So a few months back I decide to take a day trip with my cousin to Mao Kong to drink tea. I heard great stories about the wonderful tea they harvested there and the scenic views they offer while you drink.
Location: Mao Kong is located just south of Taipei and very convenient to get to. All you do is just take the Wenhu (Brown Line) MRT station towards Taipei Zoo and get off at Wanfang Community MRT station. From there you walk about a block to a bus stop and pay about 15NT for a bus ride up into the mountains. When you drive by a tea house that you like, just tell the driver to stop and your there. On your way down back to the MRT station you have to flag down the bus driver as he drives by since there are no dedicated stops.
When I went in March, the Gondolas were broken but now they are up and running. You can take the gondolas from Taipei Zoo MRT station to Mao Kong.
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Since this was our first time in Mao Kong we decided to go to the place that had the most people, since that is like the #1 rule in Taiwan. The place we went to grew their own organic veggies and used tea to cook their dishes. We decide to get a small pack of tea leaves (cost about $700NT) and some food. We ordered their signature Tea Fries Rice and Tea Veggies. That small pack of tea leaves was more than enough for the two of us which we only used 1/5 of and took the rest home. The Tea Fried Rice was delicious along with the tea vegetable. The only gripe I had about this place was the lack of meat dishes, which me being a carnivore was something I was craving the whole time.
There is a rich tradition in the way people drink in Taiwan. The first batch of tea boiled is never drank but used to clean the leaves as well as poured into the teacups to clean/warm them up. Each cup of tea leaves can be reboiled up to 5 times before the aroma starts to wear off and thats when you change to new leaves. The tea is first boiled in a large teapot then poured into a smaller one and then finally into the teacups where it is ready to drink. I was also told that the best cup of tea comes from the 4th time water is added.
This is definitely a place I recommend to go to if you are sick of the city and want to be one with mother nature. If you ever have a craving for tea and a free afternoon definitely check Mao Kong out.
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