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Dear reader: This article contains links to products and services that I may be compensated for, at no extra cost to you. Get a pencil and notepad ready! But Taiwanese teas especially hold a place in my heart, often connected with visiting the regions where they were grown. I mean real tea. Taiwan is known for its high quality tea, especially oolong tea. Start with my 50 favorite places in Taiwan , my 50 favorite places in Taipei , and some Mandarin phrases for beginners. Eco-Cha supports small-scale farms using sustainable methods and can mail internationally. There are some great tea-related attractions that you can explore as day trips from Taipei , which I will cover in detail in this article. This excellent half-day tour focuses mainly on tea plantations in Pinglin, while this full-day tea day tour also includes the Maokong tea growing area in Taipei City. You can learn about the different types of Taiwanese tea and tea ceremony in this tea tasting class. If you prefer being on your feet, try this customizable walking tea tour , which takes place in one of my favorite Taipei neighborhoods, Dadaocheng. In southern Taiwan, this day tour from Taitung includes a visit to a tea growing area in Luye. If you contact them, please let then know that Nick sent you over. Despite all the varieties available, all true teas are brewed from cured leaves of the same plant, Camellia sinensis. Tea originated in Southwestern China , becoming a popular recreational drink during the Tang Dynasty AD , then spread to other parts of Asia. The two main varieties of tea are Camellia sinensis var. Caffeine levels vary in tea, but contrary to what some say, your typical cup of tea has less caffeine that a cup of coffee. Tea may be higher in caffeine by volume, but quite a bit less tea leaves are used than coffee beans to brew a single cup. In China and Taiwan, tea is traditionally consumed hot and with nothing added. It is more commonly enjoyed as an afternoon refreshment for social gatherings, either at home or in traditional tea houses. While the majority of Chinese and Taiwanese teas are unflavored , you may encounter some with flavors, which may be real or artificial. Many factors affect the characteristics of a tea, including climate, altitude, water, and soil, but what separates them into the main varieties is the method of post-harvesting production. Many Taiwanese teas have been transplanted from China, but with a new terroir, they take on new characteristics, and some varieties have been developed only in Taiwan. Typically, they are named after the place where they are grown , for example, Alishan High Mountain tea comes from the area around Ali Mountain, but in some cases when seedlings from the original place are grown elsewhere they may still be given that name. Taiwan actually has an indigenous tea that early settlers found growing in the mountains and being used by the aboriginals. Some believe that it may be a tea variety of its own, Camellia formosensis. Camellia sinensis Chinese tea was first brought over to Taiwan in the 19th century from Fujian province in China, where the famous Wuyi tea region is located. Oolong tea was found to grow particularly well in Taiwan after it was planted in the Lugu area of Nantou and in northern Taiwan. Tea became a major export, and around the time the capital of Taiwan was moved to Taipei, a thriving riverside port called Dadaocheng developed around the tea trade. After Taiwan became a Japanese colony in , the Japanese shifted from oolong to black tea production in Taiwan to compete with the British. The Japanese also established the Tea Research and Extension Station in , which sought to develop new cultivars and improve or perfect existing ones. To this day, the institution has developed 22 or more new cultivars, some of which are internationally sought and even grown in other countries, such as Thailand. See more details on that in my guide to tea in Thailand. After the Japanese left in , production of black tea dwindled, but a small industry remains, with Ruby Red TRES tea 18 , which is a cross between native Camelia formosensis and Camelia assamica from Burma, often considered the best black tea made in Taiwan, with notes of mint and cinnamon. Starting in the s, the TRES and Taiwanese government began encouraging local farmers to experiment with growing tea at higher altitudes. Little did these early pioneers know that they were onto something that would have a massive impact on the Taiwanese tea industry. The oolong tea grown at higher altitudes was found to have an incredible flavor. Lower amounts of oxygen in the air meant that the tea plants grew slower, with flavor chemicals becoming more concentrated in the leaves. Damp air from the sea and misty slopes of the Central Mountain Range were found to produce teas so fine, the name High Mountain Tea was coined. The Alishan region was the first testing ground, and even today, Alishan High Mountain Tea remains the most famous. However, farmers have tried to go even higher in other parts of Taiwan, under the assumption that the higher you go, the better the tea will test. High mountain tea farming is known to be bad for the environment , as it leads to deforestation and soil erosion, so the government is even dismantling some of its high mountain tea farms. In