To preserve quality, local and national tasting competitions are carried out regularly, and the list of the year’s ten cups ranking on top is published every year. These famous teas called ming cha are exclusive and very expensive, they are highly appreciated by the home market and the over-seas Chinese diaspora, and are making strides in attracting Western tea fans. There are premium cups from both the oolong tea and the white tea categories that appear on the ‘ming cha’ list every year, without exception.

It’s noteworthy that today, in China, there are also oolong and white teas that are grown in non traditional areas, mostly newly developed cultivars, which do not have an origin territory appellation and are therefore considerably cheaper and more accessible for non-Chinese customers. It should also be noted that the manufacturing skills and some of the more recent plant varietals have been introduced outside China, namely in Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and also in some East African countries, among others, where certain tea gardens have begun producing some oolong and white teas.

The vicinity between China and Taiwan, with many tea farmers having crossed the Taiwan strait in the 18th and 19th centuries, taking their tea bushes with them on their boats, and since then developed a thriving and extremely premium high mountain and coastal oolong tea production. Based on their continental China heritage and also newly developed cross bred varietals by the intensely active Taiwanese Tea and Beverage Research Station (TTBRS) in Nantou County, these exclusive Oolong tea cups are rivalling fully with those of China’s Fujian province.

3 Taiwan A li shan high mountain oolong tea. Credit: Barbara Dufrêne

The Complex Oolong Tea Category

All tea experts and tea lovers agree that this tea family is extremely complex, because of the incredible number of cultivars, each with unique flavour characteristics, a statement fully supported by French veteran tea experts, Katrin Rougeventre and Vivien Messavant, aka Zhong Yun Jing. The various manufacturing processes are often still carried out by family tea masters applying the wisdom of many generations. All this input generates an unbelievable amount of leaf shapes cup colours and, most importantly, endless shades of fragrance and aromas, ranging from warm and comforting to mineral and
metallic, offering many different flowery, fruity, spicy and woody notes.

This tea category was reintroduced to the Western markets at the beginning of the millennium and was so different from the well-established green and black teas, with its semi oxidised leaf, that they had to be named first.
Some called them ‘blue-green’, or qing cha and finally the denomination ‘oolong or wulong’, meaning ‘black dragon’ spread and was commonly adopted, with reference to the black and twisted leaf of the deeply oxidised Fujian rock teas. The many different bush varietals harvested in continental China and in Taiwan are genuine to the local lands, to which research has added on more through cross-breeding.

These many cultivars and varietals are grown in several oolong territories, all with their specific origin appellation, namely in Fujian and Guangdong province and in Taiwan’s Central Mountain range and coastal plains.

Additional quality criteria add on more specificity, such as the premium plucking time and picking way and the manufacturing process, with either ball shape rolled or twisted leaf and either low, medium or high oxidation.

Oolong teas can be stored and the aged teas of 20 to 25 years will then be basket toasted again to
bring out their wide range of delicious fragrance and taste notes. Because oolong teas require so much input and have such an intense richness of flavour notes, their brewing has been made into a
ceremonious ritual called gongfu cha, translated into “take your time to brew this state of the art cup” with a set of pots, cups, trays and other tools to serve the outstanding cups.

The best known and sought after heritage oolong teas from China are the low oxidised Tie Guan Yin from Anxi, South Fujian. The premium harvest is picked during the first half of October, whilst for all other oolongs the spring picks are the best – the leaves are tightly rolled into blue greenish pearls that infuse with intense flowery fragrance with notes of lilac and osmanthus. The deeply oxidised Wuyi Shan Rock teas are from Northern Fujian, with Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui, Shui Xian and others offering intensely fragrant cups with fruity and roasted notes with hints of caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon. The medium
oxidised Feng Huang Dancong from Guangdong’s Phenix Mountains, with intensely fragrant cups
offering notes of honey, orchids, gardenia, osmanthus, ginger flower, and magnolia, have big leaves and are harvested from specific single tea trees, very dear and rare cups indeed. According to Chinese statistics, oolong teas represent over 12 percent of the global production, which had a volume of around 382,000metric tonnes (mt ) in 2022.

The most famous oolong teas from Taiwan, initially brought over from Fujian but were then cross-bred and with local processing ways, fall into two main categories: the green or jade oolongs and the dark oolongs. The green or jade oolongs ,which are the low oxidised types such as the Milky Oolong or Nai Xiang Xin Juan, are highly appreciated for their creamy, buttery flavour, the Dong Ding Oolongs grown near Taipei, and the high mountain teas from Central Taiwan’s Nantou Province, namely from Ali Shan and Li Shan with their exclusive and costly frost teas that are picked bet ween November and January,
which are then delivered – in small parcels – to awaiting list of avid tea lovers. The dark oolongs, namely the high oxidised Dongfang Meiren or Oriental Beauty, are grown near Taipei.

