The Best Tea Shops in Taiwan

After living in this what so-called Formosa Island for 1.5 years, finally i dare myself to post something important (*will be called "survival guide in Taiwan" afterward), aside from my gloomy-curcol-misuh2 stories ;p.

For the first episode of Survival Guide in Taiwan, i'll share the most important stuff called...DRINKS. As we know that by mass, human cells consist of 65-90% water. It's OK not having something to eat, but it will be doomed without something to drink. That's why drinks/water considers IMPORTANT. Xixixi...OK2, let's skip the round and round explanations about drinks/water, whilst tea is what i meant.

Don't be surprised with Taiwanese addiction to tea. I think the same case works for Korean, Chinese and Japanese as well. Here, you'll find tea shops almost everywhere. Not all of the tea shops offer a great deal, though. That's why i'm betting my 1.5 year living experience to recommend the nice-great-deal tea at this following tea shops, hence you won't regret buying it ^^V.

1. Al Tea's; A New Tea Shop

This one is definitely THE BEST of all. The tea price is not really expensive (*starts from NT$15 (IDR 4500) for green tea (綠茶; lǜchá); NT$30 (IDR 9000) for milk green tea (奶綠茶; nǎilǜchá; nǎilǜ). I'll recommend pudding milk green tea (布丁奶綠; bùdīng nǎilǜ) which costs NT$40 (IDR 12000) or milk (black) tea with caramel (奶茶 與 焦糖; nǎichá yǔ jiāotáng) which costs NT$35 (IDR 10.500) or nata de coco milk green tea (椰果奶綠; yēguǒ nǎilǜ) for NT$40 (IDR 12000). Irresistible...*drooling*

2. 清心福全冷飯站 (qīngxīnfúquánlěngfànzhàn ; Ching Shin Fu Chuan Tea Station)

This tea shop is nice, actually. But the price is not worth it. Moreover, the taste and the place aren't as good as Al Tea's. For example, 500 ml's milk green tea in this shop costs NT$35-NT$40 while at Al Tea's costs NT$30 for 700 ml.  Hehehe..well, it's not much..but customer satisfaction is numero uno, right ;p? *especially for picky customer like me =))*

3. Julie

Julie is almost as great as Al Tea's. Very close. The shop's modern concept is good. The price is OK. But, it lacks of variety and its prix fixe is in Chinese. Hehehe...not so friendly for a foreigner.


4. 50 嵐 (50 lán)

50 嵐's tea is great, a little bit more expensive than Al Tea's, though. But, it's just not as addictive as Al Tea's tea. Xixixi...

5. 有間冰店 (yǒujiānbīngdiàn)

Hohohooo...有間冰店 is absolutely GREAT. I couldn't ask for more. Cheap, yet the teas there taste as great as Al Tea's teas. This tea shop is downhill my dormitory. I go there once in a while. Ssshhh..it's a secret ---> the fact is teas here aren't that cheap. About  the same with Al Tea's pricing. But that beautiful owner you can see on the picture keeps giving me (*me = us = Indonesian students) lower price. Hahahaa...awesome, eh?^^

6. Share Tea

 

Share tea claimed its store as a pioneer in founding pearl milk tea. But i doubt it. Since in some articles i've found noted that the very first pearl milk tea invention was on the late 80s, whereas Share Tea Shop mentioned that they were started their business on 1992. Xixixi..such a reckless failure ;p. Anyhow, i'm pretty much like the teas from this shop, outside of its a-little-bit-expensive price and too-milky flavor. The unique tea served here is taro milk tea (塔罗奶茶; tǎluó nǎichá) which costs NT$35-40. 

No worry, I still looking for another great deal tea shops. I'll remember to post it here whenever i find one^^.

新年快樂 !

It's too early to say "Happy Chinese New Year" though^^. But because the end of the semester has come and some of the int'l students are planning to come back to their country, Chinese New Year Party in my university has been scheduled earlier.

I remember last year when i missed the bus, thus making me failed to join Chinese New Year Party, meant i couldn't get 紅包 (hóngbāo; red envelope). Hehehe *kumat dah mata duitannya*.

Since i didn't join last year's party, i have nothing to compare to. Hmmm...all in all, it was just like the regular celebration, except for the "bowing and burning incense (香火; xiānɡhuǒ) to pay respects to the ancestors" session.

Well, being a president of ISA-NCYU means i have to get ready to be a celebrity ..anytime..anywhere *puke*. It just happened that I have to represent my friends to accept the red envelope from the rector. Oh oh...btw, after the red envelope-receiving ceremonial, i heard an unpleasant truth. The HUGE red envelope i received before, used to be filled with extra cash. "Last year, Mas Away got NT$1000, Mbak", said Eti. *TINGS* without hesitation, i peeped the red envelope. It was...EMPTY. *ROFL...sucks*

Besides that unpleasant truth, everything was just great. Picture tells a thousand words ;p. Check them out:

Oooh...empty 紅包...*sigh*

OK, line up, foods...we'll burst our stomachs if you're rushing *lol* :

In the end, unavoidable narcissism attacks occurred, as can be (clearly) seen below :

 

新年快樂 (xīn nián kuài lè; happy new year) ^o^!!!

Chinese Class Performance (3rd Sem)

Whew...finally...i've through this semester's Chinese class perfomance. Btw, it was the SHORTEST performance EVER =)) (*i was more than GLAD because i didn't have to be on the stage for quite long time *grin*). This time, i got a role as mother (*the fierce one ;p). Well, you'll be very fierce too if you had a son who's as mischievous as "my son".

Check out my performance here. For others' performance, check out my channel at Youtube here.