fact, Taiwan produces such a limited amount of tea that almost none of it is exported. Taiwan actually has to IMPORT a large amount of tea to meet local demand, particularly for bottled and iced tea beverages, which are massively popular among all ages in Taiwan. This is why you may find that tea from Taiwan is quite expensive by international standards, and export is mainly limited to small artisanal distributors like Eco-Cha. The amount of oxidation also called fermentation that tea leaves undergo after being harvested determines the variety of tea. The following are in order from least to most oxidized. White tea comes from Fujian province in China, and as far as I know it is not produced in Taiwan. Like white tea, green tea is totally unoxidized , but has a stronger flavor. Green teas tend to be sharp and possess citrus or vegetal undertones. It is believed that by roasting or pan-firing the leaves immediately after harvesting, they retain much of their natural flavor. China and Japan produce most green teas. Taiwan produces some green teas, but they are less common than oolongs. As such, oolongs are highly varied. They can be steeped multiple times, and each steeping produces different flavors. Oolong teas are by far the most common ones produced in Taiwan today. Black tea leaves are fully oxidized , giving them the most robust flavor. They are the most common kind of tea consumed in the West, and produced mainly in India and Sri Lanka, though China does produce some as well. Many of them are blends, and sometimes flavors are added for example the addition of oil of bergamot to produce Earl Grey tea. This is not an added flavor. The honey scent is a natural aroma that results from the bites of little bugs on the leaves, just like the more famous Oriental Beauty see below. Pu Er tea is a fully fermented and aged tea that is unique to Yunnan province in southwestern China. Pu er is sometimes but not always! It often comes packed in large dense round cakes like in the picture below. Read more about the differences here. It is very easy to find Pu-er tea in Taiwan, but all of it is imported from China. The high altitude, humid, and misty mountains of Taiwan provide the perfect growing conditions for oolong tea. More than 25 varieties of tea are grown in northern Taiwan alone, and most of them are oolongs. Taiwan hosts annual tea tasting competitions, and the winning teas can fetch prices as high as USD per kilogram or more. The following are some of the most common varieties found in Taiwan:. Baozhong originated in Fujian province and is named after the unique square packages that it comes wrapped in. You can tour Baozhong tea-growing areas from Taipei. Baozhong tea is a personal favorite of mine. Named after the Goddess of Mercy, this tea also originated in Fujian, but is now commonly grown in Taiwan, especially in the Maokong area of Taipei city. There are many varieties, and they vary from light to medium bodied. Like Iron Goddess, it is usually light to medium bodied and roasted, with a flavor profile that I often find to be nutty. The tealeaves are usually rolled into dense little balls that unfold when you add hot water. It has a creamy mouthfeel that seems to coat the mouth, and a sweet, long-lasting aftertaste. Alishan high mountain tea is sold for as high as USD per kilogram. Also see my comparison of Alishan and another Taiwanese oolong tea, Dong Ding. Shanlinxi is yet another high mountain tea region in Taiwan. The characteristic of this tea are roughly similar to Alishan High Mountain Tea. Little bugs called tea grean leafhoppers are intentionally left on the leaves when harvesting, as their bites initiate early fermentation that lends that tea an incredible honey flavor. In a market where high mountain oolongs reign supreme which personally I kind of get bored of sometimes , Oriental Beauty is refreshingly different. A solid choice for buying Taiwan tea online from anywhere in the world is Eco-Cha, which sells artisanal teas from producers that practice sustainable farming, and has a great tea of the month program. The magazine is extremely informative and I would highly recommend it for tea and meditation lovers who want to take their love of a tea to a higher level, but heads up that it is spiritual in nature. One interesting method for buying tea in Taiwan is to visit a tea producing area and buy tea directly from the growers or in local shops in that area. Buying tea in this way creates an association in your mind between the tea and your experience in that area, making it all the more enjoyable when you brew it later. See more details about these regions below. You can find many stores specializing in Taiwanese tea in all the major cities , many tourist centers especially Alishan and Sun Moon Lake , and even at the airport and in most grocery stores. The clerks speak impeccable English and can describe all the characteristics of the teas to you before you buy. There are dozens of varieties on display in large metal barrels, and the main local varieties are sorted according to quality, ranging from very cheap to very expensive. One jin is equivalent to grams. For most of the varieties mentioned above, the highest quality goes for NTD USD per jin, the second goes for per jin, the third for , and so forth, with the cheapest ones going for as low as NTD60 per jin. The lowest quality ones