To increase the international presence of Taiwan's unique tea flavors, the Agriculture Ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station has released an enhanced version of its Taiwan Specialty Tea Flavor Wheel.
Video script:
Tea and Beverage Research Station (TBRS) has categorized Taiwan teas into six main types, including Taiwan green tea, Fragrant strip-type Paochong tea, Fragrant ball-type Oolong tea, Heavy roasting ball-type Oolong tea, Oriental Beauty tea, and Taiwan black tea. The TBRS classified the primary aromas of each specialty tea, presenting the flavor characteristics of each type comprehensively through the Taiwan Specialty Tea Flavor Wheel 2.0.
Through this simple and clean categorization, the consumer will find it easy to discern Taiwanese tea flavors as vegetal, floral, fruity, sweet, and roasted. Additionally, the main flavor descriptions of each tea type are indicated on the top right of their respective Flavor Wheel, at about a 30° angle. For example, green tea's main flavor is vegetal whereas black teas’ are fruity and sweet. The consumer can use the wheel to select a variety of Taiwan tea according to their preference, and tea producers can refer to it to increase their skill in manufacturing the best possible color, fragrance, and taste.
According to TBRS Director Su Tsung-chen (蘇宗振) the previous version of the Flavor Wheel was more academically challenging due to a variety of common and uncommon flavor descriptors. To make it more accessible, the station extracted 69 common vocabulary terms shared across different tea types and compiled them into the new flavor wheel. This version analyzes the aromas and tastes of Taiwan's specialty teas using descriptions applicable to consumers. The 2.0 edition, designed to resonate with tea enthusiasts worldwide, now includes Korean and French versions and existing Chinese, English, and Japanese editions, aiming to penetrate these two significant markets further.
Su explained that France is a key country to tap into the European Union market. Therefore, the TBRS has collaborated with French civilian research units on flavor wheel descriptions. As for Korea, Koreans have a strong affinity for Taiwanese tea. Through academic exchanges, they collectively conducted research and published the Korean version.
Alongside the Taiwan tea flavor wheel, the station also newly introduced a Taiwan Coffee Flavor Wheel, showcasing the distinctiveness of Taiwanese coffee on the global stage.
The TBRS noted that the Taiwanese coffee market has shown remarkable growth in recent years with a market size exceeding NT$70 billion, and it is expected to continue growing. Despite currently representing around 2.5% of national consumption, Taiwanese coffee has consistently achieved high rankings in domestic and international coffee evaluations, gaining recognition on the global stage. The unique multi-layered taste of Taiwanese coffee has impressed many professional foreign coffee cuppers. After five years of research and statistics, the station’s debut Taiwan Coffee Flavor Wheel primarily features locally produced food flavors.