1) #2018TOST - Opening Ceremony and first field trip to Wenshan Tea District.

With the blessing with Taiwan’s cool and some rainy moments...TOST 2018 has begun with exciting and full schedule to Wenshan Tea Dist, at The BAI Tea House, WenShan Farmer’s Asso and beautiful WANG DER CHUAN tea house!

Jacob Bai and his family greet our 2018 TOST friends to study Wenshan Pouchong 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Followed up on our trip to the historical Wenshan Farm...  Thankful to Director Lai and Mr. Ueng for taking their busy schedule to have us  to wander around.  We were shocked to see that many plantations here were gone, and added more camping grounds for school students and visitors.  Tea is too labor intensive and Farmers' Association cannot compete with individual farmer on managing tea gardens.  They are more focused on refinery.  Good thing that Wenshan Farm still keeps a very complete tea cultivars garden for study.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way returning to our base - Dongwu Hotel, we have made a stop to visit one tea shop, the famous Wang Der Chuan.  The owner Lynn Wang shares with our members her philosophy and the concept of librarian display to educate her customers.  They have quite a few upscale tea shops in Taiwan and China.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) #2018TOST - Traveling down to central Taiwan

After Wenshan tea district, 2018 TOST will travel down to central Taiwan.
First we will stop at Yuchih, to see those Old Bushes Assam tea plants at Deers Field Valley, where the booming Taiwanese Black Tea (*which we believe need further classification... by the way of process...) has been a big hit right after 921 Big Quake in Taiwan back in 1999.  We have a very good and warm story about this one.

 

 

 

The beautiful Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan's largest high altitude lake is always packed by tourists, and we just drove by and not to stay there... maybe some other time... after we sell a lot of Oolong...

Here we arrive to TRES Yuchih Branch... and our TOST instructor, Master Steve Huang is waiting us there... We got the privilege to have tea tasting at his office...

 

 

 

 

 

We say bye to Steve and continue a long ride to Alishan...  and a good dinner is waiting for us.