When you sip a cup of Taiwanese black oolong tea, you may notice its silky smoothness and gentle sweetness. But behind that cup lies generations of knowledge and a kind of work that is both physically demanding and deeply meaningful. This is what a day in the life of a tea farmer looks like on my family’s farm.
Daily Work on the Farm
The day begins at dawn, when the morning mist still lingers over the hills of Nantou. My family walks the rows of tea bushes, checking the soil, the leaves, and the weather. Because we farm without pesticides or herbicides, much of the care is done by hand. We pull weeds, tend the soil, and carefully monitor the plants. It’s patient work, and though it’s slower, it’s the only way we can ensure both quality and safety.
The Tea-Picking Process
When harvest season comes, the real work begins. In the cool hours of the morning, skilled hands pluck only the tender top leaves and buds. Each handful matters, because only the finest leaves can produce premium Taiwanese black oolong tea. Once picked, the leaves are left to wither in the sun. Timing is everything, leave them too long or not long enough, and the flavor changes.
From there, the process is intense: rolling, oxidizing, and drying the leaves. Black oolong requires careful attention over a span of more than 60 continuous hours, with farmers working around the clock to watch every stage. It’s labor-intensive, exhausting work that demands skill, focus, and tradition passed down through generations.
The Value Behind the Labor
Hand-picking and hand-processing tea is back-breaking labor. Younger generations in Taiwan often avoid this work because it’s demanding, physically punishing, and doesn’t promise quick financial rewards. As a result, fewer people are willing to step into the fields, and true hand-picked teas are becoming harder to find. This scarcity is why hand-picked tea commands a premium price, it is not only rare, but also shaped by human care in a way machines cannot replicate.
Black oolong itself is relatively new in Taiwan, developed as tea culture has adapted to modern tastes. With bubble tea gaining massive popularity, black oolong has found its own place because of its smoother, silkier flavor compared to regular black tea. Unlike fully oxidized black tea, black oolong is only partially oxidized, giving it a unique balance: bold yet gentle, rich yet not bitter. We will share more details about this special tea in another article.
For me, every harvest is more than labor, it is love for the land, respect for tradition, and the hope of keeping this craft alive. When you enjoy a cup of Taiwanese black oolong tea, you are tasting not just the leaves, but the story of farmers who dedicate their lives to preserving a heritage that fewer and fewer are willing to continue.
That is why every sip matters. It is not only tea, it is the work of hands, the weight of history, and the persistence of a culture that refuses to fade.
