Nantou
Taiwan’s largest tea-producing county and the only one entirely inland, containing Dong Ding, Shan Lin Xi and a substantial share of the island’s high-mountain gardens.
Elevation
Recorded at 400–1800 metres.
How firm this is: Inferred from general knowledge of the district rather than measured or taken from a source that states it.
When it is picked
Several picks a year with the cool-season crops valued highest, on the Taiwanese logic: the spring flush after the cold, and a winter pick as temperatures fall again, both give slower-grown leaf and more aroma than the rain-season growth between them. Summer leaf is generally roasted more heavily or sold cheaper. The county spans a very wide altitude range, so its own gardens do not pick together — the low ground around Dong Ding runs weeks ahead of the high-mountain plots.
How firm this is: Inferred from general knowledge of the district rather than measured or taken from a source that states it.
How production is organised
The county that contains most of Taiwan's tea, from machine-harvested lowland volume to the highest mountain gardens, under small family ownership almost throughout. A county-level name here spans a wider range of altitude, price and style than most countries manage.
How firm this is: Inferred from general knowledge of the district rather than measured or taken from a source that states it.
How the name is written
Also transliterated as nan tou. Romanisations of a district name vary by system and by vendor, and a packet spelling one way is not describing a different place.
Teas this region is known for
- Dong Ding — Buttery and gently toasty, with more weight than a high-mountain oolong and far less char than a Wuyi tea. A good demonstration of what a light roast adds without taking over.
- Shan Lin Xi — Recognisably high-mountain but greener and fresher than Alishan, with a bamboo note attributed locally to the surrounding forest. Frequently the best value in the style.
Other teas recorded from here
Other growing regions in Taiwan
The neighbouring districts are the useful comparison: they share a country, a grading convention and often a cultivar, so what differs between them is closer to terroir than anything a cross-border comparison can isolate.
Sources
- TeaHQ editorial synthesis — TeaHQ
This page is TeaHQ’s own synthesis throughout. No external document stands behind the elevation band, the climate note or the character described above, which is why each carries its confidence in the open.