Travel Log 2024: Taiwan

Taiwan beckoned us. We flew over to meet George Shu in Taipei. When we ate with him at a stylish restaurant, we were joined by Joe Lin. Joe brings our teas into Taiwan. So that even in a great tea area, Harney & Sons teas are appreciated. George is getting on in his years, so we visited all his dear tea friends around Taipei, sort of like a Greatest Hits tour. Since his youth, Taipei has grown, and many of the tea gardens have been wedged into the urban development. Yet we tasted some great teas. Some were old-school, like George. We also bought Taiwanese Dan Cong, a famous tea plant from Fenghuang, China, which we adore. The Taiwanese version is lighter, but the luscious peach flavors that we adore are there.  Now, no trip to Taiwan is complete without a trip to Ping Ling. The town that tea made! We have to eat at a tea restaurant, where tea is on the menu- soup to nuts. It is here that we bought the Wenshan Baozhong, a lightly oxidized oolong with big leaves and lilting floral notes.

This hectic trip was winding down, but we had one last fling: Nantou. Nantou is a few hours south of Taipei. It is prime oolong country. There, we met with a tea supplier that sourced our Dong Ding, Li Shan, and Ali San. These come from different areas and have different flavors. What they have in common is that they all taste like heaven.

Then it was a wrap. Sure, we were tired, but we were able to reconnect with old friends, shore up existing base teas, and discover some great new artisanal teas. We explore, so you can enjoy.