Taiwan Tea Odyssey

Tales of drinking tea in Taiwan

pu'er

  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • Laughtear Chinese Teahouse

    One of my favorite parts of living in Taiwan is going to teahouses. It’s a chance to slow down and unwind, and when on your own, for deeper introspection. Which is a rare luxury when you’re usually chasing around a toddler. When you visit a teahouse here, it’s pretty much a given that the place… Continue reading

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  • The perils of online tea shopping

    This tea was supposedly a 1997 Xiaguan tuocha. Which is a bit older than the Xiaguan teas you typically run into. It was fairly cheap and was easy to throw in my online shopping cart one evening. I didn’t give it much thought. The first clue that something was amiss should’ve been the price. A… Continue reading

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