Top 3 winners reap in millions

The prize presentation and auction of the National Taiwan Premium Tea Competition 2005 were held on Jan at the Council of Agriculture (COA). Premier Shieh delivered a speech and presented the prizes at the ceremony. The auction of the first-, second- and third-prize teas was held immediately after the presentation. The energetic crowd of tea-lovers bid enthusiastically for the top 3 prize-winning teas to set a new record price for this annual auction. The successful auction is a testimony to the value and attraction of Taiwan premium tea. A public tea exhibition cum sales of the finalists’ product will be held at the gymnasium of National Taiwan University on January 13-15.

Premier Shieh who presented the prizes was all praise after tasting the top three prize-winning teas and expressed his gratitude to those hard-working tea farmers who have created the economic miracle of the tea industry in Taiwan. In his speech, Premier Shieh expressed that the Taiwanese tea industry should develop according to the agricultural policy of quality, hygiene and safety. Besides the hygiene of the production, manufacture and sales processes, products should be of the highest quality in order to triumph in local and international markets.

According to COA, entrants of the competition and auction included 91 teas selected by the local governments of the respective tea farming areas. At the preliminary evaluation held on 23 December 2005, 46 teas were chosen by the jury according to the appearance, tea color and aroma. In the second round on 28 December 2005, professional evaluators are guided by well-established evaluation processes: in the strip-shaped Paochung tea category, the first-prize winner is Wang Han-yang and the second-prize winner is Wang Jing-yi. In the dark-roasted oolong tea category, the first-prize winner is Huang Qang-dian and the second-prize winner is Chen Hong-zhou. In the light-roasted oolong tea category, the first-prize winner is Li Chan-feng, the second-prize winners are Zhang Qing-yi and Chen Zi-zheng, and the third-prize winners are Su Shen-xian, Li Suo-kuan and Zai Ji-ru. The prize presentation and auction not only attracted tea connoisseurs to bid, representatives from tea farming areas also joined the auction to enhance the brand awareness of different tea blends. The auction was heated and the awarded sum and winner of the champion teas are: the champion strip-shaped Paochung tea was sold at $1.36 million/Kg to the Ping Lin Tea Museum in Taipei County; the dark-roasted oolong tea was sold at $1.3 million/ Kg to the Taiwan Tea Merchant’s Assocaition; and the light-roasted oolong tea was sold at a record price of $1.8 million/ Kg, to the Tien Ren Tea Co., Ltd., the winner of the first tea auction.

Minister Lee Ching-lung of COA indicated, after continual improvement of the cultivation and roasting methods, Taiwan tea has made considerable progress in terms of quality. Today, it is a symbol of excellence of Taiwan’s agriculture. Therefore, agricultural authorities, tea farmers and tea merchants should work closely to promote the premium quality and safety image of Taiwan tea; and the national premium tea competition should provide a platform for mutual learning and support of tea farmers in order to promote premium Taiwan tea throughout Taiwan and across the world, and ultimately to ensure the sustainable development of tea industry in Taiwan.


COA announced that to ensure that consumers could purchase the premium products of the finalists for the Spring Festival at the National Premium Agricultural Product Spring Festival Sale 2006 held at the gymnasium of National Taiwan University on January 13-15 in conjunction with the Third National Premium Rice Competition. Citizens are welcome to join to support Taiwan’s agriculture.