Tea Collection: Baozhong — Pouchong (Taiwan)
What is Baozhong tea?
Baozhong — also known as Pouchong — is one of Taiwan’s most elegant expressions of lightly oxidised tea. Grown in the mist-covered hills of Pinglin and Wenshan, it sits on the delicate border between green tea and oolong, carrying the freshness of spring leaves with the softness of gentle oxidation. The long, twisted leaves open slowly in the cup, releasing a fragrance that feels like stepping into a garden just after rain — orchid, young grass, delicate florals drifting lightly through the steam.
Where many Taiwanese oolongs are rolled into tight pearls, Baozhong is left loose, long, and graceful. This shape preserves its floral volatility; each infusion feels like a quiet unfolding, a slow reveal of its layered sweetness. The liquor is pale green-gold, shimmering with a brightness that speaks of high mountain breezes and the patient, careful hands of small-scale producers.
Its place in Taiwanese tea culture is unique. Baozhong represents restraint, refinement, and a philosophy of letting the leaf speak for itself. To understand where it sits among Taiwan’s diverse tea traditions, it helps to taste it alongside the honeyed complexity of Oriental Beauty or the deeper roasted character of Dong Ding Oolong—two teas that reveal how oxidation and processing shape aroma, structure, and warmth.
Beyond Taiwan, floral-forward teas like Jasmine Silver Needle offer a fascinating contrast: one scented by blossoms, the other defined by the natural perfume of its leaves. And for drinkers exploring the foundations of Asian tea traditions, guides such as The Art of Asian Tea and The Modern Tea Lover’s Guide provide a deeper lens through which Baozhong’s subtlety becomes even more apparent.
Baozhong is not a tea that pushes. It drifts, softens, settles.
A quiet companion for reflective afternoons.
A whisper of Taiwan’s mountains carried in each cup.
Ingredients
5–6 g Baozhong (Pouchong) tea
180–220 ml water at 85–90°C
Equipment Needed
Gaiwan or small teapot
Kettle
Tasting cup
Method
Warm the gaiwan and tasting cup.
Add the Baozhong leaves and inhale the orchid-like aroma.
Pour water gently over the leaves.
Steep 45–60 seconds for the first infusion.
Decant fully into the tasting cup.
Increase steeping time slightly for subsequent infusions.
Enjoy 4–6 rounds, noting how the sweetness deepens.
Notes
Baozhong is highly responsive to water temperature and vessel shape. Lower temperatures preserve its florality; too much heat pushes the tea toward bitterness and obscures its delicate perfume.
Its character becomes clearer when tasted beside teas that share similar origins but express different interpretations of craft. The creamy roast of Tie Guan Yin highlights how oxidation shifts texture, while the bright vegetal purity of Sencha reveals how steaming techniques differ dramatically from Taiwanese processing.
For those who enjoy floral, refreshing cups, Baozhong also pairs beautifully with lighter teas such as Lychee Black Tea, which echoes Baozhong’s natural sweetness but adds its own fruit-forward dimension.
Baozhong is a reminder that refinement does not always come from intensity.
Sometimes it comes from softness — from the willingness to let a tea be exactly as gentle as it chooses to be.
