Taipei, a paradise for tea lovers

Kalpana Sunder

We sit around a polished wooden table as the fragrant golden brew is poured into delicate, china cups that are pre-warmed. Sipping gently, soaking in the old world beauty of the shop, I realise tea brewing is a more scientific and precise process than I had imagined. “1 gm of tea to 80 cc of water,” explains Jason Wang, our handsome guide dressed in a traditional black waistcoat with red lining. We go through seven infusions, as warm water is steeped on the same leaves, extracting a brew of differing strength. Rinsing, decanting, pouring… Jason works with precision, like a scientist in a laboratory. “Usually the second and third brews are the best, but it also depends on individual taste” he explains.

I am at Wang’s teashop in the Dadaocheng area of Taipei, a port area where once there were more than 250 tea factories that exported tea to South East Asia. The company was founded in Xiamen, China, in 1890 by Wang Jing-Hui and moved to Taipei in 1935. Wang, who’s showing us around, has tea literally flowing in his veins — he’s the fifth generation of the family into the tea business. He explains the various ways to identify tea: by the colour, the taste, and the fragrance of the leaves.

“Tea started off as a medicine, and then became a social activity,” explains Wang. From Oolong tea to Bubble tea, there are myraid variations of the brew that are available around the island nation. Tea is an integral part of its history and culture, with the first seedlings brought in from Mainland China by tea traders from Fujian. Good government support for tea cultivation and elevated land for tea growing have made Taiwan a leading tea country.

Wang’s tea house is not just a shop that produces and sells tea. It also doubles up as a place where you can learn about tea and tour their old-fashioned factory, where they still process tea the old fashioned way. The family buys tea from farmers and then refines it, taking it through various processes.

Decorated with exquisite pottery, black canisters of tea in shelves, and a statue of a smiling Chinaman with plaits in a corner, the shop reeks of old-fashioned goodness. On the wall are sepia images of the area in the early 1900s, charts explain the process of making tea from picking leaves to fermentation, grading and packing. In a corner of the room, a lady sits in front of a huge bamboo container set on a low table, picking stems patiently, from the tea leaves using only the thumb and forefinger. We sit beside her, trying to learn the delicate art.

The family has its own secret recipe for blending and roasting, which is what gives its tea a special quality. Wang explains that the only difference between green tea and black tea is the amount of fermentation. He shows us the pressure drying machine that reduces the water content of the leaves. He picks up a small white fluff from the machine and holds it up — it’s solidified caffeine from the leaves! Not quite what I imagined caffeine to look like!

The next room is the tea roasting room, which has large, cylindrical, woven bamboo containers with mesh. They are placed over low ember charcoal, covered with rice husk ash, and rotated to cure the leaves and ensure that they are evenly roasted. Finally, the leaves are passed through a blower that sorts the leaves according to weight. The lighter leaves are used in tea bags and the heavier ones for packaging. “Every step of the processing is important to bring out the flavour, body and fragrance of the tea; it’s an art,” says Wang.

I admire the finished packaging of the different teas that are sold by the shop — from ‘wedding tea’ usually given as gifts to guests at weddings, to packets of Chi Chong tea, which is usually paired with chocolate and desserts, reddish Tiegyaunyin tea named after the Chinese god of mercy, and High Mountain Oolong tea, which is the most popular variety.

I also discover a Indian connection. The Taiwanese tea was derived from the Assam tea leaves brought here by Japanese colonists in the early 1900s, but with different soil and climate they morphed into an entirely original quality down the ages.

Factfile

How to get there: Fly to Hong Kong and connect to Taipei or through Singapore

Stay: There are quite a few boutique hotels with great views of the city

Best time to visit: Between March and May. You can also catch the blooming cherry blossoms

A vibrant city

Taipei, the capital of the sweet potato-shaped island of Taiwan, sits in a basin surrounded by mountains, gushing with hot springs. It’s a vibrant city with vertiginous skyscrapers, rich culture and a great food scene.

Taipei 101, the second tallest building in the world, offers a panoramic sweep of the city, raucous Shilin night market is famous for innovative delicacies like oyster omelettes and stinking tofu, the Beitou area is known for its hot springs, the National Palace museum has a treasure trove of riches from Beijing’s Forbidden City… Clearly, Taipei has a lot of attractions to keep one busy.

For a different youthful vibe, head to the neighbourhood of Ximending, dotted with cafes, bars, shops and eateries. For a peek into local traditions, head to the ornate Longshan temple filled with incense and worshippers. Spend some time in the Dadaocheng area for old tea houses, shops selling herbal medicines, and fabrics with old facades of buildings from the Qing dynasty.