Taiwanese Oolong Tea_ A Thriving Tradition _ Eco-Cha Teas

Oolong tea is most simply defined as partially oxidized tea, or anything between green tea and black tea. This includes teas that range from 5% oxidation all the way up to 85% or so. Adding to this an additional spectrum of roasting the tea leaves to varying degrees provides an amazing array of tea types within the oolong category. In Taiwan, the name oolong is also used to refer to the original Qingxin oolong plant that was brought from China. Lin Qingtan is a tea farmer who was born and raised in Lugu, Taiwan. His career represents a pioneering sustainable development of tea production. Mr. Lin tells the story of how his path led him to the decision to return to traditional tea making and the cultivation of organic tea on the land where he was born. These are the basic steps in the process of making oolong tea that begin with harvesting the leaves. After harvesting, the leaves are spread out and exposed to sunlight in a phase called solar withering that begins their long, slow wilting process. The leaves are then brought indoors and spread on trays for hours in the process of their indoor oxidation. The leaves are shuffled by hand and in a large bamboo tumbler intermittently to stimulate circulation and delicately bruise them in order to achieve uniform oxidation and dehydration. From our heavily oxidized traditional oolong, this is a labor-intensive, time-consuming process that involves knowledge and experience in tea making. This is where traditional artisan skill comes into play. This special attention to the leaves is a kind of customized processing that represents traditional teas of regional origin. When the leaves have become oxidized to the desired degree, they are tossed in high-temperature tumble dryers to cease oxidation. So in effect, partial oxidation means the transformation of chemical compounds in the tea plant that bring about a ripeness which produces a complexity of flavor and full-bodied character that makes it oolong tea. This degree of ripeness and balance of flavor that results from oxidation and roasting is unique with every batch of traditionally made oolong. Tumble drying evaporates a great deal of the moisture from the leaves. After this, primary rolling and drying is said to maximize the effect of oxidation in the leaf and result in a more balanced flavor. This is the final step in the first day of processing, about 16 to 20 hours after the leaves are picked. The leaves are then left to set until morning to redistribute the remaining moisture and become supple enough to be rolled and dried. Rolling and drying requires several hours of repeated steps to tightly roll the leaves as they are dried. This machinery and method of rolling the tea leaves is an innovation in tea processing that was developed in Taiwan about 30 years ago. Taiwan has perhaps become most famous for a relatively recent invention of oolong tea known as high mountain tea. This allows for large quantities of tea to be harvested and processed with more consistent results and requires less time, labor, and skill to make. This is the primary reason why this tea type has been promoted and popularized in recent decades. This minimizes the processing of tea leaves to produce a greener, less oxidized tea that is not roasted after processing. However, high mountain tea that is responsibly cultivated on smaller farms and skillfully processed in small batches can be quite special. As with traditional oolong, when quality leaves are oxidized to just the right degree, a premium quality tea is crafted. When you came back to Lugu, you decided to become a fruit gardener? Yes, at that time, tea was difficult to sell. It had already developed to a high peak, and it was difficult to sell. So I transitioned to farming. You had been a fruit gardener for more than 10 years, and then decided to give up? Yes, I had already given up. I had already lost money because I was fired. So I gave up. I went to work, to make tea, to make food. I went to China to make tea. I worked in a tea factory in Taishan. What was the situation there? The land was very large. The land was very large, about 50 hectares. So the factories were all the same? Yes, it was very large. So they needed a lot of workers? Yes. The workers only hired me. The rest were technical workers. It wasn't easy. You had to teach so many people how to make tea. Yes, I had to teach them how to make tea. So when you got there, did you know how to do it? Their environment and the type of tea? Yes, because tea was a type of technology. We had been doing this for decades in Japan. Yes, you could probably tell. Yes, you could tell. When the workers came in, we knew how to do it. We knew how to make tea. Do you remember that their tea factory was similar to this one? They were all the same. The workers in Taishan were from the factories here. The machines were the same as those in Taiwan. When did the mainland start to follow Taiwan's methods? After the mainland opened up, we went to Taishan to invest. When was this? It was around 1995. When did you start to want to make organic tea? My classmate, Mr. Chen Guangbo, he came to me once and said he wanted to make tea there. I said yes, and he said he would help me. Did you come back from the mainland? No, I worked in the mainland while making his tea. I came back when he decided to make the tea. We wanted to make organic tea, not raw tea. We wanted to keep the tea fresh. We wanted to keep it healthy. Is that really the reason? Yes, that's