Wen Ching-Yu's day begins at the tea table, but the tool he uses to brew tea is far from ordinary. It's a rice bowl. This is a traditional way to test raw tea. Unlike the refinement of teapots, bowl brewing is stark and revealing: boiling water poured straight in, stirred with a spoon, exposing a tea's flaws instantly. This is how Wen Ching-Yu serves tea to his guests. More than just the habit of a seasoned tea maker, it reflects the confidence of the best black tea maker in Taitung.
In Luye, Taitung, everyone knows Wen Ching-Yu's family. Their story is intertwined with the very development of Luye's tea industry. Around 1960, Wen's grandfather, Wen Tseng-Kun, was invited by the head of the Taitung County Agricultural Department to help pioneer the local black tea trade. As a result, Wen Tseng-Kun left his hometown in Xinchu and came to Taitung, establishing Luye's first tea factory: Xinyuanchang Tea Factory, marking the beginning of the region's tea industry
Within eight years, Wen Tseng-Kun had planted more than 100 hectares of Assam tea, with an annual yield of over 120,000 kilograms, much of it was exported. His efforts spurred a thriving tea economy in the area and earned him the title of "Father of Tea in Taitung".
Steam rises from the tasting bowls as boiling water meets the leaves — a simple, time-honored way to judge quality. For Wen Ching-Yu, true confidence means knowing good tea shines no matter how it’s brewed.
From Black Tea to Red Oolong
Wen Ching-Yu remembers well the closing chapter of Taitung's black tea heyday. In his high school years, each school's co-op sold black tea at just NT$5 a bottle. That was the last attempt to keep the domestic black tea market alive. But in the end, Taiwanese black tea couldn't withstand the price war from Southeast Asia. Many farmers uprooted their large-leaf black teas, replacing them with oolong or Jhinshuan. When high mountain teas later became popular, Luye, bound by its low altitude, found itself with nowhere else to turn.
As the inheritor of a black tea legacy, Wen Ching-Yu's father, Wen Ji-Fang, wasn't ready to quit. At a tea competition in Nantou, he saw a batch of Ruby Black Tea sold for as high as NT$6,000 per 600 grams. That moment rekindled his faith in black tea's potential. He began experimenting by applying black tea techniques to oolong or Jhinshuan leaves, shaping them into tight ball shapes.
Old photographs taken by founder Wen Tseng-Kun tell the story of Xinyuanchang, a pioneer in bringing tea cultivation to Luye, Taitung.
A half-century-old rolling machine still stands, carrying the legacy of Xinyuanchang across generations.
The humble bowl brew, stirred gently with a spoon, reveals the tea’s most unadorned character.
Instead of fragrance-tasting cups, a spoon is used to catch and hold fragrance — proof that their Red Oolong tea tastes good even when brewed casually.
Farming with Organic Rice Bran Fertilizer
When Wen Ching-Yu and his brother Wen Ching-Wei took over the family business, they continued to carry forward their father's strict principles—no pesticides, no herbicides—and have obtained the Eco-Garden Organic Certification. Looking ahead, Wen Ching-Yu aims to meet the growing demand for corporate sustainable procurement by introducing carbon footprint assessments. His goal is to acquire the Carbon Footprint Label, showing Xinyuanchang's determination to support The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Today, Xinyuanchang's tea fields are primarily located in Yong-An, Chu-Lu, and Luye areas in Taitung, with a newly contracted field in Yong-Kang. This new field, approximately 5 hectares, is dedicated to a new cultivar called Yingxiang, a variety of oolong tea. They use natural fertilizer made from fermented rice bran and applied four times a year, adjusted according to the growing conditions of the tea trees. This enhances the unique aromas of this cultivar.
As an established name in the industry with mastery of production techniques and diverse portfolio of tea varieties, Xinyuanchang offers a broad flavor spectrum in its Red Oolong. For example, Jhinshuan can express milky, floral, or honeyed notes; under heavier roasting, it reveals woody aromas. Yingxiang is a cultivar that carries the aroma of high mountain tea; a lighter roast would accentuate its refined and delicate fragrance.