are mostly stems and powder, while the highest ones have the largest concentration of perfect leaves. If you want even lower than the lowest quality, go to your local supermarket and buy a box of teabags. They are also familiar with Western units of measurement. The bag of baozhong will be about three times as big! Personally, I always go for the third or second highest quality. This is still VERY good tea, and I think only a true connoisseur would be able to tell the difference between the top three qualities, yet the price drops enormously between each of them. This tea shop was established over years ago and specialized in Baozhong and high mountain oolongs. But the coolest part is that they are the only remaining shop in Taipei where the tea leaves are roasted in the traditional manner over hot coals, right inside the shop! You can visit the back room where they do this, and if you are lucky enough to visit during one of the roastings, there will be a wonderful smell. If you want to buy tea there, you can sit down to a private sampling session with an expert. The owner of this tea shop is extremely passionate about tea. When I recently visited with my kids, he happily prepared some tea for us and told me all about his unique roasting method. He only asks that you call to book a spot first. You can sample any of their teas before purchasing. Looking for a place to stay in town? Traditionally, tea drinking is a relaxed, social affair in Taiwan and can last for hours. In terms of day-to-day consumption, most busy Taiwanese drink bottles of iced tea from or pearl milk tea-type concoctions from tea shops these days. At most, you can expect to pay NT or higher for a pot of tea, which includes all the equipment needed and enough tealeaves to brew multiple brews over the course of however long you want to sit there. This famed establishment is housed in a Japanese era home that was an underground meeting spot for artists, intellectuals, and dissidents during the later days of the White Terror period of martial law in Taiwan. The menu has a range of Taiwanese and Chinese teas. They have a tatami room or regular tables and chairs. The staff on hand speaks English and is highly knowledgeable. For newbies, they will even show you how to make the first brew. Yongkang Street, famous for its restaurants and food stalls, is also home to several excellent teahouses. See my self-guided tour of Yongkkang Street for more details. The price starts at NT per pot of tea. Add for a second person. It faces Yongkang Park. The latter two are housed in gorgeous Japanese-era homes and come with guided tea brewing and a tour of the premises. It is conveniently located in Ximending district , in a square that also features a Japanese shinto shrine. A pot of tea with choice of two snacks goes for NT Also find places to eat in the area in my Ximen food guide. Maokong is also a great place in Taipei with many traditional tea houses in rural natural surroundings overlooking Taipei. For a non-traditional tea experience in Taipei, Matcha One has the best matcha and matcha desserts in the city, while Coffee Space Coftail does tea and coffee infused cocktails. Many other cocktail bars in Taipei also use traditional Taiwan teas in their cocktails. In New Taipei City, Jiufen is a popular old mining village turned into tourist resort town, and a probably the single most popular of the many day trips from Taipei. Find all the details in my guide to Jiufen and information on how to get to Jiufen here. Terraced tea fields are highly photogenic places, and there are many places in Taiwan, even as easy day trips from Taipei , where you can get up close to admire their simple beauty. Taiwan is also home to several interesting and informative tea centers and museums. In the foothills of Nangang district, eastern Taipei City, Jiuzhuang is the first place that grew Baozhong tea in Taiwan. The modern, zen-like facilities feature large wooden tables, Western- and Japanese-style private rooms, and great mountain views in the distance. Tea processing equipment and educational exhibits are also on display. On weekends the center also leads eco-tours and holds tea-themed activities. They serve a variety of tea-infused dishes, such as tea oil noodles and tea stewed chicken. There are some nice walking trails in the area with lovely views over terraced tea fields. Buses are infrequent, and if I remember correct, the ride takes about 20 minutes. You can enjoy the best Pinglin has to offer on the Thousand Island Lake and Pinglin Tea Plantation tour , including the tea museum and visiting a gorgeous tea plantation nearby see below. Located southeast of Taipei, all Taiwanese know it as the midway point on the old mountainous highway 9 from Taipei to Yilan. Drivers used to stop here to enjoy a cup of local baozhong tea and lunch, until the freeway was opened in , bypassing Pinglin with a series of tunnels. But now Pinglin has made a comeback by cleaning up Beishi Creek, the waterway which runs through town, and lining it with bicycle paths from which cyclists can admire pools filled with large catfish, and fields of tea Giant bicycles can be hired in town. Most of the shops in the one-street town sell tea, tea derived products, or foods infused with—you guessed it—tea. Personally, I really enjoyed the deep fried tealeaves, and you can never go wrong with