Red Oolong: Is It Black Tea or Oolong Tea?
Passionfruit, pineapple, orange blossom, toffee, berries, cocoa…
These are some of the flavors you may find in a cup of Red Oolong tea.
Taiwan's reputation for fine teas began in 1869, when "Formosa Oolong" made its way to New York and started the island’s golden age of tea exports. Ever since, Taiwan has been known for producing small volumes of exceptionally high-quality tea, admired worldwide.
Among the six major tea categories, Taiwan's strength lies in oolong, with well-known styles such as lightly oxidized Pouchong and High Mountain tea, the richer Dong Ding and Tieguanyin and the Oriental Beauty. Red Oolong belongs to this oolong family but sits at the highest level of oxidation (about 80%). Developed in 2008 in Taitung to match local terroir and craftsmanship, it is a "new generation" of Taiwanese oolong. It takes the withering and roasting from making oolong, and the heavy rolling and full oxidation from making black tea. The result is a tea that carries both the fragrance of oolong and the sweetness and lingering finish of black tea.
The result is a tea that carries both the fragrance of oolong and the sweetness and lingering finish of black tea.
Every stage of the process influences the final result. By adjusting variables such as withering time, stirring, rolling pressure, and roasting strategy, tea makers can create strikingly different expressions of Red Oolong.
Diversity of Tea Varieties
In the farmers' seedling fields, six or seven different tea cultivars may grow side by side, each with its own character and flavor.
Unlike most Taiwanese tea regions, which typically focus on three or four main cultivars, Taitung is home to more than ten. The most widely grown include Jhinshuan, Qinyu, Yingxiang, and Large-leaf Oolong, while smaller plantings feature Chin-Shin-Dapan, Shanyun, Wuyi, Cui Yu, Fo Shou, Shuixian, and Qingxin Oolong.
This diversity, combined with the condition of the fresh leaves and each tea maker's personal style, gives Red Oolong tea six distinct flavor profiles: floral, honeyed, roasted, fruity, creamy, and woody. These can layer and complement one another—such as honey notes lifted by a hint of fruit—to create an array of expressions. Much like today’s younger generation, the tea is versatile, creative, and full of individuality, with a flavor for every preference.
So why the name Red Oolong? The answer lies in its making: a fusion of oolong and black tea techniques that produces the highest level of oxidation among Taiwanese oolongs. The aromas arise naturally only from the craft and precision of skilled tea makers without added flavorings, dried fruit, or petals. It is a testament to a century of Taiwanese tea mastery.