the real reason. First, we wanted to keep the tea healthy for everyone. We wanted to keep the tea healthy and have no toxin in it. We didn't want to be exposed to pesticides while we were making the tea. It was good for ourselves and others. When did you decide to turn your orchard into a tea garden? It was in 2001. So about three years ago. Yes, three years ago we decided. We started to clean up the orchard and cut down the trees. Then we started planting. This is the turnoff to Mr. Lin's farm as we ride in his four-wheel drive van with the organic inspectors. This tea garden on the left is the nearest and only other development of land on this road. From here it's another four to five minute ride on the road to the sole destination of his birthplace and the newly planted organic tea farm. There is no other farm or residence on this side of the small valley in the remote hills of Lugu Township. Here is Mr. Lin's farm in transition from persimmons to organic tea. In the distance the organic inspectors who requested no close-up cameras survey the farm. This is the view from the cabin near the top of the farm. And here we are attempting to discreetly capture the inspection process. This is the cliff on the other side of the ravine that runs along the edge of the Lin's land along the perennial creek with no development upstream. We follow Mr. Lin off the farm as he hurries back from retrieving a needed document that was left in the cabin. And so we proceed back to his home factory in town where the trial harvest was processed the day before as part of the organic inspection. We visit the farm in the growing season following the inspection and learn more about Mr. Lin's newest project at the ripe young age of 60. Have you asked other farmers if they have planted persimmons? Yes, I have visited them. Some have planted persimmons here. We have planted about 6 or 7 hectares of persimmons here. Because this type of persimmon is only available in the last 5 years, right? Yes, this is a new variety of persimmon. I remember the first time I heard about this was about 4 years ago. Yes, about 4 years ago. I went to see if the persimmon was growing well. That's when I decided to plant this variety. If you plant it there, will there be pressure? Yes, there will be pressure. The water will come down from above. So there will be pressure. No matter if it's raining or not. There's water everywhere. It's very good here. This is a special spot on this land, right? There's very little water on Dalun Mountain. There's no water there. It's just that the elevation here is lower. There's no grassland that we can see when we come in, right? No, there isn't. So this area was planted recently, right? Yes, it was planted recently. So there's no pollution. If you clean up this area, you'll be afraid of the soil. You'll be afraid of soil erosion. Also, the soil is very fertile. The soil is very fertile. If you dig it up, the fertilizer will be buried under the soil. The roots of the persimmon trees are very shallow. So the persimmon trees won't grow well. If you dig up the soil, the top part of the persimmon tree will be buried under the soil. So it will be destroyed. Is this a more difficult method? Yes, it's more difficult. Because it's more difficult to manage. But it's better for the persimmon trees. Also, the ecosystem won't be destroyed. Yes, we can see that there are no rocks here. There are no holes. Very good. How many years will it take for the tree to fully mature? About two years. The tree will live for another two to three years. It will fully mature. I think this year, when I met you in the spring, it was fate. Yes, it was fate. You just started... Yes, I just started planting. You just started, right? Yes. This is to spray the tea leaves. Is this a method you designed? Chun Guangbo told me about this. He did his own research. He can spray the tea leaves to prevent pests. To prevent insects? Yes, and also germs. There are only a few insects. What are the ingredients? Lemon, honey, five-spice powder, sugar, and soybean powder. You just said it's 1 to 3, 1 to 10. It's 1 part sugar, 3 parts fruit. Yes, fruit. And 10 parts water. How long does it take to mature? Three months. Do you add anything else? Yes, we add purine oil. What else? If the insects are too strong, they will lose their strength. This is the inaugural harvest of certified organic tea being picked as the sun rises over the ridge above. A small team of eight pickers will harvest the entire crop before noon. The plants are still young, so the crop is small. When the plants are full-grown in about two years, there will be triple the yield. Mr. Lin carries large bushels of freshly picked leaf off the farm to load up his van, and then out of the van and into his home factory. Mr. and Mrs. Lin work late into the night of the harvest, processing their first crop of certified organic tea all on their own. In the morning, we feel the texture of the semi-dried leaf as it begins its full-day process of being rolled and dried again and again. Their factory is comprised of all second-hand refurbished machinery and bamboo tea trays, which happen to work better after being broken in. Here we are with the organic certification ready to be hung on the wall behind Mr. Lin's tea table, and we pull out the first batch of tea to be roasted. Mrs. Lin and Andy assess how much stem removal is desired after the initial roast, and the tea is in the oven, the final step in the process of producing local artisan tea, which is also certified organic.