Taiwanese tea culture


Taiwanese tea culture includes tea arts, traditional tea ceremonies, and the social aspects of tea consumption. While the most common teas consumed in Taiwan are oolongs, especially Taiwanese oolongs such as Alishan and Lishan, black, red and green teas are also popular. Many of the classical arts can be seen in the tea culture, such as calligraphy, flower arts, and incense arts. Most people in Taiwan drink tea, and tea serves not only as a drink, but also as a part of the culture. The tea culture of Taiwan can be traced back to its roots in Chinese tea culture. Many people visit one of the numerous traditional tea houses or "tea-arts" shops, located all over Taiwan.

History

The island country's tea arts are Chinese that have been influenced by western culture. Gongfu tea ceremony is informally referred to as laoren cha, or "old man tea", which originated in China and has flourished in Taiwan.
Traditionally emphasis has been placed on single origin teas but in the 21st century high quality blended teas gained prominence. Traditional xun tea making, that is making tea from dried petals or stamen of flowers, has also experienced a resurgence.

Tea culture and studies education