TAOYUAN → TAIPEI · 23:40
We arrived after dark
Before the bags are open, the scent of hot water and tea is already somewhere in the night.
Unpacking the bag closes the first day.
Behind the curtain, the city is still awake. Tomorrow we head for the mountains.
S#01 · 九份 · 08:10
Morning rain washes the stairs
The day begins before the fog lifts: wet stone, quiet lanes and lanterns not yet extinguished.
Under umbrellas, we climb the wet stairs one step at a time.
Rain lowers the sound of the lane and lets the fragrance settle deeper.
When the rain stops, the village emerges from the mountain.
S#01B · 九份 · 09:00
The lantern stairs
After the mines closed, these steps became a street of teahouses.
The higher the stairs, the closer the lanterns.
Teahouse doors open one by one. The first seat is always by the window.
S#02 · 台北 · 11:30
Walking Taipei’s old lanes
Between a forest of signs, a century-old street of tea merchants continues.
On Dihua Street, tea is still weighed by hand.
By the water, the city afternoon turns slowly toward gold.
S#03
The train enters the hills
A single ticket carries the afternoon into the mountains.
Outside the window, city green slowly becomes the green of tea fields.
S#04 · 北埔 · 14:20
Hands move through the tea rows
On these Hakka hillsides, a small wound in the leaf becomes fragrance.
Only leaves touched by summer leafhoppers become Oriental Beauty.
Steam above the tea tray sets the pace of the afternoon.
S#05 · 台中 · 16:40
An old house becomes a teahouse
On streets shaded by mature trees, tea takes on a lighter rhythm.
Bubble tea began here, in a city where tea became play.
S#06 · 阿里山 · ALT 2,200M
Mist settles over the tea fields
Climb beside the forest railway and the air begins to change.
Cloud passes through the fields twice a day. That slow time becomes sweetness.
At two thousand metres the air changes, and the leaves grow slowly.
At the dawn railing, warmth in the hands wakes first.
S#07
The train descends toward the lake
The train leaves the mountain and evening crosses the lake.
Rest an arm on the railing and the colour of the day changes once more.
S#08 · 台南 · 19:30
Clouds move above the pagoda
Taiwan’s oldest city, and the origin of sweetness beside the cup.
Cloud moves slowly around the pagoda as Taiwan’s oldest city prepares for evening.
In Taiwan’s oldest city, we choose the final sweet of the day.
The sweetest moment arrives at the end.
S#09 · 茶館 · 21:10
We push open the teahouse door
At the end of the day, one place remains at the tea table. The next infusion is yours.
Warmth from inside the door arrives first.
Without a word, the host begins by warming the teapot.
STEEPING TABLE
Steep a tea from this route
Six teas from the journey wait at the table. Choose one and adjust its leaves, water and time.
All six teas from the journey are collected in the tea cabinet.