1929
In addition to the camphor trees, a visit to the tea-growing station was one of the objectives of my expedition. The well-known oolong mountain tea of Taiwan was a most remarkable sight. In the mountains of Taiwan it is possible to see thickets of tea, reaching the dimensions of small trees 4-5 metres tall. The crops are always primitive, the harvests insignificant. The tea is grown in stony soils. Most amazing is the vegetative reproduction of it by means of layering. From the Taiwanese tea a semifermented product is prepared, which has a light brown colour, giving the brew a particularly pleasing taste and a vivid and bright tint. While the ordinary nonfermented green tea serves mainly for consumption in Taiwan, the oolong tea is cultivated exclusively for export. It is especially valuable on the American market. It goes almost exclusively there and is sold for a high price. I received a present of 8 pounds [1] of the best oolong tea from the university and the governor of the city.
Notes:
- 3.6 kg [↩]
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