The difference between Chinese and Taiwanese roasting schools comes down to climate, culture, and the relationship each tradition has with the leaf itself.
Wuyi — The Cradle of Rock Oolong
Wuyi, in Fujian Province, is the birthplace of rock oolongs, where the tradition of repeated charcoal roasting has been passed down within families for centuries.
Anxi — Home of Tie Guan Yin
Anxi, also in Fujian, is the home of Tie Guan Yin — a region still debating the merits of light versus traditional heavy roasting.
Taiwan — A New School Born from an Old One
Taiwan developed its own distinct school — adapting the Chinese charcoal tradition to the island's high-mountain oolongs. Among its most recognised roasting masters today is Master Jack, working in the Shan Lin Xi region of Lugu County — an area famed for high-elevation gardens sitting around 1,600 metres.
Master Jack: The 2010 Lu Gu Dong Ding Champion
In 2010, Master Jack won the Lu Gu Dong Ding competition — the annual contest held by the Lugu Tea Farmers Association. His entry was judged the best among 5,523 competing samples. After a win of this magnitude, a competitor can no longer participate again — he becomes a judge instead. A victory like this stands as a permanent mark of quality across everything the master produces afterward.
His Signature GABA Process
Master Jack's signature technique for GABA tea is a process lasting more than four days — alternating oxygen and anaerobic fermentation with manual adjustment every few hours. The raw leaf is harvested in the protected Alishan reserve and processed without oxygen exposure using this specialised method.
Why a Master's Name Matters
A roasting master's signature on a package functions much like the name of a Grand Cru vineyard on a bottle of wine — a guarantee of process, provenance, and consistency that no anonymous factory batch can offer.