Yuchi Township Farmers' Association — Sun Moon Lake Black Tea
Sun Moon Lake Black Tea is hand-picked using the "one bud, two leaves" method from large-leaf tea cultivars, then crafted into strip-style dried tea — distinguishing it from the ball-rolled style of high mountain oolongs. The Yuchi Township Farmers' Association offers four black tea varieties: Ruby, Early Buds, Hong Yun, and Cang Ya, each with its own distinctive aroma and flavor. As a fully oxidized tea, black tea is gentle on the body and easy to enjoy daily — truly a tea for a lifetime.
TTES No. 18 — Ruby (Taiwan Tea Ruby)
Developed by the Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES) through over 50 years of research, Ruby was bred by crossing Taiwan's indigenous wild mountain tea with a Burmese large-leaf cultivar (Burma). The result is a tea of exceptional character: a vivid crimson liquor crowned with a golden ring, releasing a delicate natural aroma of mint and cinnamon, with a rich and full-bodied taste.
Summer harvests carry a pleasant astringency — upon the first sip, a subtle bitterness blooms and then gradually dissolves into a lingering sweetness that stays with you. This is the expression of high polyphenol content, transformed through full oxidation into theaflavins and thearubigins. This captivating aroma and flavor, rooted in Taiwan's indigenous wild tea, has been praised by black tea experts as the "Taiwan Red" and "Taiwan Fragrance" — a truly unique cultivar that stands proudly among the world's finest black teas.
TTES No. 18 — Early Buds (Taiwan Tea Early Buds)
Early Buds captures the essence of spring. As the spring breeze arrives and the TTES No. 18 tea trees awaken from winter, tender new buds emerge. Harvested gently around the spring equinox, these early buds are crafted into a tea with a delicate, clean sweetness reminiscent of fresh sugarcane — neither bitter nor astringent, simply enchanting.
TTES No. 21 — Hong Yun (Taiwan Tea Hong Yun)
TTES No. 21 was developed by TRES through a cross between China's Keemun cultivar and India's large-leaf Kyang cultivar, and was officially named "Hong Yun" (Red Charm) in 2008. Its liquor is a brilliant, translucent orange-red. The aroma is both delicate and expressive — a beautiful blend of pomelo blossom honey and ripe fruit. The taste is smooth and mellow, leaving a fragrance that lingers long after each sip.
Assam
In 1936, the Japanese established the "Yuchi Black Tea Experimental Station" on Mao Lan Mountain beside Sun Moon Lake, introducing Assam tea seedlings from India to develop the local black tea industry. This tea once fetched top prices at London auctions and was served as an imperial tribute to the Japanese Emperor. From the 1950s through the 1970s, it was one of Taiwan's leading agricultural exports.
The liquor is a deep, rich red with a full-bodied, mellow flavor and a natural malty sweetness. Enjoyed on its own, it is bold and satisfying; blended with fresh milk, it transforms into an amber-hued milk tea where the tea's fragrance mingles beautifully with the creaminess of the milk — a perfect harmony of color, aroma, and taste, equally delightful served hot or cold.
Taiwan Wild Mountain Tea — Cang Ya (Indigenous Tea)
Taiwan's wild mountain tea trees grow naturally in the forests of Shuishalian (the present-day Sun Moon Lake area), having survived centuries of natural challenges through their own resilience — taking root, sprouting, and thriving by their own strength. Shaped by nature's law of survival of the fittest, each leaf carries the energy of the land and a unique genetic heritage.
The liquor is golden with a reddish hue, releasing a fresh, wild forest fragrance with a gentle, soft sweetness. The taste is mellow and warm, with a sweet, lingering finish in the throat. Due to its extremely limited production, Cang Ya is considered a premium treasure among black teas.