Taitung Red Oolong Flavor Festival
Roasted like oolong. Rich like black tea. Fruitier than both.
Every summer, dozens of giant hot air balloons rise at dawn over the Luye Highland in Taitung — drifting above a patchwork of tea fields and river valley that stretches to the Pacific. The Taitung International Balloon Festival is celebrated as one of the best hot air balloon festivals in the world, while most of them never know that the tea growing beneath those balloons is one of the rarest and most unusual in Asia.
Red Oolong was invented in 2008— designed by government researchers at Taiwan's Tea and Beverage Research Station. The purpose was to solve the climate issue: the hot and dry of Taitung on Taiwan's southeast Pacific coast was producing mediocre tea. Blending the withering and roasting of oolong, and the heavy rolling and high oxidation all most like black tea (it's the highest-oxidized oolong Taiwan produces). They called it Red Oolong — 紅烏龍 — and it saved the valley.
For whom grew up drinking English Breakfast or Earl Grey, Red Oolong will feel immediately familiar in the cup — deep amber, rich, smooth — and then surprise you with something black tea never delivers: elements of fruit compote, pumpkin pie, and a hint of dried flowers. Those aren't flavors added by the maker. The aromas arise naturally only from the craft and precision of skilled tea makers, without added flavorings, dried fruit, or petals.
Red Oolong has becoming the signature tea of Taitung. In the seeable future, it would be the representative tea of Taiwan.
Why the Auction Is the Real Reason to Come
Once a year, during the festival, the best Red Oolong of the harvest goes to auction.
This isn't a souvenir market. It's the moment the valley's farmers put their finest work — in front of buyers and serious tea drinkers. What makes this event even more special is that each tea represents a single, unrepeatable harvest from the entire year—making this a truly exclusive “now or never” opportunity. This is a rare entry point into something that almost never happens at the consumer level: buying directly from source, being fresh-taught-judge, in the place where the tea was grown.
30 carefully selected Red Oolongs from this year’s harvest (chosen from over 100 submissions).
Before the auction day, the guests would have a full day course to learn about the terra. Normally taught by the local farmers — precious first-hand information and actual tea factory visit. After being back from the tea factory tour, you’d have a basic red oolong taste training. You’re able to have some clues of what Taitung red oolong truly is from the tasting. That may also give you some clues of how to score the tea for the next day auction.
Taitung locals’ proudest feast — a breathtaking fruit banquet that’s as stunning as it is irresistibly delicious!
Taitung rewards the slow traveler
Needless to say, traveling in Taitung should not be missed after the festival. Chishang is a 30-minute train ride north of Luye and is has the most beautiful rice field in Taiwan. The picturesque country road surrounded by expansive rice fields and mountain backdrops — ideal for cycling, especially during planting and harvest seasons when the fields shift color (June & Oct).
The coast is the other side of Taitung— dramatic cliffs dropping into blue water, small surf towns, and almost no crowds by Taiwan standards. Dulan is the loosest, most laid-back stop: a surf town with indigenous galleries, live music, and the feeling that time is running slightly slower than everywhere else on the island. Sanxiantai, known for its arched bridge to a small rocky island, is one of the east coast's most photographed coastal landmarks— best at sunrise, before anyone else arrives.
The endless rift valley plain viewed from Luye Highland is the cradle of Taiwan’s granary.
Want to know more? Write to The T Scout for event application.
Written & Photography by: The T Scout©
