Teance Fine Teas Blog

Tea Adventures

The best batches of Taiwan Beauty tea are harvested in the…

Tea Adventures

The best batches of Taiwan Beauty tea are harvested in the hellish days of mid summer, at scorching, humid, oven-like temps. The humidity makes one unable to bat an eyelash because that motion alone will induce torrential downpours of sweat. I refuse to go to Taiwan in the summer. Yet, facing the last day of harvest, the best batches all but sold out and the cooler autumn slanted sun bring no cicadas to bite the leaves, I have to settle for what remains.

After tasting through crops from May, June, and as recent as yesterday’s harvest, we settled on a very limited batch from early June- sweet and spicy with classic Taiwan Beauty fragrance. Problem: less than 10#s only.

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It’s scary to be sick in the US. For example, if one had a bad…

Tea Adventures

It’s scary to be sick in the US. For example, if one had a bad cold, you have a choice between cough syrup that doesn’t work, or go see a doctor and take 10 different lab tests just to go home with some Tylenol. Your bill comes and it’s astronomical.
Here in Taiwan, with a fever, headache, severe coughing, sore throat, loss of voice? You go to the local pharmacy, they check you out thoroughly by asking many questions, and then, the pharmacist dispenses a series of antibiotics and what not. I am no longer coughing a few hours later, but have not yet regained my ability to bargain well with my voice. So, some teas will be more expensive this year.
Did I mention I left the pharmacy having paid just 200NT, or about $6?
It’s a mess that people in the US are so concerned about losing their right to carry military grade semi auto fire arms that can kill people at will, passionately defending it like it was a god given right, but are not concerned that they do not get adequate and inexpensive healthcare, even though getting sick is with 100% certainty, but needing to kill someone is 100% not a preferable event? I think, that mentality is a serious ailment in this country.

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Honey Jialong, a unique GABA oolong invented by Mr. Chen. Beyond…

Tea Adventures

Honey Jialong, a unique GABA oolong invented by Mr. Chen. Beyond merely organic. No fertilizers or any-cide: pesticide? Herbicide? None whatsoever, since 17 years ago when he planted this field.

Those who have tasted this tea knows how fantastic it is. Papaya peel, ripe apple fragrance, deep honeyed notes. We got a slightly aged one this time. Fans of this tea, get ready!

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The many faces of HK. So strange to suddenly see foreigners/…

Tea Adventures

The many faces of HK. So strange to suddenly see foreigners/ western people. Though I had American tourists with me, everyone else were Chinese in China. There wasn’t much diversity. I have come to realize that I can’t live in a place without a lot of different kinds of people. Nor can I live in a place without arts or culture or antiquity of some kind. And breakfast need to be not just congee. Nor sugar dripping pastries either. If I can have a poached egg with a dash of spice and a cappuccino for breakfast, and bento with tea for lunch, and wild mushroom risotto with a glass of wine for dinner- wait, only in the Bay Area?
My flight is d-e-l-a-y-e-d, after such a long day of traveling where everything went wrong, it is truly horrific now!

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