A very sweet shopkeeper in the small village in the mountains yesterday (visited Ho Huan Shen mountain and environs) served this extraordinary green tea. I didn't know that Taiwan was famous for the best green tea, and I've never liked it as much as black (give me a strong cup of PG Tips and I'm fine mate).
But this was a very cool experience and I have to admit that the tea was the best I ever had. The proper Chinese (etc) ritual for serving tea was observed. The tea station—I can't think of a better word for the place where cup warming, aroma preparing, water sloshing etc. goes on—was in the shape of a gigantic sleeping dragon. The tea had the taste of flowers with some subtle third dimension that was hard to put into words, perhaps the best I can do is compare it to the mineral-y taste of some late grapes that also grow at high altitude (the Spätlese Rieslings e.g.). The uplifting, healing kick from the tea was palpable and I left in very high spirits. With a tin of tea from Chi Lai mountain opposite to our location.
Taiwanese people seem very loving and generous.
Tea! Glad you've connected with it Tim. I've been into it for 4 or 5 years now as we have an excellent teahouse here with vast selection of fresh, high-quality teas of all types from all over. I recommend exploring the oolongs, which range from the delicate and flowery through tinged-with-honey to rich, deeply roasted. And Taiwan does oolong the best. One of the most popular is called, in fact, Guan Yin... Tea is just medicine, delicious medicine, for body and mind. (This message has been brought to you by the Consolidated Tea Growers of ... no wait, no it hasn't, promise!)
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