Man Kuan Tea Garden Introduction
Enjoying a good pot of tea. In an era where bubble tea shops are on the rise, most people prefer quick and convenient drinks to-go, but often overlook one important fact: a cup of good tea takes time to brew. Fan Yi-jen, the owner of Man Guan Tea Garden, understands this well. In 2014, she opened Man Guan Tea Garden on Cultural Road to personally brew the tea she produces for consumers. Yi-jen believes that enjoying tea needs a face-to-face interaction platform. She must guide customers through the complete brewing process to help them appreciate the aroma, taste, and characteristics of each type of tea in the store. For example, the natural fruit aroma of Honey Oolong subtly carries a light honey fragrance, while the rich tea soup of Qingxin Oolong offers a refreshing smoothness on the palate. Depending on the climate of each year and season, the same tea leaves can change their flavors to suit the environment, and these stories need to be shared with customers over the course of several pots of tea. Thus, a group of customers often requires over an hour of attention, but Yi-jen enjoys it, saying that these moments spent with guests have become the greatest reward since she opened her store. Man Guan Tea Garden does not pursue fancy packaging; it insists that every step from planting, harvesting, roasting, and packaging to selling the tea must be done in-house without involving others. In 2017 alone, a total of 457 items were sent to SGS for food certification inspections, as tea quality has always been Yi-jen's top priority. There was once a South Korean man who had worked in Taiwan for ten years, who brought his secretary to the store. For every pot of tea he drank, he would turn to his secretary and say: this is the tea he needs in the morning, this is the tea for after a fulfilling lunch, and this is the tea for the evening. The teas in the store satisfied his important moments of needing the fragrance of tea throughout the day. The South Korean man's attitude toward tea aligns perfectly with Yi-jen's philosophy of "life tea." These carefully cultivated Alishan tea leaves are waiting for us to discover them one day, becoming important guests to enrich those moments in our lives. Recommended dishes: Honey Red Oolong, Charcoal Roasted Aged Tea (Private Tea).
