Black Teas

Pouchong (PaoZhong, Baozhong) Tea, Popular in Taiwan

The name means "the wraped kind." Several varieties of teas are wrapped in paper while they cure after drying. Pouchong tea originated in Fujian and was taken to Taiwan, where a variety named Wenshan Pouchong is quite popular. The tea is wrapped in five-ounce packs in paper made from cotton, and dried by baking.

Although Pouchong is sold as green tea, it is lightly fermented, therefore technically no longer green tea. Fermentation time is shorter than for oolong. Thus Pouchong is actually a fourth category, ranking between green and oolong on the fermentation scale. It is made chiefly in Taiwan from the long, thin Fujian-type leaf. It is sometimes used as a base for Jasmine tea.

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