Pouyuenji Hills houses the world’s finest teas at its brew sanctuary in Sanyi, Taiwan
Within a 11-hectare estate tucked away in Taiwan's Miaoli County lies Pouyuenji Hills, a sanctuary for tea lovers that sets a new precedent when it comes to tea curation and collection across the world. Born with the hope of sharing its founder's, Chi-Chien Tsai, love for the beverage, it is home to an extensive library of the world’s finest teas, including a selection of over 100,000 Puer tea cakes.
The experience-based space offers a journey through interactive galleries as well as tea ceremonies, led by experienced tea masters. During our tasting, we experience the Dong Ding Oolong Tea, crafted using traditional rolling and roasting techniques, which has a roasted rice aroma and floral aftertaste.
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The lush grounds of Pouyuenji Hills
When it comes to premium teas, the first, second, and third brew each bring out distinctive qualities. Such is the case of the Jin Da Mo Puer Tea, a raw Puer tea from Yunnan that has an aroma of fresh flowers and plums, which draws its name from an Indian Buddhist monk who is often considered the founder of Zen Buddhism in East Asia. With Tsai’s respect for the figure, Da Mo is often pictured throughout Pouyuenji’s offerings.
Teas are expertly brewed by masters throughout Pouyuenji’s experiences
While Pouyuenji Hills offers an introduction to experience its different teas, the company’s experiential offerings also include two restaurants and cabin house Koya Xishan nestled in the forests of Nantou Country. With only six rooms, the experience is centered around tea with an in-house tea room where tea ceremonies are regularly carried out, and an extensive selection of brews to pair with homemade meals served in the relaxing terrace. Here, we try post-fermented Puer tea, which pairs well with hot meals, honey-scented black tea, and a selection of cold and warm tea-based cocktails.
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In Taichung lies Yuenji, a restaurant championing Taiwanese cuisine, drawing from its roots of Guangdong and Fujian food cultures spread through migration. Here, tea takes centre stage through curated tea pairings and built-in tea bars in the main dining room and many of the private rooms.
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Appetiser platter at Yuenji
The meal starts with a platter showcasing the best of Taiwan’s seasons—marinated Taiwanese Kuei Ting chicken, smoked duck with lily bulbs, and marinated jellyfish head pair well with Bi Luo Chun tea from Sanxia which brings with it a soybean fragrance. Also served alongside is the Wan Gong Black Tea from Yunnan, which has a malty sugar aftertaste that balances the peppery egg tofu.
Pork knuckle gua bao
Other teas that dot the experience include the Lapsang Souchong smoked with pine wood, white Lan Cang Gu Yun white tea from Yunnan, Gui Fei Oolong tea from Lugu, and a fragrant Tangerine Peel fermented Puer tea selected from The Six Puer Tea Mountains in Yunnan, which cut through a decadent dish of pork knuckle gua bao.
Lukang roasted wheat flour soup with almond tea and bird nest
The meal here ends with a Oriental Beauty Oolong tea, crafted by master tea maker Jiang Zhaoxuan, and Snow Chrysanthemum tea from Kunlun Mountains, to sip alongside Lukang roasted wheat flour soup with Chinese almond tea and bird nest.
Le Beaujour
In Taipei, Pouyuenji also offers another dining experience that celebrates Taiwanese produce, but this time with French techniques. Le Beaujour, while a French restaurant in design and cooking style, utilises local ingredients with mastery and experience. For instance, a dish of crunchy Taiwanese Black Pig ears, layered with aged swordfish and fig tartare. The tea pairing here switches between hot brews and cold brews, showcasing how different temperatures bring out different tea qualities.
Le Beaujour’s tea bar
For instance, the cold brew of Feng Huang Dan Cong Tea brings out a more elegant aroma and delicate mouthfeel, as compared to its hot brew counterpart. Here, we try White Peony tea, honey-scented black tea blended with direct-fired roasted longan flowers from Tainan, and Lapsang Souchong from Wuyi mountain. A Mont Blanc-inspired dessert pairs coffee and chestnut purée with earthy caramelised mushrooms and soybean ice cream, which we enjoyed amidst sips of hot brewed Snow Chrysanthemum tea.
Pouyuenji teas
With expansions to Kyoto and Tokyo taking form, Pouyuenji hopes to expand tea-based culture and education across the globe, making premium teas accessible to all.
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