In the northern production area, only Wenshan District and Muzha
District still grow tea, the earlier production in Yangmingshan, Tienmu has
already ended.
4.
The tea starts fermenting as soon as it is picked off the tea tree
because the tea leaves have enzymes, but it takes around 16 to 20 hours to
produce the tea that we drink.
5.
Picking
4 kg
of fresh
leaves off the tree can only produce
1 kg
of delicate tea, so tea leaves are a high economic produce.
6.
There is only one type of tea tree, but through using different
fermentation times, different types of teas can be produced, and even the
flavors will be different.
7.
The reasons the teas on the market are so strongly flavored are because
they add artificial enzymes and flavorings, those teas are not good if they
require additives to hide their original flavor.
8.
Teas in the northern area can be picked 5 times a year (spring,
autumn, winter, and twice in the summer).
9.
Tea can be picked 6 times in the southern areas, but in the summer because
the weather is hot, summer teas have bad quality so most tea leaves are cut
off.
10.
The best quality tea is produced in the spring, because all the
nutrients collected in the winter are given to the tea leaves.
11.
Tea trees are picked every 45 days, in the summer every 40 days.
12.
The entire
Taiwan
produces 10 thousand hectares of tea a year;
Taipei
City
produces less then 100 hectares,
so the total amount of tea produced in Muzha Nangang District is only one
percent of
Taiwan
’s
tea production.
2. Tea leaf competitions
1. The competitions held by the Farmer’s Association and the government
can pick out good quality teas, the judges are all professionals and have very
strict standards.
2.
The shape, appearance, and aroma of the tea leaves are all judging
standards in the tea competition.
3.
During the competition, at least
22 kg
of tea needs to be prepared (1 point is
22 kg
), a number is given after the
application is turned in, after the tea is dispersed, new numbers are given to
ensure fairness.
4.
After the winning teas are sealed in containers, the government will
put on seals to prevent unlawful tea merchants from emerging.
5.
Before
the competition, all the teas that are entered in the competition need to go
through pesticide examinations, if they exceed the standards, the tea will be
confiscated and disqualified from the competition, but there have been no
disqualified teas in the past 7-8 years.
6.
Unqualified tea leaves will be taken to the City Government or the
Department of Health, the competitor will be fined 60 thousand NTD and asked to
attend a seminar, and they can also be refined.
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