Taiwan develops nation's 1st AI black tea production

台灣開發出國內首個人工智慧紅茶生產系統

Smart production line cuts labor needs and boosts operational efficiency


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Tea Research and Extension Station under the Ministry of Agriculture said that it launched Taiwan's first AI-integrated black tea production line.

According to the station, the initiative helps address labor shortages and the aging workforce. With the AI-driven production line, manpower requirements can be reduced by two-thirds, or even to a fully unmanned operation. The daily processing capacity for tea leaves has increased from four to eight tonnes, per CNA.

The station said the production line also features automated equipment for tea leaf storage and transport, rolling, loosening, fermentation, and drying.

Su Tsung-chen (蘇宗振), the station's director, said that heat is generated during the transportation of tea leaves from the plantation to the processing facility. If the process takes too long, the leaves can overheat and redden, leading to lower tea quality.

To address this, Su said the station designed a transport and storage system with air-blowing channels to provide cool air during transit. A shade net is also installed above the system to help maintain tea leaf quality.

AI can intelligently manage the tea production process, including monitoring tea leaf color, equipment operation, and sensing humidity, temperature, and weight, the station said. The technology helps reduce errors caused by manual operation and enhances tea quality.

The station added the AI system can also automatically archive production data and upload it to a cloud-based management platform, enabling managers to monitor production progress in real-time. It hopes the new production line will boost Taiwan's black tea market share worldwide.

According to the General Chamber of Commerce of Taiwan, the main export destinations for Taiwanese tea are China, the US, and Japan. Last year, Taiwan exported nearly 7,000 tonnes of tea to the US, valued at approximately NT$706 million (US$22 million), accounting for nearly 30% of total tea exports. Black tea and green tea made up the majority of these exports.