When we were in Taipei for a visit, we went to the highland towns of Maokong, Shenkeng and Shiding for a relaxing time and to sample tea. Let me take you on a virtual tour what it is like visiting these places and enjoying sampling teas.
My mom, sis and I decided that we'd take it easy and relax on our last full day in Taipei. Nothing is more relaxing than a day tasting and learning about teas and Taipei is a great place to do just that. To save time and to make it easy for the three of us, we decided to take a guided full day tour instead of going to different tea points of interest on our own. Our tour included a ride on the Maokong gondola to get to the highlands surrounding Taipei.
It was raining that day which added to the relaxing mood of the day.
The ride itself was relaxing because of the views down below. Foliage, mist, fog and rain. When Mijo and I first visited Maokong ten years ago, the gondolas or cable cars were out of service so we took the bus to go to Maokong. It was not as relaxing as riding the gondola.
There are cherry trees around the Maokong station and they were in bloom that time. It was such a pretty sight. I made a mental note that cherry blossoms happen earlier in Taipei and maybe it is worth another visit in the future.
Near the Maokong Station is the Tea Promotion Center. I've been to wine tastings where it included the wine making process as part of the tastings. Same with the probiotic drinks, soda, tequila and coffee tastings I've been to. I had immensely enjoyed each tasting trip so I knew I was going to enjoy this tea education.
The center provides free samples of an oolong tea called Tie Guan Yin which has hints of toasted rice and has a sweet finish. The smell of loose leaf tea fills the entire center. The aroma was sweet and heavenly!
The Center also has a small exhibition area showcasing tea making now and then. Like this basket that was used to bake tea to reduce the moisture of the tea to improve its flavor and aroma.
The equipment below is called a withering stand. This was used to dry the tea indoors.
Here is a sample of a loose leaf green tea.
The center also showcases modern equipments used in processing tea nowadays.
Here is a panning machine that dries the leaves to reduce the moisture and to stop the fermentation process in the leaves resulting to better aroma and flavor.
A short drive from the Tea Promotion Center is a picturesque street called Shenkeng Old Street.
It is a street with old Taiwan architecture. Lots of lovely shops, restaurants and cafes. We were told by our guide that this place is a great place to sample tofu - stinky, savory or sweet. They have them in Shenkeng Old Street. Our guide was helping us sample unique food and snacks as we strolled along the street.
A beautiful temple wall.
Retail therapy is king here. They sell lots of cute souvenirs as well.
I like the red and gray bricked buildings. I also love the details of the street pavement.
Speaking of tofu and snacks, I found it a challenge to choose which sweets to get. We had already sampled stinky tofu by the time we got to Shenkeng Old Street because of our visits to the Shilin night Market. We were pros already so it was not scary at all to sample them again.
Here's a sweet snack that I sampled and loved - black sesame seed snack.
Here's another snack that I enjoyed - sweet soy bean curd. It is kind of a tofu but with a gelatinous consistency.
Here's our stinky tofu snack. Yummy!
We finally sat and had a quick and light lunch of tofu with mixed seafood and streamed bamboo. It was delicious. We were told that bamboo is another specialty of Shenkeng Old Street.
Our next destination was Shiding Old Street which is a short drive from Shengkeng Old Street. This time we went inside Fongchun Tea shop to sit down and sample tea.
The tea shop is very pretty and the sweet aroma of tea welcomed us. I could see the steaming pots of water from afar and I could hear the gentle clinking of tea cups being arranged on a table nearby.
Since we were in a small group, we were ushered to a private room at the back of the shop. The room has lots of natural lighting and a view of the creek down below. When we got there, the table was already set up for tea tasting.
For this tea tasting, there were lots of wares on the table. I've been to other tea tastings before and it was not this elaborate. I got curious right away what I would be learning from this experience.
Our tea educator has a tea pot next to her and she has different cups that will be used for brewing the tea, a pot for pouring the tea, a strainer, a bowl used for dumping the used tea leaves, another bowl for dumping extra tea, a bamboo spoon for getting tea from the container, tea cups for serving the tea, and a bamboo serving plate for measuring tea. I hope all those wares are dish washer safe because these are a lot of tea accoutrements to wash by hand.
The first step was taking in the aroma of the tea leaves. I took a whiff. There was a hint of sweetness in the scent of the loose leaves.
Our tea educator also warmed our tea cups in preparation for the tea sampling. This was necessary so that the temperature of the water from the pot to remain the same during tea sampling. This was also to rinse the tea cups.
Here's the tea cup where the tea will be brewed in. Notice the lid? For the first brew, the brewing time was quick. This process was also to 'awaken' the tea leaves. This is the step where the tea flavor is controlled by the length of brewing time.
Our tea educator then poured the brewed tea into a tea pot with a strainer for serving. And then, the tea is poured from that tea pot into the individual cups.
From the individual cups, we each poured its contents into our small bowls. The first brew is noticeably light in color. We first smelled our tea and then we went ahead and sampled the tea. The taste was delicate and mild.
We paired our tea tastings with these sweets made of dried fruits, coconuts, nuts and rice flour.
For the second brew, the brew time was much longer. The tea leaves expanded in size after the first brew and the leaves were noticeably larger in size. The same procedure - brew the tea but for much longer, pour the brewed tea into the tea serving pot with a strainer, pour the tea into each individual tea cups, and then we each pour the contents into our own small bowls for tasting.
The color is much deeper compared to the first brew. The flavor also changed to a more potent taste and texture. We were told we can do another round of brewing using the same leaves until there is no more flavor extracted from the process.
That was such an enlight-tea-ning experience!
After such an enjoyable and educational tea tasting, we walked across the street to check out Shiding Old Street. We were told that Shiding used to be an agricultural area specializing in tea and camphor. Later on during the Japanese Era, it turned into a mining town.
Nowadays, there are tofu, tea, blacksmiths, and souvenir stores dotting the old street.
A short drive away is the Bagua Tea Plantation. Rows and rows of tea bushes cover the hill side. It is like carpeting the entire landscape with lush green plants. It was a pretty sight!
I wonder if they accept volunteers during leaf harvest? I'd volunteer in exchange for tea immersion classes. Sign me up please!
The best teas, we were told, are from the young leaves of the tea plant.
Our last destination in this guided tour was the picturesque Thousand Island Lake. What a view to cap our enjoyable and educational tour of the tea!
My mom, sis and I truly had a relaxing, fun, and educational trip to sample tea. I hope to explore more of Taiwan's tea someday.
~rl
No comments:
Post a Comment