Experience Taiwan's tea culture through these museums, plantations and tea houses

Taiwan is known for its world-famous teas. Its tea-making tradition began centuries ago with varietals brought over from mainland China, and the island has since developed its own unique offerings-most notably its high-mountain tea. It's also responsible for the production of a large percentage of the world's oolong-semi-oxidized teas that fall somewhere between green and black varietals.

From tea house ceremonies to overnight plantation stays, there are plenty of ways to experience Taiwan's vast tea culture for yourself. Here are some of the best regions and teas for making the most of your Taiwanese tea adventure.

No visit to Taiwan would be complete without sampling boba, or "bubble tea." Though it may have reached all corners of the globe by now, it's a Taiwanese original. This distinct beverage traditionally consists of Taiwanese black tea and condensed milk, a sweet flavoring such as syrup or honey, and small, translucent tapioca balls or "pearls." No one really knows when and where the first bubble tea was served, but Taichung-Taiwan's second-largest city-is a pretty good guess. Taichung is home to the Chun Shui Tang Tea House, where founder Liu Han-Chieh began serving up cold tea in the late '80s, after noting its popularity in Japan. One day his product development manager, Ms. Lin Hsiu Hui, poured her fen yuan-a sweetened tapioca pudding-into the drink. She loved it. Han-Chieh put it on the menu, and it became one of the tea house's top sellers.

While there are currently dozens of Chun Shui Tang locations throughout Taiwan and China, the original Taichung eatery in the city's West District is worth its own visit. Purchase boba-themed souvenirs like postcards and thermos bottles, and pair your bubble tea with dishes such as kung fu noodles and tofu with shrimp for the full Chun Shui Tang experience.

Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-tea-taste-your-way-through-taiwan-180973641/#8PoD2ddmsOrz11At.99
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