Tea Knowledge
Taiwan Tea Cultivar Numbers: How to Check Names
A cultivar number is an identifier
A Taiwan Tea number helps locate cultivar information; a higher number is not a quality score or a place of origin. Record cultivar, growing place and processing as separate fields.
Start with an official record
Consult the Tea and Beverage Research Station for the formal name, breeding body and publication date. Compare these with the seller’s cultivar and package information. A local nickname alone may not uniquely identify a cultivar.
Build a checking index
List the number, official name and source, intended tea type, product label and any question for the seller. Leave an entry unresolved if its official mapping cannot be checked.
Use TTES No. 26 as an example
The research station describes TTES No. 26 as a cultivar developed for commercial tea uses. Read the source in context and distinguish cultivar characteristics from the flavour of an individual finished tea.
Questions
Does a cultivar name establish geographic origin? No; check the origin separately. Is a higher number inherently better? No; numbering is not a ranking.
A useful question for the seller
Ask which cultivar, place and process apply to the batch in the package, then choose the style that suits the occasion.
Read the columns first
The research station’s cultivar table includes cultivar, name, line, parentage, naming information and intended processing. Read each field in its published context; processing suitability is not an exclusive rule or a flavour guarantee.
Make a 1–26 checklist
Give each number a row for the official name, source, naming information and notes. Leave an official name blank where the source does; use the separate research station announcement for No. 26 and check for later updates.
Example: No. 1
The station’s individual No. 1 page describes its breeding background and processing suitability. Save the link and access date, then compare the product label.
The context for No. 26
The station describes No. 26 in relation to commercial tea needs. That purpose does not mean every finished tea made from it tastes identical.
Three questions before buying
Ask separately about cultivar, growing place and process, then check net weight and format. Leave an unverified field open rather than guessing.
Taiwan Tea Cultivar Numbers 1–26
The Tea and Beverage Research Station table revised on 25 July 2023 lists Nos. 1–25; its name column is blank for Nos. 1–11. No. 26 is listed separately from the station’s 2024 announcement. Numbers identify cultivars and are not quality rankings.
| Number | Name in source |
|---|---|
| TTES No. 1 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 2 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 3 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 4 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 5 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 6 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 7 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 8 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 9 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 10 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 11 | No name listed in the source table |
| TTES No. 12 | Jin Xuan |
| TTES No. 13 | Cui Yu |
| TTES No. 14 | Bai Wen |
| TTES No. 15 | Bai Yan |
| TTES No. 16 | Bai He |
| TTES No. 17 | Bai Lu |
| TTES No. 18 | Hong Yu |
| TTES No. 19 | Bi Yu |
| TTES No. 20 | Ying Xiang |
| TTES No. 21 | Hong Yun |
| TTES No. 22 | Qin Yu |
| TTES No. 23 | Qi Yun |
| TTES No. 24 | Shan Yun |
| TTES No. 25 | Zi Yun |
| TTES No. 26 | TTES No. 26 (2024 announcement) |
Explore related tea guides
When using the index, first check that the number refers to a tea plant cultivar, then compare the official cultivar name, breeding organisation and date of the source. A local nickname, a product name and a tea style can be useful separate notes, but similar wording alone does not establish that they refer to the same cultivar. If a product uses a creative name or describes a flavour, ask the supplier which cultivar is actually used and which batch the answer covers.
Keep the official source address and access date with your notes so a later update can be checked against the original. A cultivar is a useful starting point for understanding a tea; growing place, season, management, processing and brewing also shape the experience. There is no need to memorise a whole catalogue in one sitting. Start with a tea you already enjoy, and let one number lead to the next.
Read the official table in layers
A cultivar row is not a tasting promise. Read it in order: number, official cultivar designation, name field as actually published, parentage or breeding line when provided, naming year, and listed processing suitability. “Suitable for” describes a breeding or processing direction; it does not mean the leaf can only be made into that tea, nor does it guarantee that every commercial batch will show the same aroma.
The 2023 TBR table lists cultivars 1–25. Its name field is blank for numbers 1–11; preserve that blank instead of retrofitting a nickname from another website. Numbers 12–25 have the published names shown in the local index. Cultivar 26 belongs to a separate 2024 TBR announcement. Keeping the publication and date beside each row prevents a later summary from quietly becoming “the official English name.”
Use three identity states when reading a product page
| State | What is available | How to record it |
|---|---|---|
| Matched | The product names a cultivar and the official source confirms the number/name relationship | Record product, source URL and check date |
| Seller-confirmed | The cultivar is supplied for this item but not printed on the visible page or package | Save the seller’s scoped answer and batch/item |
| Unconfirmed | Only a flavour name, mountain name or marketing title appears | Leave cultivar blank and ask; do not infer |
“Jinxuan style,” a milky aroma description or a place name cannot by itself establish TTES No. 12. Likewise, “high mountain” describes neither one cultivar nor one official number. Keep cultivar, origin, harvest or lot, and processing method in separate columns. A product can be transparent in one column and still need clarification in another.
Ask a question that can be answered for this package
A practical seller message is: “Which tea cultivar is used in this product, and does that information apply to the current package or lot? If a TTES number or common name is used, could you share the matching label or source?” The answer should be stored with the item and date, not generalized to every future harvest. If the seller does not claim a cultivar, “not stated” is a complete record—not a defect that needs an invented family tree.
The high-mountain tea quality guide explains why elevation is not a complete quality score; the Jinxuan guide focuses on one cultivar; and the Green Jade guide focuses on another. This page owns the cross-cultivar official-number lookup and evidence states.
Browse the ABoxTik Taiwanese tea selection and compare the cultivar, origin and process information actually shown for each current item. The number is an address in breeding history, not a medal table—No. 26 did not arrive carrying a tiny trophy.
Sources
TBRS cultivar table, revised 2023 · TBRS No. 26 announcement