According to Huang Cheng-tsung, head of the Yuchih branch's Tea Processing Section, discussions with local tea growers led the branch to conclude that "local industries should have a Taiwanese flavor." The section therefore selected a cultivar called TTSE No. 18, a cross between a wild Taiwanese tea and a Burmese tea, for the local production and marketing group.
魚池分場製茶課長黃正宗表示，茶改場與茶農討論後，認為「地方特色產業就要有台灣味」，於是選定由風味獨具的台灣野生山茶與緬甸茶種雜交孕育而成的「台茶 18 號」，作為輔導產銷班的新茶種。