Through a three-step roasting refinement, bitterness is stripped away, leaving only smooth honeyed notes — the craft that defines Xinyuanchang.
Unique Roasting Method Behind the Award-Winning Tea
The time making black tea laid a strong foundation in the fermentation skill for Xinyuanchang. Building on that foundation, they developed a unique method for crafting Red Oolong, using precise roasting techniques. The process follows a distinctive two-stage approach: two main roasting phases, each lasting 8 hours, with a 16-hour resting period in between.
According to Wen Ching-Yu, the first stage uses temperatures between 90°C and 100°C to remove off-notes and unwanted flavors. The second phase gradually increases the heat until it reaches 120°C. This slow increase allows for the breakdown of caffeine and theophylline, imprinting the tea with its signature flavor. What defines Xinyuanchang's teas, he explains, is their "honeyed aroma without bitterness." Every batch undergoes a minimum of 20 hours of roasting. For competition-grade teas, a third phase is added, extending the total roast time to 30 hours.
"Starting from hour 20, every hour becomes critical," says Wen Ching-Yu. "At hour 21 we go to 95°C, hour 22 to 100°C… Someone has to stand by the machine, tasting the tea every hour until it reaches perfection." Even after roasting, the tea must rest for two to four weeks to allow unpleasant aromas to dissipate, yielding purer tea.
Every hour during production, the tea is bowl-brewed and tasted for balance.
Wen Ching-Yu says the production is finished only when you keep tasting until it feels exactly right.
In the interplay of cultivar aroma and roast, heavier roasts sometimes reveal rare woody notes.
The flavor spectrum is wide: with Jhinshuan as the base, theirRed Oolong can carry creaminess, florals, and natural honey.
A Creative Transformation
Seven years ago, the brothers turned the family's tea factory into a tourist-friendly facility, and renamed it Xinyuanchang Black Tea Industry Cultural Center, integrating tea plantation tours and hands-on experiences. Today, Xinyuanchang welcomes over 25,000 visitors annually. It has transformed from a black tea factory into a cultural venue that tells the story of Luye.
Here, adults can enjoy guided tastings, while children delight in freshly made red bean wheel pies with a crisp outer layer infused with Red Oolong tea powder. To meet the preferences of a diverse customer base, Xinyuanchang has developed a variety of products: Red Oolong popcorn, square cookies, and dried tofu. They have also incorporated local produce to create Ailanthus prickly ash (or Tana) salt infused with Red Oolong. Their finely ground tea powder has gained favor among food manufacturers, opening the door for cross-industry collaborations and bringing Taitung Red Oolong into new culinary territory.
This long-established brand doesn't stand solemn and stiff; instead, it plays the role of a cheerful innovator, greeting everyone with a warm smile and sharing tea with creativity and joy.
A red bean wheel pie infused with tea aroma can spark joy in both adults and children.
Red Oolong Tea Gift Set (Red Oolong Tea x 75g + Jhinshuan x 150g + Light Roasted Oolong Tea x 150g)
A refined collection from Luye: Red Oolong with honeyed notes, Jhinshuan with its signature creaminess, and a delicately fragrant oolong.
Premium Red Oolong Tea Bags (3g × 20)
Bright with fruit and honey, finishing with a lingering, smooth aftertaste.
Selected Red Oolong Tea (150g x 2)
A balanced expression of roast warmth and ripe, honeyed sweetness.
Other Products
Red Oolong Tea Square Cookies (400g/ can)
Crisp, buttery layers infused with tea aroma, leaving a fragrant trace on the palate.
Red Oolong Tea Popcorn (270g/ can)
Caramel-coated kernels dusted with Red Oolong tea powder — a playful balance of sweetness and tea fragrance.
Red Oolong Tea Powder (600g)
Versatile and aromatic, perfect for baking, cooking, or blending into drinks.
