I took advantage of the Lunar New Year holiday to visit the Shizhao area in Ali Mountain. Interestingly, Alishan doesn't refer to a mountain range but rather to the name of the region in the "Alishan National Scenic Area," encompassing the entire high-mountain area. It's somewhat similar to Japan's "Northern Alps" 💡
This region is among the top producers of tea in Taiwan, with the Alishan Tea Region standing out as the highest producer of high-mountain tea (tea cultivated at an altitude exceeding 1000 meters). Today, let me introduce the features of the Alishan Tea Region and the types of tea produced there 🌱
Features of Alishan Tea Plantations - Why Alishan is Suitable for Tea production?
① Sunlight Hours and Temperature Variations
Alishan experiences an annual average rainfall of up to 4000mm, with a staggering average of 209 rainy days per year. The mountain is often shrouded in mist, with approximately 240 days of misty weather, making the natural environment challenging with limited sunlight hours. In this restricted sunlight, tea plants actively undergo photosynthesis within a limited time frame. Additionally, being situated at a higher altitude results in lower temperatures and significant temperature variations, allowing tea plants to grow slowly. These conditions contribute to lower bitterness and astringency in tea, reducing the catechin content, and instead, the tea leaves concentrate sweetness, umami, and the rich floral aroma, creating the pure and clear Alishan Oolong Tea.
Ali Mountain enveloped in clouds
② Soil
It's said that the world's renowned tea-producing regions are densely concentrated within 50 kilometers north and south of the Tropic of Cancer. Alishan Tea Region perfectly fits into this criterion. Tea grown in this environment has soft buds and leaves, thick leaf flesh, and is rich in nutrients. Tea cultivated in such a favorable soil environment develops deep flavors and becomes high-quality tea leaves.
Features of Ali Mountain High-Mountain Oolong Tea
Aroma: Floral
Shape: Spherical
Tea Color: Bluish
Tea Liquid Color: Golden with transparency
Fermentation Level: Light and refreshing
Variety: Qingxin Oolong
The Alishan Tea Region is home to numerous tea farmers. I'll post about each tea farmer, including their stories and high-quality tea garden management in the coming days, so stay tuned!
Sunrise witnessed in Alishan. We had a refreshing morning.