Tea Research and Extension Station

Tea Research and Extension Station
行政院農業委員會茶業改良場
Agency overview
Formed	1903 (as Tea Manufacture Experiment Station); 2003 (as TRES)
Jurisdiction	Taiwan (ROC)
Headquarters	Yangmei, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
Parent agency	Council of Agriculture
Website	www.tres.gov.tw/en/index.php

The Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES; Chinese: 行政院農業委員會茶業改良場; pinyin: Xíngzhèngyuàn Nóngyè Wěiyuánhuì Cháyè Gǎiliáng Chǎng) is the research and development center of Taiwan tea where scientists and tea masters conduct study, research and experiment to improve tea plantations, to develop new and better cultivars, to manufacture and educate the industry and consumers in Taiwan. It is located on a 20-hectare (49-acre) site in Yangmei District, a region in which the slightly acidic soil not well suited for other agriculture has seen tea become a major crop.^[1] It is the only professional institution for the study and testing of tea in Taiwan,^[2] and is affiliated to the governmental Council of Agriculture.^[3]

History

The center was originally established in 1903 as Tea Manufacture Experiment Station. In 1968, it was reorganized as Taiwan Tea Experiment Station. In 1999, it was reorganized again as Taiwan Tea Experiment Station. In 2003, it was renamed to Tea Research and Extension Station. The station has developed hybrid tea varieties such as Taiwan Tea No. 18 to boost Taiwanese black tea production^[4]