According to International Tea Committee data, Taiwan’s 2022 total tea out put amounted to 14,000mt , with a share for oolong teas that were estimated to stand at around 75 percent and which are currently intensely promoted on international level with significant support from the government.

White Teas: A ‘Newer’ Category

Originating from China’s Fujian province, where the Da Bai and Bai Hao tea bush varietals grow as a local land race, t hes e elegant whit e buds and leaves were relaunched in the Western markets in the early 2000s . Their unbruised immaculate leaves, their reputation for high anti-oxidant effects, and the easy ways of brewing them without any fuss immediately fascinated consumers who jumped at the cup and wanted to learn more about it . This fascination has given rise to more authenticity controls because other producing countries did invest to master the manufacturing process, without necessarily being able to produce comparable cup quality.

As China wanted to protect these exclusive teas, which represent only about one percent of its tea production volume, an ISO Technical Report developed the basic definition and processing requirements in 2013. There are two main white tea terroirs in Fujian, around Fuding City and around Zhenghe City, both mountainous areas , which have started to intensely promote the white teas in recent years and to extend the cultivation surf ace. During the first International White Tea Conference that was convened in Fuding in December 2023,many Chinese tea experts presented their findings concerning tea research, tea and health, export facilities, protected geographical indication rules and more, all geared to the key target : how to enhance foreign markets’ awareness about the goodness of white teas and to make them keen to buy more.

Much clarification was provided about the cultivars, their characteristics and the three main quality grades:
• Early Spring: bud only harvest, called Yin Zhen (Silver Needle 4);
• Late Spring: more mature, one bud and two or three leaves, the still whitish Bai Mudan (White Peony);
• Summer Harvest: no more white down on the leaf, and no more buds, traded as Gung Mei and Shou Mei (Tribute and Longevity Eyebrow).

All grades are sought after in the home market, mainly for their reported health benefits and physiological effects, such as powerful antioxidant properties, antiviral and detoxifying effects, relief from fever, highly refreshing and relaxing during the hot tropical summer times.

Widely acknowledged in China, these reported health benefits come from the high polyphenol and theanine concentration in this rich plant material, which has undergone a soft processing that has not bruised the leaf and not broken up the cell walls, but allowed the leaves to wither for several days in the sun, thus also preserving their silvery downy coat, which makes up their elegant and unusual look.

These teas need a longer brewing time in order to extract all the flavours and juices – ten minutes
or more. They can be stored over years and their enzymes will allow the leaves to slowly continue
to mature, which is an additional bonus.

With their wide range of cups, from the premium origins to more accessible untraditional growing areas, consumers can discover these outstanding teas step by step, indulging in these gently boosting and truly soothing brews for everyday consumption and moments of sharing. Be it in or out-of-home, both oolong and white teas will provide highly pleasant moments of leisure and wellbeing, as well as offering the opportunity to become more knowledgeable about quality details, product botanicals, tea garden geographies and cultural tea brewing accessories.

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The Educator Summit 2024 Series will take place in the USA on 1 October hosted at the Lavazza Training Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and in Houston, Texas at host venue Katz Coffee on 12 October. The Educator Summit 2024 Series will also take place in three events across Asia in South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan this December.

Educators are a vitally important part of the specialty coffee community imparting knowledge across the entire coffee value chain. If you are a coffee educator or aspiring to be one, you will not want to miss this opportunity to learn and connect.

This event is designed to enrich coffee educators’ knowledge through enhancing coffee education, advanced insights into the SCA Coffee Value Assessment, and the most current and effective teaching techniques.

Key Areas of Focus:

• Enhancing Coffee Education – Simplify complex coffee-related concepts to empower learners and improve overall coffee education.
• Teaching Techniques – Gain actionable insights from leading instructors and experts to enhance presentations and foster effective learning environments.
• Coffee Value Assessment – Understand the sensory science and economics behind affective assessment, and gain advanced insights on using and teaching the SCA Coffee Value Assessment.

Key Sessions Include:

• Making Water Chemistry Accessible
• Introducing Affective Assessments to Learners
• Teaching an Accurate History of Coffee
• Getting in Harmony with Your Visual Aids
• Designing Informal Assessments
• Coffee and Networking

Registration for the USA locations will open soon with a number of discounts available, which can be combined, including an early-bird discount. More information will be available on education.sca.coffee.

