Tost day 7 & 8
Day 7 was mostly a travel day back to Taipei with a stop in Wenshan. Day 8 was the farewell ceremony.
Wednesday 9/20
Travel from Lishan to Yilan, Wenshan.
Visit Wenshan tea manufactory and garden with Jacob Bai.
Travel back to Taipei.
Thursday 9/21
Visit teahouses
Farewell Lunch
As we made our way back to Taipei, we stopped at our driver’s hometown where he recommended a really good place to stop for lunch.
Our final destination for TOST was Bai Qing Chan Tea Factory owned by Jacob Bai and his family in Pinglin District. They’re best known for their high quality Wenshan Bao Zhong tea.
The teas we cupped were brewed at 3 grams with 120cc (4.05oz) water for 5 minutes each.
Bai Mu Dan, Qing Xin cultivar, Wenshan. Harvested Spring 2023.
Bao Zhong, Jin Xuan cultivar, Wenshan. Harvested September, Fall 2023.
Bao Zhong, Qing Xin cultivar, Wenshan. Harvested April, Spring 2023.
Competition Grade Bao Zhong, Qing Xin cultivar, Wenshan. Harvested April, Spring 2023.
Oriental Beauty, Jin Xuan cultivar, Wenshan. Harvested May, Spring 2023.
Oriental Beauty, Tie Kuan Yin cultivar, Wenshan. Harvested June, Summer 2023.
Tie Kuan Yin, Tie Kuan cultivar, Wenshan. Harvested Spring 2023.
Vintage Bao Zhong, Qing Xin cultivar, Wenshan. Baked and aged about 35 years.
Silver Needles from Tung Ting, Lugu. Harvested 2023.
We were on our own for dinner, so Chris and I found a Japanese style ramen place to eat at.
Thursday was the graduation ceremony where we received our Taiwan Oolong Sommelier certificates!
It was back to SOGO for the graduation lunch. There were some tea themed sweets I tried: Earl Grey Apple cake, Tie Guan Yin cake, and Osmanthus Oolong jelly.
After lunch, went to Sunmerry in Dongmen. It’s a popular bakery with a tea shop upstairs. We tried snacks made with tea and did little shopping. My favorite was the Bao Zhong pineapple cake. A few boxes of it came home with me.
That night, Chris took Luz and I to Jiufen in the Ruifang District. Unfortunately, a lot of shops were already closed but it was still a beautiful sight. We went to the Sweet Potato Tea House (we didn’t make it to the famous Amei Tea House before closing) and drank Bao Zhong while appreciating the night-time scenery.
TOST was technically over, but my tea adventures were not! I still had few days left to explore Taiwan.
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