More than 15 years after launching the “Red Oolong Tea” processing method in 2008, the Agriculture Ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station has made a major breakthrough on a new tea processing method for “Taiwanese Orange Tea.” The tea produced through this method is named not for any particular ingredient, but for the orange color of the brew.
Tea varieties such as Chin-Shin-Ganzai, Camellia, and Taiwan tea numbers 17 through 20 and 23 can now be made into Taiwanese Orange Tea products. According to a chemical analysis conducted by the Tea and Beverage Research Station, the characteristic common to all tea products that undergo Taiwanese Orange Tea processing is a woody aroma similar to pine. Orange teas processed from tea number 23 and Camellia are fruitier and sweeter, while tea number 18 produces orange tea with a refreshing scent and spicy flavor.
Not only are the products high quality, but the cost of production is low, making it highly competitive in the domestic hand-shaken beverage market. Orange tea can be sold at NT$200-300 (US$6-10) per kilogram, on par with imported commercial teas. In addition, the concentration of orange teas can be increased by two to three times, according to the research station’s director Su Tsung-chen (蘇宗振). The tea processing method has been registered as a trademark and is being promoted through various events and venues.