Subscribe to the SCA Education Newsletter at education.sca.coffee/newsletter to receive updates on the Educator Summit Asia events, taking place this December.

Learn more about Educator Summit at education.sca.coffee/educator-summit.

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To meet this demand, Nestlé Professional has been increasing its range of plant-based dairy alternatives for food service professionals, leveraging Nestlé’s global R&D expertise on plant-based innovation. It is also sharing that expertise with baristas and other out-of-home providers with a series of webinars led by the team of Nestlé Professional.

New additions

A focus of recent out of home launches has been in Asia; a Nestlé Barista plant-based coconut drink was launched in Thailand earlier this year, primarily for use in cold beverages to meet consumer tastes there.

In China, Nestlé has launched two new plant-based dairy alternatives in the past year – one pea- and one oat-based – under the Nestlé Barista brand. The drinks were developed by baristas and can be used in hot and cold coffee and tea applications that meet local tastes.

Furthermore, a barista-focused dairy alternative made with peas was launched under the Nestlé Barista brand and launched in South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.

In Latin America, the Nature’s Heart Barista plant-based oat drink was launched in Brazil at the end of 2022 for hot and cold applications. The beverage is easy to steam and pour – making it perfect for latte art.

The Nature’s Heart brand also rolled out a powdered plant-based creamer based on rice, designed for Nescafé automatic machines. This new product enables customers with self-service machines to be able to offer plant-based drinks to their consumers as well.

As Manuel Aleman, global category lead coffee ingredients & plant-based beverages at Nestlé Professional, explained, “The trend towards more plant-based options remains, with around 40% of consumers around the world already moving to a diet with less or no animal products. Taste is key for people to choose and stay in the category, especially flexitarians who are an important target group for dairy alternatives in out of home.”

In addition to the recently launched out-of-home offerings, Nestlé has a strong and growing portfolio of plant-based alternatives to dairy that people can use at home. A recent addition in the retail space are the oat and fava plant-based beverages which were launched in the US under the natural bliss brand.

R&D capabilities for dairy alternatives

With wide-ranging innovation expertise in both dairy products and alternatives to dairy, Nestlé is equipped to deliver relevant solutions for out-of-home use across different countries.

Zenon Mandralis, head of R&D for Nestlé Professional said, “Our goal is to offer baristas and our customers plant-based alternatives that are very easy to froth, making the perfect latte or cappuccinos. Our scientists, product developers and baristas work together to ensure that the products are also great-tasting and nutritious, with the right foam texture, mouthfeel, and appearance.”

This work is primarily driven by R&D experts at Nestlé’s largest research and development center for milk and milk alternatives in Konolfingen, Switzerland. The center collaborates closely with the Nestlé Professional R&D team in Orbe, Switzerland to ensure that the products are adapted for use in professional machines at cafés, bars and restaurants worldwide. Through Nestlé’s regional innovation centers, including in China, the products are further tailored to local taste preferences, beverage menu variety, and dietary needs.

Plant-based expertise for food service professionals

Nestlé Professional shares its experience with food service customers in regular webinars. In its latest iteration, it will be sharing Nestlé Professional know-how and insights on plant-based beverage dairy alternatives at a live ‘Plant-Based and So Good’ webinar via Zoom on 7 June, 2023.

Register for the webinar here.

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 This auction will be the first in a series of three Private Collection Auctions over three consecutive years. This year’s auction will place a heavy emphasis on the Taiwanese producers’ ability to improve and adapt. Those producers who submitted samples for last year’s PCA have worked tirelessly over the course of the year to improve the qualities of their coffees with the intention of demonstrating to the world the calibre of Taiwanese specialty coffee. There will also be new participants in the competition this year, encouraged to enter after last year’s successful auction. With the increase in participants this year, and focus on careful cultivation and processing, quality is expected to increase.  

Quantity is also expected to increase. Though regional or national coffee competitions are common in Taiwan, most of them require only small amounts of competition samples. As a result, farmers often experiment with nano lots since they can submit small, experimental lots. 

 “The success of PCA in 2021 convinced Taiwanese coffee producers that larger lot sizes can be economically profitable as long as they maintain excellence in quality and flavour. This year, nearly all coffee producers who have performed well in competitions past have submitted their most unique coffees to the Taiwan Private Collection Auction,” stated Krude Lin, Chairperson of Coffee Industrial Alliance of Taiwan.  

