Can anyone recommend some teahouses or areas? I was thinking of going
to Maokong and taking the new gondola. Tieguanyin is grown there. I
have also heard of Wisteria Tea House. Any other recommendations? I'm
looking for tea as well as nicer quality guiwans and maybe an yixing
pot (I already have too many!). I will also be in Kaohsiung but I've
never found much there in the way of good teashops.

On Jul 4, 9:07 am, TokyoB gmail.com> wrote:

if you are coming to taipei there are several old tea shops in the
same area
a little north of the taipei train station.
also we have a school Tea Studies Education
Certification Program(English) is for people serious about learning
tea for education or career related purposes. And is usually two days
with several different Tea Master Instructors and demonstrations, tea
tasting, brewing methodology, processing, classification, hands on
brewing, also handouts in Chinese/English.
listed in the lonley planet
http://teaarts.blogspot.com/2008/03/learn-and-teach.html

It depends how much time you have. Apart from Mucha (Maokong) which is
really good I find Taipei a great disappointment regarding good tea.
Yes, near the station there are a few places, if you can find them.
Almost all you find is glitzy shops selling pearl tea! If you can,
visit Pinglin about 40 km south of Taipei where they produce Pao-chung
tea (包種茶 paper-wrapped tea) and have a large tea museum, the largest
in Asia ( http://www.sinica.edu.tw/tit/museums/0397_Tea.html ). Lots
of good tea-sellers along the street there. For any serious purchase
of pottery / ceramics, take the train to Yingge (still in Taipei
county) and spend a few hours in the very large number of shops along
the street just beside the station (visit the ceramic museum, too
http://www.ceramics.tpc.gov.tw/en-us/Home.aspx...

TokyoB wrote:

I would highly recommend a jaunt to Chiufen which is a lovely village on
the coast, not too far from Taipei, and is situated on a mountainside
facing the ocean. Tons of teahouses (and a wee bit touristy I have to
admit), and tremendous views. One of my favorite places to sip tea in an
incredible atmosphere, I wish I were there now....

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I found Maokong too touristy, but the Wisteria Tea House is highly
recommended. Excellent service, atmosphere, and gallery. Ten Ren
(Ten Fu) also operates a tea school in town which is worth visiting if
you can speak Chinese. If I'm not mistaken it also has a large cafe
area on the first floor.

PS There is a little list of addresses for Taipei including telephone
numbers in the ChaDao blog http://chadao.blogspot.com/2007/06/shopping-for-tea-in-chinese-basics-of.html
(the page is big, do a search for Taiwan)

Another site recommends the Luyu Tea Center, "upstairs of a Ten Ren
shop at 64 Hengyang Road," which I think is the place I have been to
between the station and Peace Park. Worth visiting . . .

An

< shop at 64 Hengyang Road," which I think is the place I have been to
between the station and Peace Park.>>

It is. That's the one I meant. Nice selection of tea books there for
sale as well.