How many types of coffee trees are there, and what drives high-altitude prices?
Taiwan's high-mountain tea is defined as oolong grown above 1,000 meters, with Alishan, Lishan, Shanlinxi and Dayuling as its main representatives. The same altitude logic explains price gaps seen worldwide: steep gardens, mist, slow leaf growth and hand labor raise costs, and the resulting leaf carries more internal compounds, giving a sweet, smooth liquor.
Elevation alone does not guarantee quality. Growers note that aspect, soil, cultivar and processing decide the final cup, so buyers should taste before committing. For anyone weighing how many types of coffee trees are there? against tea varieties, the parallel is useful: plant selection and growing conditions shape flavor far more than a single number on a label.
Taiwan's high-mountain tea has long been regarded as a treasure among oolong teas, but which tea regions actually qualify as high-mountain tea? Why does the price rise the higher the elevation? Starting from the definition of high-mountain tea and its main varieties, this article takes a deep dive into the hidden costs of high-altitude tea gardens in terms of natural conditions, geographical environment, and labor costs, and explains why high-mountain tea is rich in internal substances and has a sweet, smooth tea liquor. The article also reminds readers that high elevation does not necessarily equal high quality, and that when purchasing, one must still taste in person to find the high-mountain oolong that suits them best.
This article does not focus on the price analysis of tea leaves made into rough tea, but instead concentrates on the key factors behind the price gap between high-mountain tea and flatland tea, as well as the fundamental reasons why the higher the elevation, the more expensive the selling price. Below, it first briefly explains the definition of high-mountain tea and the types of tea varieties, then analyzes the important connection between elevation and the cost of high-mountain tea, and finally elaborates on the unique charm of high-mountain tea's rich internal substances and alluring tea liquor flavor.
–Taiwan's Three Great High Mountains– Definition of High-Mountain Tea First, let us introduce the definition of high-mountain tea. Oolong tea on the market often claims to be high-mountain tea, but not all oolong tea can be called high-mountain tea. It is defined as oolong tea produced from tea gardens at elevations above 1,000 meters.
–Morning dew awaits a moment of good weather for picking and processing– High-Mountain Tea Varieties There are many kinds of high-mountain tea. Thanks to Taiwan's uniquely favorable geographical environment, there are countless high mountains exceeding 1,000 meters in elevation, and quite a few high-mountain tea regions above 1,500 and 1,800 meters as well. People often say, "Good tea comes from deep mountains." High-mountain tea, precisely because it grows in places shrouded by high-mountain mist and clouds and is baptized by the essence of the sun and moon through the four seasons, enjoys a reputation at home and abroad for its excellent quality. Taiwan's representatives of high-mountain tea include not only the famous Alishan Oolong, but also Shanlinxi Oolong and Lishan Oolong above 1,500 meters, which are quality teas known to all tea lovers. Dayuling Oolong above 2,300 meters is even a supreme tea that connoisseurs spare no expense to buy and savor. Reasons for the High Cost of High-Mountain Tea The cost of high-mountain tea is higher than that of hilly tea and flatland tea, but few people know that the reason the higher the elevation, the more expensive the price is actually not solely due to elevation. The high costs derived from high altitude include not only the greater difficulty of managing tea factories and tea gardens, but also other main reasons such as the lack of sunlight in high mountains making tea production difficult, the difficulty of recruiting high-mountain tea pickers, the steep and rugged terrain of most high-mountain tea gardens, the inconvenience of transporting freshly picked tea leaves, and the fact that high-mountain tea is mostly hand-picked. These make the oolong tea produced in tea gardens at higher elevations more expensive. Below, we will break down the hidden costs from nature, geographical environment, and labor to uncover together the value of high-mountain tea that can cost seven or eight thousand, or even over ten thousand, per catty. High-mountain tea is generally valued by height, and the higher the place, the higher the cost. Because high-altitude tea regions are located in high-mountain terrain, many roads are not even fully developed. Not to mention roads for people to walk on, some are deep in hillside areas and can only be reached by cable car or hillside rail train, the degree of danger being self-evident. Especially for friends who have personally experienced the tea regions, a sense of awe toward nature arises