Formosa Teabase was established in 2018 but has a rich history in Tea production. Their family tea business first started in Hsinchu, northern Taiwan, in 1930, producing black tea to export to Japan and European Countries. The company then renamed itself and expanded in 1968, producing additionally green tea and CTC black tea which was then exported to North Africa and Europe. As Taiwan’s tea export market changed demand-wise, in 1990 there was a shift from Norther Taiwan producing areas to Central Taiwan. Using this history, Formosa Teabase collaborates with tea farmers to share Taiwan’s distinct tea flavors worldwide. They believe that a balanced lifestyle can bring benefits to tea consumers and that tea connects everyone. They sent me a few of their teas but I wanted to focus on their Hong-Yu Black Tea. Here are my thoughts:
Hong-Yu Black Tea (TTES #18)
Formosa Teabase sent me multiple teas, but I naturally gravitated towards the black tea. Most of my experience with Taiwanese teas have been oolongs, rarely going into darker, black teas – so I was very excited to jump into it. I prepared the tea as I normally do, first doing a gentle waking of the leaves to get some subtle aroma notes and then going for the first steeping. My first impression of this tea was that it had some great malty and ripe fruit notes in it. It made my mouth water while inhaling its sweet aroma. The color it produced was an orange auburn color, in some lights almost caramel but in others more red-like. The leaves were long and twisted whole leaves. I also noticed a couple of stems mixed in there as well. The taste was sweet and malty, much like the aroma, but with a slight bit of sourness at the end. It was extraordinarily warming and had just a lovely feeling from to tongue all the way down to my back. I noticed a few grape-like notes in between steeps and also almost a spiciness that came very inconsistently. The tea lasted pretty long as well, with eight steeps until it was finished. Overall it was quite calming and I found myself reaching for it later in the week for also some western-style brewing. It was excellent both ways (multiple seconds brewing in the gaiwain and 3-minute steeping in a mug). It still retained quite a bit of malty notes and just had a warming feeling that was the perfect start to a Sunday Morning.
Location: Central Taiwan
Elevation: 200-600 m
Season: Summer
Oxidation: 90-95%
Cultivar: Hongyu #18
Information from Formosa Teabase about Cultivar: “In 1999, Taiwan Tea Research and Station (TRES) selected and bred a hybrid cultivar by Myanmar large-leaf tea and Taiwan native wild tea. After more than 50 years of breeding trials, the selected varieties are suitable for black tea. The tea soup is bright red, exuding a touch of mint and cinnamon, and the taste is mellow. Summer harvest tea is a bit astringent, but it will gradually melt and return to sweetness after taking in and fulfill the mouth for a while; this is because of the high content of tea polyphenols. After a complete oxidation process, they are transformed into theaflavin and theaflavin, presenting rich layers of taste. The fascinating aroma and taste are derived from the native species of Taiwan Camellia. Black tea experts once praised it as “Taiwan Red” and “Taiwan Fragrance.” It is a unique variety.”
Pricing: This tea is priced at $9.50 for 35 grams or $14.95 for 75 grams of loose leaf tea.
Packaging: The loose leaf tea was in a standard white tea pouch. It did not seem to have any aromas leak out and kept the tea fresh in between uses.
Sourcing: As you can see above, they really prioritize sourcing information and make sure their consumers are well informed about their teas. 9/10 for sourcing information – it would only be better if they also listed the farm and the tea farmer involved.
What teas have you tried from Taiwan – if any? The more teas from this area that I have, the more I notice some small common characteristics. I am, of course, trying to expand my knowledge on them a bit more and this one was quite fun for me to explore. Happy Brewing!
-Danielle
