Man Guan Tea Garden Introduction
Enjoying a pot of heartfelt tea In an era where bubble tea shops are increasing, most people prefer quick and convenient takeaway drinks, often forgetting one important fact: a good cup of tea requires time to brew. Fan Yi-chen, of Man Guan Tea Garden, understands this well; hence, in 2014, she opened Man Guan Tea Garden on Cultural Road, aiming to personally brew her own tea for consumers. Yi-chen believes that drinking tea requires a platform for face-to-face communication. Through the complete tea brewing process, she allows customers to appreciate the aroma, taste, and characteristics of each type of tea in the shop. For instance, the natural fruity notes of Honey Oolong secretly carry a delicate honey fragrance, while the rich tea soup of Qing Xin Oolong transforms into a refreshing and smooth spring water sensation after entering the palate. Each year, the same tea leaves may change their flavor according to seasonal climate variations, and these stories need to be shared slowly through several pots of tea, which often requires more than an hour of hospitality for a group of customers. Yi-chen enjoys this, stating that these moments spent hosting customers constitute her greatest achievement since opening the shop. Man Guan Tea Garden's tea does not pursue flamboyant packaging; instead, it insists that every step—growing, picking, roasting, making, packaging, and selling the tea—be done in-house, with no step outsourced to others. In 2017 alone, 457 items were sent for inspection by SGS, highlighting Yi-chen's dedication to tea quality. Once, a Korean who had worked in Taiwan for ten years brought his secretary to the shop. Each time he drank a pot of tea, he would turn to his secretary and say: this is the tea he drinks in the morning, this is the tea he has after a satisfying lunch, and this is the tea he has in the evening. The establishment’s teas catered to his important moments throughout the day when he wished to be enveloped by the aroma of tea. This Korean's tea-drinking attitude resonates with Yi-chen's philosophy of "life tea." The carefully cultivated Alishan tea is just waiting for us to discover it, becoming an important guest in those moments of our lives. Recommended dishes: Honey Oolong, Charcoal Roasted Aged Tea (Private Tea).