spontaneously. For this reason as well, tea pickers in high-mountain areas are hard to recruit, and the wages for tea picking are on average several times higher than in lower-elevation tea regions. Today, most tea pickers come from Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. In addition, most high-mountain tea is hand-picked, which takes more time than machine picking on flatland, but because of this, the most perfect part of the leaf quality can be selected—one bud and two leaves. The freshly picked tea leaves also cannot be transported in large quantities at once because of road conditions, so they must be carried back and forth again and again, which can be described as both time-consuming and labor-intensive. The tea leaves that arrive at the tea factory must also seize a moment of good weather. Lucky tea gardens have timely broad sunlight, making sun withering convenient. Conversely, if they lack a stretch of good weather, not to mention sunlight, praying that it does not rain is also commonplace. Tea is one of the industries that depends on the weather. In addition to seizing the golden time for tea making, natural sunlight and natural wind are needed to fully carry out sun withering, allowing the tea leaves to be spread flat under the sun to facilitate the movement of water and softening, which helps fermentation and subsequent tea-making processes. Unfortunately, high-mountain tea regions are mostly shrouded in mist and clouds. Although this is good for tea tree growth, in production one must pray for the sun's favor. After all, good weather cannot be bought no matter how much cost is spent! In addition, because of the climate, high-mountain tea grows slowly and yields little, and is generally only picked and processed in spring and winter. Scarce yield is also one of the important reasons for the high price of high-mountain tea. When harvesting spring tea, the greatest fear is insufficient rain and leaf buds being too tender, resulting in insufficient maturity. The rough tea made from leaves picked at this time also tends to produce a bitter and astringent tea liquor. When harvesting winter tea, the climate is severe, and it is often heard that frost and cold have frozen and damaged the tea buds. The result often leaves tea farmers with nothing to show for their efforts; after several months of careful guarding, they still cannot withstand the power of nature. From the moment they begin caring for the tea garden, high-altitude oolong tea is destined for high-cost cultivation. From labor costs and the many difficulties of picking tea leaves to sun withering that depends on good weather and the subsequent uninterrupted series of tea-making processes, all of these make the price of high-mountain tea rise along with elevation.
High-Mountain Tea Is Rich in Internal Substances Reports and research on the nutrition of high-mountain tea also fill various media outlets and journals. Taiwan's high-mountain tea gardens, because of their fertile soil rich in organic matter, are suitable for the development and growth of tea trees. If they are also in areas with ample sunlight and average rainfall, they are even better locations for planting tea. High-mountain oolong tea itself, because of the cool high-mountain climate, mist and clouds covering the area morning and evening, and short average sunshine hours, has reduced bitter and astringent components such as "catechins" in the tea buds and leaves, thereby increasing internal components that contribute to sweetness, such as "theanine" and "soluble nitrogen." In addition, because of the large temperature difference between day and night and the year-round afternoon cloud cover, the growth of tea trees tends to be slow, giving the tea leaves the advantages of soft buds and leaves, thick leaf flesh, and high pectin content, making oolong tea rich in internal substances and naturally sweet without any external additions. The reason high-mountain tea is so charming is precisely that after the tea leaves are brewed, the tea aroma and rhyme linger for a long time and the aftertaste is thought-provoking. Also, because high-mountain oolong drinks smooth and delicate, whether in the four seasons or morning and evening, the more carefully one savors it, the deeper one's love for it becomes. Of course, special attention should be paid to the fact that although high-altitude oolong tea is expensive, it does not guarantee that the tea will taste satisfactory, nor does it necessarily represent high-quality high-mountain tea. Because of the influence of many aspects such as the weather at picking time, the skill of the tea master, and the storage method of the rough tea, high-mountain tea is not necessarily all high quality. Whether the price of high-mountain tea is worth it still requires choosing and tasting it oneself in person to select the most suitable and personally satisfying high-mountain tea.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
