Manzhou Gangkou Wild Tea

Manzhou Gangkou Tea is a seed-propagated tea grown in Taiwan's southernmost and lowest-altitude tea region, Gangkou Village in Manzhou Township, Pingtung, where the near-constant Luoshan wind keeps pest pressure — and pesticide use — to a minimum. The relentless gusts toughen the leaves; the liquor is bitter and astringent at first, but a powerful sweetness surges up moments later, which is why locals call it 'wind tea.'

According to the Manzhou Township Office, Gangkou tea is grown in Gangkou Village, Manzhou Township, Pingtung — Taiwan's southernmost tea region at an altitude of less than 100 meters. The near-constant Luoshan wind keeps pests extremely rare, so farmers use almost no pesticide, and most trees are seed-propagated (實生苗) rather than clonal cuttings. Only about 4 to 5 farming households still cultivate it today, making the harvest scarce.

What is Manzhou Gangkou Wild Tea

Gangkou tea originates from wild mountain tea groves near Gangkou Village in Manzhou Township. The tea tree variety is close to Taiwan's native mountain tea, with no artificial fertilizer or pesticide use. The Luoshan wind — a strong northeast monsoon prevailing from October to March each year — has made the leaves tough and thick, with high concentrations of polyphenols. Processing follows traditional handcraft methods; depending on the process, it is produced either as a non-fermented (green tea style) or lightly fermented (baochong style). The liquor is noticeably bitter and astringent at first sip, with a strong, lingering sweetness on the finish. The aroma is wild and unrefined — a uniquely individual style.

The Manzhou Township Farmers' Association operates a Gangkou tea production and marketing class, which is the main channel for promotion and sales. Annual production is only a few hundred kilograms, almost entirely sold out through the Farmers' Association's direct-sales channel each year. The Ministry of Agriculture's Grain and Seed Bureau has issued agricultural product place-of-origin certification. Gangkou tea has been registered by the Council of Agriculture (now Ministry of Agriculture) as a specialty agricultural item. Gangkou tea comes from Taiwan's southernmost tea-producing area and is one of the few commercial tea zones still entirely reliant on wild tea trees — its scarcity is its defining characteristic.

How to drink it like a local

Local Knowledge

Sources: Ministry of Agriculture Grain and Seed Bureau agricultural product place-of-origin certification; Manzhou Township Farmers' Association Gangkou Tea Production and Marketing Class promotion materials. Photos pending replacement with Dio's own photography.