#TimeForTaiwan: 7 Steps to Making a Perfect Cup of Taiwanese Tea

 

 

Visiting Taiwan was one of the most interesting trips I’ve ever taken. Not only does it have beautiful scenery, interesting culture and heritage, but there are so many activities and unorthodox things you can do in Taiwan that will make your visit truly exceptional.

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting a tea village and learning how tea is made. I always thought that tea leaves were plucked, water was added and voila, you had tea! But learning and experiencing every step of the tea making process made me appreciate even more that divine cup of tea that we Arabs cherish so much.

The owners were so excited to dress us up and let us experience the process of tea making ourselves and we were psyched!

 

 

On your next trip to Taiwan, be sure to visit a tea village and enjoy the beauty and simplicity of the scenery as well as how exciting it is to go through the entire process of tea making.

So before you indulge in your next cup of tea, here’s how it is actually made:

 

 

1. Plucking

 

Just being in the midst of all that greenery gives you a feeling of relaxation that anyone will appreciate. But putting on the harvesting gear and being told how to pick the leaves is loads of fun, too!

When harvesting the tea, the top part of the tea plant is plucked — it usually contains two large leaves and a baby leaf and is called the heart — and two leaves. This allows the rest of the plant to grow normally.

 

 

2. Fixation

 

The tea plantation owner explained every step in detail and walked us through the entire process. We were lucky enough to have Peter, our tour guide, do us the honours of translating.

He explained that after the tea leaves are gathered, they go inside a machine that kind of stir fries them for five minutes at a temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit. It is then tilted and released to be able to pick up the tea leaves before it goes on to the next phase.

 

 

3. Rolling 

 

The tea leaves are then brought together and crushed to become strips rather than just separate leaves. This rolling action also causes some of the sap, essential oils and juices inside the leaves to appear, which enriches the tea flavours.

 

 

4. Drying

 

During the drying process, it is crucial to get the temperature right, as the temperature determines the quality of the tea. The tea is dried at a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The drying process gives the tea leaves the swirved, distorted look we’re so used to seeing while drinking tea.

 

 

5. Selection

 

The dried leaves are then collected and ready to be filtered. Yellow leaves, stalks and stems are removed and only the fine leaves are filtered and selected to make the excellent quality of tea the Taiwanese always offer.

 

 

6. Baking

 

To get the tea ready for selling, it is then baked in an oven at a temperature of 60-70 degrees for around four hours. The drying is important in many teas to get the right flavours and aromas. During this process, the strong aroma can be smelled throughout the tea factory.

 

 

7. Packing

 

Once the tea is ready for use, it is then packed and compressed to up take less space by reducing the air. This also allows the tea to live for as long as two years rich in quality and aroma. And voila, your tea is ready to make your tummies happy.

 

 

After that, the owners were nice enough to brew us a tea pot of their own fascinating brew and give us the luxury of tasting their different flavours.

 

 

 

Overall, this was definitely one of the highlights of visiting Taiwan. Every time we drink a cup of tea, we’ll be reminded by the extensive efforts these incredible people went through to make us such sensational tea.

 

 

WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss 14 Reasons Why It’s #TimeForTaiwan.