Taiwan Sun Moon Lake Assam Black Tea

Taiwan Sun Moon Lake Assam Black Tea

A summer harvest of the Taiwan Sun Moon Lake Assam Black Tea. This tea comes from the TRES No. 8 cultivar of the original Assam tea plant, which was first cultivated in the 1920s by the Japanese. These fully oxidized slightly rolled dry leaves have a very dark color and a strong and intense fruity aroma with dominant tones of pickled cherries and plum jam. The infusion is brown and orange; it has a well-balanced, complex, and harmonic taste with a robust body, fruity and honey notes, and a long-lasting, even pulsating, sugar cane and chocolate aftertaste with no hint of astringency. A warm velvety body satisfies the palate and withstands the test of a dash of milk.
local name: 阿薩姆紅茶
cultivar: Tres No 8 A+
Elevation: 800 m
type of tea: twisted leaf

How to prepare Sun Moon Lake Assam

Use 5 grams of tea leaves for 0.5 litre of boiling water cooled to 85-90 °C, steep for 2–3 minutes. Feel free to experiment with steeping time, water temperature, and the amount of tea leaves. You can also read our articles on tea preparation and water quality. These tea leaves are also suitable for Asian-style preparation, which includes multiple infusions: you steep 5 grams of tea leaves per 150 ml of water that has boiled and cooled to 85–90 °C for 20 seconds and in the following three infusions, you steep the leaves for 30, 40, and 60 seconds, respectively.

Assam tea from Taiwan?

Refined by the Taiwan Research and Extension Station, this TRES No. 8 Assamica strand presents itself as a large, wonderfully curled and lustrous full leaf; reminiscent of the best Bao Zhongs or Wuyi style oolongs. A wonderfully fruity aroma emanates from the cup that evokes stewed cherries and apricot jam. In the cup, one experiences a round, fruity sweetness that is quite heady and very refreshing. Even more refreshing since it is a spring picking of this strand. Usually, later crops are considered as preferred ones for their fuller body and structure. We think the spring flush deserves its rightful place in our catalog for its superb fruitiness and flowing, refreshing body with very tame tannins. 
It may come as a surprise to many tea enthusiasts that only consider Taiwan as a source of magnificent oolongs, but Taiwan has also a long history of producing black teas that date back to the early 1920's. Then under Japanese rule, Yuchi township, situated on the shores of the scenic Sun Moon Lake of central Taiwan, was chosen for it's perfect climate and soil for the growing of Assamica tea bushes. The Japanese objective was then to compete with the striving British commerce that ruled over the trade of black tea. Never could they compete in yield, but, surprisingly enough, the quality of these Taiwanese black teas attracted such attention that it sold very well in New York and London. With the demise of the Japanese at the conclusion of WW II, black tea virtually disappeared from the island. Today, one can easily experience why this tea was successful through the revival of this heritage Assam tea.