matcha ice cream or tea eggs. A good place to go if you just want a single cup of tea is the little teashop on the outer wall of the museum near the entrance. There are also multiple riverside campsites in the Pinglin area. The ride takes about 40 minutes. Bicycles can be hired in Pinglin town. For another place to try tea-infused foods in Taiwan, see 38 of my recommended things to do in Yilan. You can get here by taking the bus towards Pinglin, getting off at the nearest stop, then hiking down to find the trail. A much easier way to visit is by taking the Thousand Island Lake and Pinglin Tea Plantation tour , this tea day tour that also includes Maokong, this one that focuses mainly on the tea plantation only, or this hiking and tea-focused tour. The picture-perfect terraced tea fields rolling down to the turquoise waters of the reservoir with mountains rising straight out of the reservoir form a commanding backdrop. Maokong offers Taipei folk and lots and lots of tourists the chance to get up into the tea fields via glass-bottom gondola directly from the Taipei Zoo MRT station, and offers dozens of traditional teashops to choose from. The gondola even passes over some tea fields. Arriving at Gondola Station, you can do some hikes in the article with views of tea fields, such as the below pictures, or choose from one of dozens of teaditional teahouses in the area. I introduce my favorites in my Maokong guide. A great way to visit Maokong is on this full-day tea tour that also includes Pinglin. Interest in tea tourism seems to be growing in recent years based on the number of tours offered and also emails and questions that I get from readers. However, the tea tourism industry in Taiwan is young, and it is not very easy to visit or stay on tea farms around Taiwan. I have spend a lot of time researching this and trying, and below are what I consider the best options. If you want to actually stay on a tea farm, the best and only? There is a network of trails you can hike among the tea farms, and the scenery is phenomenal, so this is truly a paradise for those who are interested in tea tourism. Another very cool hike through tea plantations is nearby, called Eryanping Trail. See guide to on Alishan for more information about traveling to Shizhuo, Fenqihu, and Alishan, and my complete article on Alishan High Mountain Tea and why it is so popular. Sun Moon Lake is a gorgeous and popular tourist destination, but the region north of the lake, between Sun Moon Lake and Puli , is also famous for its black teas, especially Ruby Red Here you can find multiple tea-related sights and activite, most notably the Antique Assam Tea Farm. There is even a tea themed guesthouse, and if you get off the main road and drive up some mountain roads, you can find some beautiful terraced tea farms. See my article on Sun Moon Lake tea for all the details about these tea-related attractions. Sun Moon Lake can even be visited as a day trip from Taichung. Another place to see beautiful tea fields or buy tea in Taiwan is Luye, a tiny town more like a rural area with a train station in Taitung County. You can read about cool places to visit in Taitung here. The best way to see the tea fields is to rent a scooter near the train station and then drive up to the Luye Highland. The main teas grown here are jinxuan milk oolong , red oolong , and honey scented black tea. You can also take this day tour from Taitung that includes Luye. See my article on Luye, Taitung for all the details. You can find anything there from dirt cheap functional ware to authentic traditional sets and modern ceramics artworks. The Yingge Ceramics Museum is also really impressive! The main purpose of rinsing the tealeaves is to get rid of the bitterness. Next, more water is added to the pot and the leaves are steeped for about 1 minute or up to two minutes for some darker oolongs, such as Oriental Beauty tea. Also note that the ideal temperature for brewing tea varies according to the tea. The ideal water temperatures for various teas are as follows according to the Pinglin Team Museum; information online varies slightly :. Oolong teas can be steeped a few times, while pu er tea can be steeped ten or more times. For each subsequent brew, the leaves should be steeped longer. Supposedly, each round brings out different flavors in the tea. It can help a lot to watch some videos to guide you through this process. Try watching this one and this one! My mother in law always gives us so much tea when she comes to the USA from Taiwan! This is a great post! Luckily I picked up quite a few loose leaf teas Alishan and Dong Ding Oolong specifically to hold me over until I visit again. Hi Nick , Very informative site. Thank you. I have a question, Would you know of any places to get formal training of tea in Taiwan? Hi Ranie, no unfortunately I am not aware of any, especially in English. There are only some short, hours introductions to Taiwanese tea culture. Thanks for sharing this informative and enlightened article. The Lin Mao Sen Tea shop was very helpful in getting the tea for my flavor preference. Thanks for reading and getting in touch! Your site is such a big help for our first-ever trip to Taiwan this July. In fact, its my main reference. Thank you for your generosity. More power to you and your beautiful family! Thank you so much Joy! I hope you enjoy your trip, and