Taiwan Black Tea Cultural Museum Introduction
The Taiwan Black Tea Cultural Museum, rich in historical significance and cultural depth, is an excellent place to experience tea culture. Stepping into this cultural museum feels like traveling through a time tunnel, reliving the glorious days of the early tea industry and embarking on a fragrant tea journey. This historic building, combining rustic red bricks and wooden window frames, is a designated historic site in the county and was originally the "Taiwan Black Tea Co., Ltd." founded by the local Luo family in 1937. At that time, the Luo family's company was one of the top ten trading companies in Taiwan, collaborating with over 19 tea factories domestically and exporting high-quality black tea to Europe, America, and African countries, witnessing the peak period of Taiwan's tea exports. Upon entering the museum, the first attraction is the red brick walls and tiles made using the dry pressing method introduced by the Japanese, which trace the marks of history. Inside the museum, wooden roof structures, beams, and staircases can be seen, having stood strong despite decades of time. The metal brushed walls outside the wooden warehouse appear old yet carry the fashionable vibe often found in vintage shops. These brushed plates display the names of 86 port cities worldwide, once used as marks on export tea boxes, symbolizing the international reach of Taiwan Black Tea and the influence of Taiwan Black Tea Co., Ltd. at that time. Additionally, the museum showcases trade documents, related tools and machinery, old photographs, and visitor albums dating back to 1937, making it a must-see for history enthusiasts. Walking through the museum, enveloped in a timeless atmosphere, one may catch whiffs of tea fragrance, which is not an illusion, as the tea factory is still in operation. If visiting during the tea production seasons (September, October, and March, April), the fragrance of tea may even fill the entire street. At other times, one can participate in the museum's carefully designed "Tea Judging Experience," learning about the characteristics of different tea leaves while testing one's own olfactory and taste buds. The tea judging uses the method commonly employed by the tea factory to control tea quality, brewing Japanese green tea, high mountain tea (Jinxuan or Wenshan Baozhong), Oriental Beauty, and Assam at the same water temperature and brewing time. This allows for comparison of teas with varying degrees of fermentation, each producing distinct colors and aromas. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the fragrant tea while listening to melodic sounds and don’t forget to taste the specialty tea-flavored ice cream and take home some souvenirs to continue the delightful journey of tea culture.
