Step into the warehouse of Yipin Tea Garden, and you'll find row upon row of large iron barrels, sealed tight, each holding raw tea in quiet repose. Inside, floral notes once bright and lively gradually deepen into something richer and mellower. In the stillness, the tea refines itself, biding its time until the moment it can offer a deep, lingering taste to those who appreciate it.
Nestled just below the vantage point of Luye Highland in Taitung, Yipin Tea Garden stands behind a curtain of tree branches, its firebrick structure resting quietly like a hidden museum in the hills. Step inside, and the interior unfolds in layered floors and wooden lattice, evoking scenes from Dragon Inn, a wuxia film back in 1967. Li Xiao-Dan sits at the table, steeping cup after cup, beginning with a 3-year aged tea, then a 10-year, and finally all the way to a rare 40-year vintage. The flavor spectrum of Red Oolong unfurls- notes of honey orchid, eventually giving way to rare woody tones. The secret for such range? One word: time.
The raw teas, once unsold and overlooked, now matured into rare and distinctive flavors. Open the tea barrels, and it feels as if you are breathing in the very scent of time itself.
Where Flavor Begins: A Tea Grower Who Wouldn’t Accept Defeat
The first generation of Yipin Tea Garden sold fresh tea leaves for a living. But years of indignity from being forced to accept low prices sparked the determination to change. He took out a loan to build his own tea factory and sent his son, Li Ji-Lin, to learn the craft of tea making. Still a high school student, Li Ji-Lin carried his father's hopes along with the burden of a million-dollar loan. He couldn't afford to fail. At just 23, he won first prize in a national tea-making competition organized by the Ministry of Agriculture. Overnight, he became a well-known name in Luye. Back then, it was the golden era of oolong. Yipin produced thousands of kilograms of tea each year, but demand always outpaced supply. During harvest season, merchants would line up at the door and "They would claim the tea even before it was fully processed." Li Xiao-Dan recalls those early days after she married into the family, the memory still vivid.
The high school boy who once shouldered his father’s hopes has grown into a tea master.
Each tea barrel preserves memories of Luye’s golden era of oolong production.
Born in Mongolia, Li Xiao-Dan married into a tea-making family and, with her background in the arts, gave the family business its romantic and poetic name.
This unusual tea factory was designed with the vision of an art museum; its firebrick walls were sourced with painstaking care.
The Transformation of the Luye Tea Region
In 2008, when the Tea and Beverage Research Station (TBRS) began promoting Red Oolong, Yipin Tea Garden also shifted its focus, adopting natural farming methods and selecting tea leaves bitten by the small green leafhopper—leaves with the potential to develop a honey-like aroma—for making into Red Oolong. But the transition was far from easy. Many long-time customers preferred traditional oolong, and acceptance of Red Oolong was limited, leaving a portion of each year's harvest unsold.
Unexpectedly, those unsold raw teas developed greater depth and complexity over time, becoming Yipin's most treasured asset.
Resting quietly, the tea changes with time—smooth after three years, rounded after seven, profound after ten. Each year a new vintage, like an aged wine of time itself.
Tailoring a Roasting Curve for Every Batch
Roasting is the crucial step that determines whether a Red Oolong becomes a truly fine tea. There is no fixed formula for it. At Yipin, the focus is on slow roasting and re-roasting, adjusting the roasting curve to suit each tea's unique character. Sometimes it takes two hours, sometimes over ten, or even dozens. Every roast is a conversation with the tea. By roasting according to its nature, harshness is transformed into sweetness, complexity into purity, leaving behind a refined, clean liquor with layered notes and a lingering, mellow aroma. Thanks to Red Oolong's inherent aromatic qualities, it responds well to heavy roasting and ages gracefully: At 3 years, the tea softens, the mouthfeel becomes fuller. By 7 or more years, honey notes fade, replaced by a denser sweetness. After 10 years, roast notes merge with woody tones, the liquor turns a bright reddish-orange, and the aroma is deep, long-lasting, and serene in the throat.
The aging of tea is not merely a matter of waiting. "Tea will improve on its own, but not as a result of unchecked oxidation," they believe. Red Oolong must undergo slow, repeated roasting before being vacuum-sealed and left to rest, allowing internal tension to ease. This slowness upon slowness guides its transformation. Though the aging process may seem still, subtle and almost imperceptible changes are quietly at work, shaping the tea's aroma like a delicate sculpture. This faith in the craft of time makes Yipin's tea-making an art, using time as the chisel to carve depth and nuance into flavor, creating aged Red Oolong that is truly distinctive and worth the wait.
The teahouse resembles a scene from the wuxia film Dragon Inn where antique teaware are on display.
Tall as he is, Li Ji-Lin seems small standing among towering shelves of aged tea. In front of tea, there is always reverence and endless pursuit.
The third generation, Li Yu-Zhe, learns under his mother’s guidance.
Each tasting is like a dialogue with time— tea speaks, they listen, and know instinctively how to carry it forward.
Creating Flavors with Time and Patience
With forty years of tea-making experience, Yipin Tea Garden has developed its own philosophy for aged Red Oolong. Between the passage of time and careful roasting, the tea slowly transforms, gathering its essence to become a fine brew.
Li Xiao-Dan once said, "Aftertaste takes time to reach you. It's not instant. It's something you only truly understand when you look back—something that grows more beautiful with time." This perfectly captures the spirit of aged Red Oolong. At Yipin Tea Garden, efficiency is never the priority because they believe in the deep, enduring flavor that time creates.
Yipin’s teas transcend time, link generations, leaving behind a beauty that calls you to look back.
Dustfall · Honey Fragrance Red Oolong Tea (75g)
Inspired by the small green leafhopper known as the "dust insect," this tea carries layered notes of pinewood honey with a hint of fruit sweetness.
Touched Sprout · Honey Fragrance Red Oolong Tea (60g)
When the small green leafhopper brushes against young tea buds, it leaves behind honeyed aromas with a whisper of rose and a soft cinnamon finish.
Drifting Scent · Honey Fragrance Red Oolong Tea (75g)
A bright, expressive bouquet of flowers and ripe fruit sweetness, balanced by refined floral undertones.
Hidden Bloom · Honey Fragrance Red Oolong Tea (75g)
Floral and honeyed fruit tones unfold gently, leaving a long, sweet aftertaste.
Breath of Time · Aged Honey Fragrance Red Oolong Tea (150g)
Matured for over 8 years, transforming its honey-fruit fragrance into rounded notes of wood and caramel.
Time Distilled · Aged Honey Fragrant Red Oolong (75g / 150g)
Aged for more than 13 years, this tea reveals sandalwood, cedar, and dried plum notes—an elegant depth refined by time.