let me know if you have any questions! Nick, thank you so much! Your article gave me a great overview of Taiwanese tea. Can you give me a tip on where to buy good tea in that city? Thanks again for this informative website! I hope that helps! I plan my trip and with your help I have done so much preparations! Your blog is just brilliant source of info. I know Japanese and Chinese tea but before the trip to Taiwan I was not thinking much of Taiwanese tea! Now we are definitely going to Sun Moon lake and Alishan and now I have found this post! Thank you so much, Koena! Let me know if you have any questions later! Hi Nick, Thank you for these informative article. I am planning to buy affordable flower teas when I visit taiwan, do you know any places where I can buy those? Again so happy to read this post, so much help! There are several shops on that street that you will easily find that sell a variety of teas, including lots of flower teas. Many of them display such products out on the street. Good luck, and let me know if you have any more questions! Thank you Nick for all the great info! Loved reading it and learning more about Taiwanese tea. Just visited A-Mei teahouse in Jiufen. It was a lovely but noisy experience. Thank you for the kind words Karolina! Thank you Nick for useful information. My mom loves tea from here and the clerk was quite helpful Love to visit there whenever I come to Taiwan again. Nick, when I was in Taipei in , I bought a tea that looked like strips of tree bark. When you broke the bark by snapping in half it contained whitish fibres that stretched as you pull them apart. I never learned the name of the tea, I remember the taste, light woody taste, the tea colour when brewed was a dark red cinnamon. Any idea what it was. I would love to buy it again. Sounds like an interesting tea though. Thank you so much for this post! Helps me to dream while staying at home due to the pandemic. Best, Maria. Thank you so much for your blog Nick. So lucky I found your blog. Keep it up Nick. Best for you and your family. Thank you Nick. Chen Tea? If yes, does it sell quality tea? Hope it arrives soon, and let me know how it is! I found them to be a quintessential local-Taiwanese experience. Hi, sorry I missed this comment earlier! Maybe they were different before? We visited Jilin tea plantation in Ruisui while we were in Taiwan and they do produce some white teas in that region. It was actually a really delicious white tea. Hello Nick. Staying in my friends apartment in Taipei and travelling around. However your blog is a minefield of fantastic tips and information. Thank you! Hi Nick, thanks for your very informative website about tea and travelling within Taiwan. We are planning a trip to Alishan Railway Forest with two young kids and would like to do a mini tour of a team farm on the way back. Do you have any recommended tea farms that can offer a mini tour preferably in English, but Mandarin is ok? The best you can do is to stay in one of the guesthouses run by tea farms in Shizhuo find the link to my Shizhuo article in this article or just search Google. The tea farms are all built on the side of a mountain, and there are some great hikes through them, but all of them are steep with lots of stairs — important to know if visiting with kids. If you stay at Hinoki guesthouse, they will do the same very quick look at their tea drying facility and farm, but literally just a couple minutes. Hope this helps! Dear Nick, You created a wonderful and informative site. Thank you so much. I would love to have your advice. We will have some transfer time in Taipeh on a Thursday in July. We could be downtown somewhere around but have to head back to the airport already at flight to Japan at What place could you recommend for that hour? Many thanks for an answer Midori. Indeed many places are closed at that time in the morning to , since you need one hour to go back to the airport. You could go for traditional taiwanese breakfast please see my article about where to find breakfast around Taipei Main Station on my TaiwanObsessed website. All the traditional teahouses I checked open around 11 AM. Many, many thanks for your fantastic, detailed guide. I and my family just got back from Taiwan not 3 days ago, and the highlight of our trip was the half-day tea tour to Pinglin we booked based on your recommendations. The guide spoke English for the non-fluent members of the family, and the owner of the tiny tea shop we visited was a walking encyclopedia of all things tea. His Baozhong tea and honey-scented tea blew our minds. Taiwan Taiwan Obsessed new site! Old Formosa oolong tea poster at the Pinglin Tea Museum. More than 25 varieties of Taiwanese tea on display at the Pinglin Tea Museum. Baozhong and tieguanyin swirl ice cream at Maokong. Baozhong pouchong Taiwanese tea. Matcha cocktail at Coffee Space Coftail. Related Posts. Thank you Nick for the great post! Really well written! Thank you Tina! With Apprciation. Ranie Reply. Great to hear, Mihwa. Best, Maria Reply. Thanks for reading, Maria, and I hope we can all travel to Taiwan again soon! Thanks a lot Sammy! Hope to hear from you, Cheers Reply. Super super helpful, thank you for this blog! UK Reply. Many thanks for an answer Midori Reply. Dear Nick, Many, many thanks for your fantastic, detailed guide. So glad to hear that you had a good experience!