There are so many interesting flavors to discover when walking around Taiwan, from the peculiar, such as “stinky” tofu, to the refreshing, to the likes of ice-cold bubble milk tea. It is said that if the only tea you’ve had is a cup of bubble milk tea, then you probably haven’t even tried the local Taiwanese tea. You may be wondering why this would be the case, and it’s quite simple, really. The export of tea generates a far greater income than the cost of importing tea from other countries, therefore the Taiwan-grown tea flies off while the local shops get tea from their neighbors.
I recently had the opportunity to visit a traditional tea shop, where you start by selecting the tea you want to sample based on scent. They place a box containing about 24 different types of tea leaves in tiny glass bottles with different numbers, and they give you a menu that matches the numbers attached to each bottle. In the menu, you can read a brief description of each tea, and its level of roast and fermentation. Once you’ve decided, they bring you your own little teapot with the tea leaves, a ready-made batch of the tea, and some tiny desserts and dried fruits. They also provide indefinite amounts of hot water so that you can make as much tea as your heart desires.
I myself drank way too much and ended up having a caffeine overload that caused some mild anxiety, but I am sure if I had just drunk a single pot instead of the three I did, it would’ve turned out differently. Definitely an experience worth repeating, as you get to sample both locally grown tea and traditional snacks, in a pleasant environment. Just make you aren’t too loud (like we were) and don’t over-drink.