 Last year’s auction – marking the first Taiwanese origin-focused auction for ACE – saw an average price of $94.50/lb for the nine winning lots spread among 20 companies and seven countries signalling strong international demand for Taiwanese coffee. Domestic demand was also prominent with the winning lot purchased for $500.50/lb by a Taiwanese bidding group.  

“In Taiwan, you can find the best coffees from around the world. Taiwanese importers are some of the biggest buyers at international coffee auctions, and Taiwanese roasters and baristas’ pursuit of quality has repeatedly been proven at World Coffee Events and various international championships. Yet, few local coffee professionals were aware of Taiwan’s long history of coffee cultivation. The many interruptions due to the global Covid-19 pandemic ironically became opportunities for many to rediscover locally produced coffee. Many roasters have since established partnerships with local producers. The 2022 PCA will be the perfect opportunity to showcase the results of their collaborations,” continued Krude Lin.  

Taiwanese farmers have been growing coffee for more than a hundred years. The island of Taiwan, with its high elevation mountain ranges and diverse microclimates, supports a range of coffee varieties and processes. Much of the coffee, produced by experts in refining the details of world-renowned tea, is ready to show the world its quality and unique flavour profiles.  

The 2022 Taiwan Private Collection Auction’s national jury stage starts this month with 25 experienced cuppers from the island evaluating the submissions to choose 20 preliminary winners. Then, ACE’s Global Coffee Centres representing 35 jurists, 15 companies, and 9 countries, will select the winning coffees to be auctioned on 30 June.

Sample sets are now available for pre-sale on ACE’s site: https://allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/taiwan-private-collection-auction-2022/ 

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Since opening in October 2021, ONE ZO is currently in the process of expanding its new Notting Hill shop from takeaway only to include a first-floor dining area with minimalist pastel décor, light wood furnishings, a neon sign, mirrors, and plenty of plants to ensure it is “Instagram worthy” from every angle.

According to the company, ONE ZO is the only bubble tea brand to handmake its own boba – sweet, chewy ‘pearls’ made using tapioca starch, water, and sugar, which give bubble-tea its name – in-store where the customers can watch the kitchen team at work. The boba come in 50 varieties and flavours, and all the products are organic, vegetarian and preservative free, with vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options also available.

ONE ZO’s Valentine’s Day specials – Sparkling Strawberry and Rose (with rose boba) and Strawberry Cheese-Shake – will be available throughout all of February.

Its standard menu includes a range of milk or cream-based teas including matcha, oolong and jasmine, as well as fruit teas in a variety of flavours, into any of which the boba can be added and the option is given to be served hot or cold, and the choice of how much sugar and ice (if cold). The menu also includes milkshakes and, increasingly popular and on-trend, bubble waffles which are served with ice cream, toppings and tapioca.

For ONE ZO’s full menu, click here.

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HostMilano is an exhibition dedicated to the catering and hospitality sector, with many key Italian and international organisations exhibiting at Fiera Milano every two years. World Coffee Events and the SCA have enjoyed a long-standing partnership with HostMilano, debuting unique activations and experiences over past shows. The SCA says it is excited to build on this partnership with the 2021 World Coffee Championships.

“We are extremely pleased to announce that HostMilano will feature the 2021 World Barista Championship, World Brewers Cup, and World Cup Tasters Championship this October,” said Yannis Apostolopoulos, SCA chief executive officer. “We’ve always found massive value in attending Host, and following the hardship and disruption of the past year, we’re excited to return and bring our community to this wonderful show.”

SCA’s second announcement stated that, due to the unfortunate recent spike in Covid-19 cases and corresponding regulations in Taiwan, the SCA and the Taiwan Coffee Association (TCA) have made the difficult decision to postpone the World Latte Art, World Coffee in Good Spirits, and World Coffee Roasting Championship events scheduled to take place in Taipei in November 2021. The SCA and TCA are working to identify opportunities to host World Coffee Championships in Taipei at a future date.

Competitors who will not be able to travel or who don’t feel comfortable doing so will be able to avail of the Deferred Candidacy option to postpone their participation at the WCCs.

If you have any immediate questions about the events, the SCA encourages you to get in touch.

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Babo Arms were searching for an automated device to enhance its operations and perform mundane, repetitive tasks.

Babo Arms value the intimacy of a traditional tea shop, with employees building relationships with customers and ensuring that their experience is pleasant and welcoming. However, the low birth rate in Taiwan and the high turnover rate in the food and beverage industry have led to an urgent need to find a solution to maintain a stable workforce and reduce the amount of time spent on orientation training.

