Taiwan Tea Odyssey

Tales of drinking tea in Taiwan

  • An aged oolong tea party

    This past week I attended another private tea tasting with Liu Laoshi, or Teacher Liu, about whom I wrote a few months ago. Last time, we drank some truly wonderful old pu’er. This time, the focus was aged oolong. And the group was a bit larger— a total of eight people. Most of what we… Continue reading

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  • A private tea party

    Recently I was invited to a private tea tasting, with a pretty specific focus: very old teas. I wasn’t told much else, except that there’d be 8 of them, and it’d cost 3000 NTD ($93 USD). A few weeks earlier I’d stumbled upon a similar gathering hosted by the same man— Liu Laoshi, or teacher… Continue reading

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  • Water matters

    Recently I was having tea with a friend and she started talking about the different ways she pours water. We were having a pretty strong shengpu from Lao Man’e, a region within Bulang known for particularly bitter teas. As we waited for the clay kettle to boil, she explained how there’s two ways she might… Continue reading

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  • Tales of Fake Xiaguan

    There’s a lot of fake tea out there. By which I mean knock-off tea— technically still tea, but not what it claims to be. And usually not great. Recently I’ve ended up with several of these, and thought it would be fun to share some findings. If you’re buying from well-vetted sources, then this is… Continue reading

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  • A pu’er private collector, hiding in plain sight

    There’s an antique store in my neighborhood that I walk by all the time. I’ve never paid it much notice until recently, when some yixing teapots in the window caught my eye. I’ve also noticed that the owner likes to sit out front and drink tea, often late into the evening. So the other day… Continue reading

  • The alternate reality of Dayi pu’er investing

    There’s a small subset of pu’er drinkers in Taiwan who buy large amounts of pu’er for investment, not unlike investing in stocks or bonds. While they tend to be serious drinkers and value the quality of their teas, it’s a slightly different mindset, with different intentions. I’ve been curious about this for some time, and… Continue reading

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  • Mei-Jia Tea Garden: an enduring Muzha teahouse

    This past weekend, I went with some friends to Mei-Jia Tea Garden (美加茶園) in Muzha, up the hill in the tea-growing region of Maokong. They offer a “Tea Experience DIY” tour where you can pick tea at their farm. In addition to being a fully functioning tea farm, Mei-Jia is one of the many teahouses… Continue reading

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  • A visit with a Muzha farmer

    A few months ago at the Muzha Tieguanyin Competition, the staff introduced me to a farmer who’s particularly known for producing Zhengcong Tieguanyin (Tieguanyin produced from the original cultivar, Hongxin Wai Wei Tao). I’ve continued to be interested in the distinction between different kinds of Tieguanyin in Muzha, so the other week I went up… Continue reading

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  • Pu’er hunting at the Taipei Jade Market

    Recently I decided to try my hand at buying pu’er at the Jade Market in Taipei. Mostly just out of a curiosity to know, is it even possible to find something good here? The Jade Market is a touristy weekend attraction in the center of the city and has a reputation for being filled with… Continue reading

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  • Taipei Expo Farmer’s Market

    I do most of my grocery shopping at the traditional market in my neighborhood. On occasion there’s one or two tea vendors there, which is typical enough of traditional markets in Taiwan. But in Taipei there’s also one market in particular where quite a few tea vendors, many of them farmers themselves, show up every… Continue reading

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