Discover N°12 Organic Red Oolong
Red Oolong is a uniquely Taiwanese innovation, crafted to push oolong tea to its highest level of oxidation and incorporating black tea techniques into the oolong process. This approach brings it closer to black tea while still retaining oolong’s smooth texture and floral-fruity elegance. This carefully balanced tea, with its light amber hue, carries the richness of a red tea while remaining mellow, silky, and easy to drink, offering a comforting yet uniquely refined experience.
 
Red Oolong refers to a unique processing style that incorporates black tea techniques into the oolong-making process. Our Red Oolong, made from the Jin Xuan cultivar, stands out for its smooth and approachable character. It offers lingering hints of pineapple, wild honey, and dried longan, finishing with a gentle, warm sweetness. Due to the inclusion of black tea processing techniques, the tea leaves are noticeably smaller than those of traditional oolong after rolling. This is a natural characteristic of the process.
 
Brewing Method
We recommend the Gong Fu method for the best experience with this tea. Use 95-100 degree water, 5-8g of tea in a 150ml teapot, starting with 40s → 50s → 60s, then adjust according to your preference for the following steeps. Red Oolong requires less brewing time than other Taiwanese oolongs.
For cold brew: Use a ratio of 1:100, overnight in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
For a hot mug: Use a ratio of 1:100-120, and steep the tea leaves for 1.5-2 minutes for the best flavour.
 
 
From Certified Organic Estate in Taiwan
Formosa Tea Co's N°12 Red Oolong is sourced from a certified organic single estate in Taiwan, ensuring the highest standards of quality and sustainability. Despite being the only cultivar in our collection that is machine-plucked, it is harvested from an estate with official organic certification, guaranteeing that it meets rigorous environmental and quality standards. (UK & Taiwan has signed MOU on mutual recognition of organic products in 2024)
 
 
Historical Background
The Tea Research and Extension Station of Taiwan (TTES) was established in 1903 and has been conducting trial cultivations, where scientists and tea masters study, research, and experiment to improve tea plantations and develop new and better cultivars. Over decades of innovation, TTES has played a key role in advancing Taiwan’s tea industry, leading to the development of Red Oolong in 2008 as a unique processing style that pushes oolong to its highest level of oxidation.
 
While Taiwan is best known for its high-mountain oolongs and oriental beauty, Red Oolong represents a modern evolution of oolong craftsmanship, utilising higher oxidation to enhance natural sweetness while preserving oolong’s signature smoothness. This innovation was designed to highlight deeper honeyed and fruity notes while maintaining a silky texture and warm, lingering finish, without the astringency found in some black teas.