Babo Arms selected the UR5 as a collaborative robot (cobot) that would be able to take over the most repetitive and simple tasks whilst working safely side by side human workers. The UR5 was chosen for its utility in making tea and drinks, meaning staff were no longer required to memorise a mass of ingredients. This allowed for more time and effort to be put into more creative aspects of the business, such as in product development – providing more innovative flavours and drinks ahead of competitors.

The collaborative aspect of the UR cobot also proved beneficial as it was helpful in areas that were limited on space. More traditional automated devices for production must be kept at a distance from workers and usually function in a closed off area, taking up space and not allowing for resources to be fully optimised. These other unmanned tools also cost the business in customer interactions; Babo Arms determined that they must maintain customer intimacy in their shift to automation. Ultimately, the cobot didn’t replace manpower with robots, it simply enhanced the value of human resources.

The cobots are perfectly suited for simplistic, repetitive tasks and offer great flexibility as they can rotate 360-degrees, mimicking a human arm. The right gripper allows for the cobot to carry out more monotonous work alongside employees, such as making tea, cleaning cups, tilting, grabbing and handing out drinks. Employees can therefore turn their attention away from these mundane tasks and towards time to interact with customers, taking on feedback and improving quality of service.

About Universal Robots
Universal Robots was co-founded in 2005 by Esben Østergaard who wanted to make robot technology accessible to all by developing small, user-friendly, reasonably priced, flexible industrial robots that are safe to work with. Since the first collaborative robot (cobot) was launched in 2008, the company has experienced considerable growth with the user-friendly cobot now sold worldwide. For more information, please visit www.universal-robots.com or read our blog at blog.universal-robots.com.

About Babo Arms

Babo Arms is a Taiwanese café that serves a creative range of coffees, teas and snacks with the help of robot technology. For more information on Babo Arms please visit https://baboarms.business.site/.

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Many Taiwanese tourists and students have already discovered Whittard in the UK, which encouraged the brand to prioritise the market in its expansion plans.

The brand is now in discussions to open three more in Taiwan before the end of 2019.

Mark Dunhill, Whittard of Chelsea’s CEO, said: “I am very pleased to announce the opening of Whittard’s first stores in Taiwan in partnership with Ruentex Group. After seeing evidence of the appeal of our brand to the Taiwanese consumer in our home market, we became very excited by the opportunity to introduce the brand to Taiwan and started looking for the right partner. We are delighted to have secured a partnership with Ruentex Group; they have an excellent record in bringing international brands to Taiwan and we share the same passion and ambition for Whittard. Together with my colleagues in England, I look forward to working closely with them to build a successful business in the years to come.”

Following a comprehensive revitalisation of the brand, Whittard of Chelsea has been enjoying significant and sustained growth in its home market. Meanwhile the success of its launch on China’s Tmall platform and recent successful entry into Taiwan, Japan and South East Asia demonstrate the brand’s growing appeal to consumers in Asia.

Shop in store and online at https://www.whittard.co.uk/

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Luv Tea focuses on world-ranked Oolong teas sourced from founder and Tea Master Jaesy Wang’s family farms in A-Li-Shan, Taiwan. It also offers other modern tea beverages that meet Jaesy’s exacting standards.

Class topics include a basic knowledge on Taiwanese oolong, understanding tea grading, how to conduct a tea ceremony, and other topics. One is creating authentic Bubble Teas, the most famous drink in Taiwan and popular in NYC. Most bubble tea shops sell pre-made bubble teas filled with milk powder, tea fanning, and artificial flavors – this class will teach students how to make bubble teas from scratch, how to design flavors that go together using natural ingredients, and how to make an excellent cup of bubble tea.

The internship program is designed to let students gain real-world experience in an operating tea shop. Luv Tea works with several affiliate tea shops throughout the East Coast who offer students internships. These programs range from weekends, to one month, and full year opportunities. This will help the students gain the experience needed to open their own tea business in the future.

Consulting services are intended to help experienced and aspiring teashop owners to either build, or expand their own successful tea businesses. This service will provide one-on-one meetings with Wan Di, the CEO of Luv Tea, and will be custom designed per individual. Whether you are a seasoned tea-master looking to get more out of your business or new to the industry and looking to take the first step, they are sure to give your business a boost.

Here’s a link where you’ll find an in depth look at all the classes, internship and consulting services offered https://luv-tea.com/classes/

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